(Washington, DC) The DC Department of Public Works (DPW) announced today that weekly residential mechanical street cleaning will end for the season Monday, October 31, 2011. “No Parking/Street Cleaning” restrictions will be lifted and motorists may park on posted, alternate-side, daytime sweeping routes without moving their cars on street-cleaning days. Residential street sweeping will resume March 1, weather permitting.

Residential street sweeping is suspended for public safety concerns and to allow the employees to transition to leaf collection duties, which start November 7. The sweepers release a fine spray of water to control the dust as they sweep. When the temperature is at freezing or below, the spray can freeze and cause accidents to vehicles and pedestrians.

Overnight sweeping along the District’s major roadways, e.g., Pennsylvania, Georgia, Constitution, and Independence avenues, will continue all winter, as weather permits. Motorists should obey the street sweeping signs posted along these streets.

By suspending the street sweeping program, DPW personnel can focus on leaf collection, which begins November 7, as well as the upcoming snow removal season. The 2011-2012 leaf collection season begins November 7, 2011 and will run through January 14, 2012. Leaves will be removed from treeboxes at least twice. Loose leaves raked into the treeboxes or bagged leaves placed there will be collected and composted.

New brochures announcing the fall/winter leaf collection season were mailed to residents in October.