Latest news with #streetcleaning
CTV News
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- CTV News
City approves return of tow trucks during parking bans
Tow trucks are returning to the city's street clearing strategy. City council voted on Wednesday to use $100,000 from the city's contingency fund to pay for tow truck enforcement the next time plows and street sweepers are out. For the past two years, there was no money in the budget for tow trucks to accompany street cleaners. This spring, more than 700 parking tickets were issued in the first four days of street sweeping. 'Having vehicles parked when our plows are there, when other sweepers are out there, they do create inefficiencies,' said Mayor Amarjeet Sohi. 'And the street doesn't look clean either.' While the number of cars ticketed and towed is expected to increase, city council lowered the fine for parking during a ban from $250 to $150 – or $100 if the ticket is paid within a week. 'The fine will be less, which I think is probably good for people in these times,' said Ward Dene Coun. Aaron Paquette. 'But there will still be consequences.' Paquette said the changes were made in response to feedback from residents, though he doesn't believe additional enforcement is all that's needed. 'I'm hearing from both sides – be more tough or don't penalize me for something I didn't know about – and so that's incumbent on the city to have better signage,' Paquette said. 'At the end of the day, people understand that they have to move their cars,' he added. 'But, personally, I think that the window for when they have to move their car for city work is far too broad and we should tighten that up … so people have more certainty.' Edmonton has more than 12,000 kilometres of roadway and has issued upwards of 2,200 parking tickets in three of the four winters there has been a seasonal parking ban system. Edmontonians can sign up for parking ban notices on the City of Edmonton's website. With files from CTV News Edmonton's Connor Hogg, Jeremy Thompson and Craig Ellingson
BBC News
29-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
The artist who swept Glasgow's streets for 30 years
When Allan Richardson was 17 he wanted to go to art school, but one day he returned home from school to find his dad had secured him an interview for a job with the council."All I wanted to do was my art," said Allan. "But my dad said to me, 'you can do your art but you have to have something to keep you'."Allan went to the interview and the following Monday he started work as a "litter boy", going round the streets and emptying the took a back seat over the next decade as he worked in various council jobs before settling on sweeping the streets of Glasgow's west end. For 30 years, until his recent retirement, Allan kept the city's Byres Road and its surrounding streets clean but he also made sure he had his paint palette and sketchbook in his pocket. Drawing and painting almost every day during his lunch break, and often with his handmade sketchbook balanced on the bar of his cart, Allan quickly became accustomed to searching for the west end's hidden gems."People walk by going to work or university, or they're on a phone and they're just walking ahead thinking about where they need to be, but there is so much all around them."That was the good thing about my job, I would see all of that and think 'that's an interesting feature on that building, I might come back and draw that'." Allan, who is now 60, said the area had changed a lot over the three decades he cleaned and painted said Byres Road has always been a centre for students, but the butchers and jewellery stores of the past have now been swapped for chain takeaways and coffee a plan in his head as he swept the streets, Allan has painted hundreds of buildings in the west end from the cobbled backstreets and popular student hangouts to the Kibble Palace in the Botanic Gardens and the iconic tower of Glasgow University's Gilbert Scott Building."There's a lot of good architecture in the west end and there's a lot of history, which I really like," he said. Part of Glasgow west end's story Allan said one of the reasons he stayed in his job so long was the people he met and spoke to each day."For some of the older people in the area, chatting to me would make their day as they maybe wouldn't speak to anyone for a couple of days," he of the people Allan spoke to and became a close friend of was renowned Scottish writer and artist Alasdair Gray."I used to sweep his street," said said he had no idea who Gray was but the paintbrushes in his window had caught his attention as he passed by, so the next time Allan saw him, he asked if he was an artist."He invited me in to have a look around at his work but he never introduced himself," Allan said."It wasn't until later I discovered who he was, and I would chat to him like with any of the other locals."One day Gray asked Allan if he could draw him."I went to his flat and he sketched me," he said."A few years later, I discovered I was going to be on the new mural at Hillhead subway station after its refurbishment, which was fantastic."I can now go to the underground and see myself standing there with my brush as part of the story of the west end." Gray, who is best-known for his first novel Lanark, died in 2019. His Hillhead subway mural shows a panoramic and detailed sweep of the west end, from Byres Road looking east towards the centre of shows many of the streets Allan swept and drew for 30 years. Now retired, Allan said it's time to move on and learn something new as he hopes to do more art classes and explore new places in the city with his Glasgow Urban Sketchers group.
