Why some Philadelphians are paying for dirty streets
Why is the Philadelphia Parking Authority ticketing cars for blocking street sweepers — on streets the city doesn’t actually sweep 75 percent of the time?
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A city street sweeper cleans Chester Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia on Jan. 3, 2019. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)
The Philadelphia Parking Authority has raked in millions of dollars by ticketing people who leave their cars on certain blocks on designated days for street sweeping. But a WHYY/PlanPhilly investigation found the city doesn’t show up to clean those streets 75 percent of the time, leaving residents wondering why they’re being fined for a service they’re not getting. On this episode of The Why, WHYY’s Aaron Moselle and PlanPhilly’s Ryan Briggs explore why Philadelphia is so much better at ticketing cars than it is at actually sweeping streets.
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