If you live in Boston, April 1st means that winter is over. It’s also more than just a day to play pranks on our family and friends. Because along with the ‘1st’ being April Fool’s Day, it also signals the beginning of street sweeping and that ever-looming potential for a costly ticket and even a very expensive tow for those who must park a vehicle on the street.
This year the ‘first’ is on a Saturday, so most of us at least don’t have to worry. But check the signs on your block to be sure you know the day and the time you must not park as well as for which side of the street is to be cleaned.
Though residents may think they know exactly which day and what time the sweepers are scheduled to come by, you can’t always go by the previous year. In the past, on some blocks at least, the days have been changed, so it’s always wise to give the signs a check just in case.
There are the pros and cons of any program and street sweeping is no exception. It’s not pleasant to come out in the morning and find your car, SUV or pickup ticketed and even worse if it’s not there at all because it has fallen victim to a tow truck. This experience often results in loudly expressed colorful language being shouted within earshot of school children, as far away as several blocks. The price of both ticket and tow combined can cost you quite a bit of cash that you’d much rather spend on something else – anything else really. That’s the negative. The positive is the streets, which can get pretty messy, look much better after the sweepers go by. Just think of what they’d look like if they were never swept at all.
So, do what you have to do to remember when to move your vehicle. Mark it on your wall calendar, set your smart phone to remind you with a message or do it the old fashioned way and write yourself a note and stick it on the refrigerator. And just one more thing- a request really, the city sweeping machines only clean the streets. It would be nice if everyone pitched in and kept their stairs and the sidewalks in front of their homes swept too. A few minutes with a broom will keep the town looking nice.