Times
27-06-2025
- Automotive
- Times
Zohran Mamdani is riding a populist wave, like Trump
L et me tell you a (true) Fairytale of New York. Like most New Yorkers with a car, I park my vehicle on the street to save myself the typical $1,000 a month that a spot in a parking garage now costs. Ostensibly to allow for 'street cleaning', but really to raise additional revenue through needless fines, the city has parking restrictions during mornings twice a week for an hour and a half on alternate sides of most streets, so that a vehicle may not be parked and left for more than a couple of days at a time. This has given rise to a New York ritual. Every morning you'll see people sitting in their cars, on their phones and laptops, waiting for the street cleaning machine to pass (it often doesn't, though the traffic cop always does, cheerfully appending $65 tickets to every empty car) and the drivers must then move the car out and back into the precious spot and wait out the remaining time so they can enjoy the privilege of another day or two of free parking.
Times
26-06-2025
- Automotive
- Times
Mamdani is riding a populist wave, like Trump
L et me tell you a (true) Fairytale of New York. Like most New Yorkers with a car, I park my vehicle on the street to save myself the typical $1,000 a month that a spot in a parking garage now costs. Ostensibly to allow for 'street cleaning', but really to raise additional revenue through needless fines, the city has parking restrictions during mornings twice a week for an hour and a half on alternate sides of most streets, so that a vehicle may not be parked and left for more than a couple of days at a time. This has given rise to a New York ritual. Every morning you'll see people sitting in their cars, on their phones and laptops, waiting for the street cleaning machine to pass (it often doesn't, though the traffic cop always does, cheerfully appending $65 tickets to every empty car) and the drivers must then move the car out and back into the precious spot and wait out the remaining time so they can enjoy the privilege of another day or two of free parking.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'In many ways, he is York's caretaker': street cleaner wins award
A street cleaning supervisor in York has been named 'Best Ambassador' in a UK and Ireland-wide award event. Chris Patrick, who works for York BID, was recognised at the 2025 Association of Town & City Management (ATCM) Awards - which were held in Bradford on Wednesday (June 18) - for his dedication to keeping York city centre's streets clean. Mr Patrick said: "I take enormous pride in caring for this beautiful city. "Winning this award is a wonderful surprise, and I want to thank the whole team who roll up their sleeves with me every single morning – rain, shine, or floods. "We love York and we want everyone who lives, works, or visits here to see it at its best." A former chef who wanted to work outdoors and contribute to his community, Mr Patrick has led York BID's cleaning operations for eight years. Mr Patrick and the York BID team celebrated his win at the awards ceremony, which took place in Bradford on Wednesday (June 18) (Image: Supplied) A spokesperson said: "Most weekday mornings – before the city wakes up – Chris and his team are already out in the city centre tackling unsightly messes, including human waste and drug paraphernalia, with a can-do, positive attitude." Carl Alsop, operations manager at York BID, said: "There's not a hotel in York that wouldn't welcome Chris with a bacon sandwich – that's how far above and beyond he goes. "His attention to detail, strong initiative, and willingness to help mean he's always finding ways to make the city better – whether it's planting, painting, or quietly supporting events." Mr Patrick's work goes beyond cleaning: he also prepares street furniture for Rejuvenation Days; weeds; and plants - and he has even rescued a Nutcracker statue. A spokesperson said: "He's often behind the scenes making things better without seeking recognition." Carl Nickson, managing director of Eboracum UK, the delivery partner for York BID's cleaning service, said: "York simply wouldn't be the same without Chris. "As the street cleaning supervisor, he's more than a team leader – he's the heart behind the city's daily transformation. "He notices the details no one else sees and takes on challenges without complaint. "In many ways, he is York's caretaker." The rapid response cleaning service, which Mr Patrick helps to lead, ensures that entranceways and footpaths in the city centre are safe and clean. The service was described by a spokesperson as "a vital lifeline for levy-paying businesses." The ATCM Awards celebrate excellence in place-making and place-management across the UK and Ireland. The 'Best Ambassador, Warden, or Ranger' category recognises individuals who go above and beyond to create clean, safe, and welcoming environments.
