Pilot street cleaning program made permanent in Charlestown

In cooperation with Charlestown residents and elected officials, the City of Boston today announced that a pilot Street Cleaning Program that has been underway in that neighborhood since July of 2015 will be implemented permanently effective immediately.  Vehicles parked in violation of the posted Street Cleaning regulations on streets in Charlestown will no longer be towed but will be subject to an increased parking ticket fine of $90.  The Street Cleaning parking ticket fine remains $40 in other Boston neighborhoods where vehicles may be towed and additional fees may be incurred for this infraction.  This amendment to the City’s Code of Ordinances was approved by the Boston City Council on Wednesday, March 23, 2016, allowing for a permanent change to the City’s Street Cleaning Program.  The legislation also ensures that all Boston residents are provided the option of implementing the increased fine but no tow alternative for their respective neighborhoods as well.

Boston’s Street Cleaning Program is a joint effort of the Public Works Department that manages the undertaking and is responsible for cleaning the streets, the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services that assists PWD with implementation and notification, and the Boston Transportation Department that encourages compliance with the regulation through the issuance of parking tickets.

“I’d like to thank Charlestown residents for their willingness to pilot this modified street cleaning program in their neighborhood,” said Boston Transportation Commissioner Gina N. Fiandaca.  “Thanks to their cooperation, the pilot has been successfully completed and we are pleased to be moving forward with these enforcement updates designed to help keep Charlestown’s streets clean.”

Boston’s Public Works Commissioner Michael Dennehy added, “Clean streets are a top priority for City residents and the Public Works Department.  To meet this objective, it is crucial that vehicles are parked in accordance with street cleaning regulations to allow our equipment to move along each street, sweeping as wide an area of pavement as possible.  The pilot program proved successful in assisting with this effort.”

The Charlestown pilot program was designed to determine if a change in parking enforcement strategy would lead to increased compliance with the street cleaning regulations by motor vehicle owners.

Charlestown District City Councilor Salvatore LaMattina said, “I have been very pleased with the results of the pilot Street Sweeping Program in Charlestown and my office has not received any complaints from residents.  The community has responded well to the program and residents have saved money now that they no longer have to travel to other communities to claim their cars from tow lots.  I am happy that this program has been made permanent.”

"This pilot program in Charlestown has helped to ease concerns about having one's car towed while effectively keeping our neighborhood streets thoroughly clean," commented Senator Sal DiDomenico. "I am pleased to hear that this successful pilot program is now permanent, and I would like to thank Mayor Walsh and the Boston City Council for their continuous work to make our city the very best it can be."

“We all want clean streets, but we’ve all also woken up at least once and said ‘Shoot, I forgot that today was street sweeping day,’ ” said State Representative Daniel J. Ryan.  “Walking outside and finding that your car is missing can really ruin your day.  Last year’s pilot program seemed to go well and, as long as we can keep the streets clean, I support the continuation of this program."

Residents of other Boston neighborhoods who would like their neighborhood Street Cleaning Program to explore the parking enforcement strategy now in effect in Charlestown should contact their Boston City Councilor or their neighborhood liaison in the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services.  Liaison names and contact information for each City of Boston neighborhood is available at www.cityofboston.gov/ons/

Boston residents are encouraged to call 311 or use the Citizen’s Connect smartphone app to report any streets that remain dirty after street cleaning.  Residents can also log onto www.cityofboston.gov/publicworks/sweeping/ to learn more about the City of Boston’s street cleaning schedule and to sign up for “No Tow” alerts that will inform you when the street cleaning regulations are in effect on your neighborhood streets.