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AusTexMurf

Member

From: South Austin

Registered: 2008-11-21

Posts: 439

Portland’s New BikeLane-Sized Sweeper Rolls...

Are we there, yet ?

News Advisory: Portland’s new bike-lane-sized sweeper rolls out tonight to clean NE Multnomah Street protected bikeway from 9 pm to midnight
http://www.portlandoregon.gov/transport … cle/471821

(November 22, 2013) - The Portland Bureau of Transportation is offering the news media an opportunity tonight to see its newest street sweeper in action – a machine that is small and narrow enough to fit bicycle lanes and other hard to reach places in addition to performing regular duty as part of the city’s fleet of larger sweepers.

Tonight, a city crew will clean the protected bikeway along NE Multnomah Street.  Typically, city crews sweep major commercial streets at night when traffic is light and there are few parked cars.  The crew will sweep from NE Grand Avenueto 21st Avenue from 9 p.m. to midnight.

The news media is welcome to film or photograph the sweeper in action. Any interview requests should be directed to Diane Dulken, public information officer at 503.577.8236 before 10 p.m.

WHEN: 9 p.m. to midnight.

WHERE: The street sweeper will begin its NE Multnomah Street route at NE Grand Avenue and sweep east to NE 21st Avenue then turn around and return to Grand Avenue.  The protected bikeway, a lane that is buffered from auto traffic by planters and parked cars, extends to 16th Avenue.  A traditional bikeway extends to 21st Avenue.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The Ravo Street Sweeper is the City of Portland’s 10th sweeper.  It is 105 inches tall, 89 inches wide and 178 inches long.  That size compares to theTymco streetsweeper at 112 inches tall, 96 inches wide and 280 inches long. The Ravo cost $210,000; the Tymco $226,000
The Transportation Bureau sweeps each residential street in Portland once or twice a year; each major arterial or collector street up to six times a year and sweeps in the Central Business District five days a week.
The Ravo Street Sweeper was added to the fleet in late October. It is used for general use in addition to specialty work cleaning bikeways that other machines can’t reach.

Last edited by AusTexMurf (2013-11-29 14:07:22)

AusTexMurf

Member

From: South Austin

Registered: 2008-11-21

Posts: 439

Re: Portland’s New BikeLane-Sized Sweeper Rolls...

Seattle will purchase skinny bike lane sweeper machine
Posted on November 20, 2013 by Tom Fucoloro
http://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2013/11/ … r-machine/

Bike Portland reported this week that their city has purchased a special street sweeper vehicle that fits into the city’s new protected bike lanes.

Protected bike lanes are appealing and safe for people on bikes because a barrier of some kind separates the lane from motor vehicles. This extra protection is vital to creating space that people of all ages and abilities feel safe using, but it also creates a problem: Street sweepers are often too big to clean them.

This problem became immediately clear when a short section of the Broadway Bikeway opened in mid-October, the same time the street trees decided to lose all their leaves. The result was, well, you can see in the photo above.

But Seattle is not going to be out-sweepered by Portland, and has plans to purchase a bike-lane-compatible sweeper of their own in early 2014. In the meantime, crews will handle clearing the city’s few protected bikeways. From SDOT spokesperson Rick Sheridan:

As protected bike lanes are a new type of facility for the city, SDOT is establishing a maintenance program specifically for them. We don’t have a sweeper suited for their narrow space and surface type, so we are currently evaluating several regenerative air sweepers to address this need.

Our goal is to complete the equipment purchase by the end of the first quarter of 2014. Until then, we will use our maintenance laborers to keep the cycle tracks clear.