NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 16, 2002 District To Begin Towing During Posted Street Sweeping Hours (Washington, DC) The District Department of Public Works is announcing a crackdown on vehicles parked on residential streets during posted street cleaning hours. Beginning immediately, vehicles blocking street sweepers will be ticketed aggressively, according to DPW Director, Leslie Hotaling. "If ticketing is not an effective deterrent, we will not hesitate to tow cars from the street and take them to the District impoundment lot on Addison Road," she said. The stepped-up enforcement is attributed to thousands of resident complaints made to the Parking Services Administration, citing skipped or partial street cleaning due to illegally parked cars blocking the path of sweepers. DPW cleans over 100 miles of residential streets every weekday, using large, mechanical sweepers that must work closely against the side of each curb, picking up leaves, litter and common dirt. These streets are posted with red and white "No Parking Street Sweeping" signs listing the day and hours of weekly sweeping. Streets that do not receive signed street sweeping service are not affected. "We rely on resident and visitor compliance with street signs so that we can provide this necessary and popular service throughout the city," said Ms. Hotaling. "In the absence of compliance, we have no other option but to tow. You can’t sweep the street when there are cars in the way." DPW will begin routine towing for No Parking Street Sweeping violations on April 22, 2002. If towed, the vehicle owner must go in person to the Department of Motor Vehicles Adjudication Office at 65 K Street, NE and pay the $75 dollar tow fee, in addition to any outstanding parking tickets, before his or her vehicle will be released from the impoundment lot at 4800 Addison Road in Beaver Heights, MD. The impoundment lot is a half mile from the Deanwood Metrorail station on the orange line.