(added 1:48 am: the sweeper that’s been patroling our corner for 1 hr+, though we have no bike lanes)
Funny thing, someone just brought up the continuing street-sand troubles at the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting we’re covering right now – at the exact moment we checked our e-mail, and found this:

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is devoting additional resources to cleaning bike lanes starting tonight. Mechanical street cleaners and crews with hand sweepers will clear bike routes throughout the city.

The department has nearly completed its initial sweeping of sand from 1,531 lane miles of Seattle’s main streets and will continue its cleaning work with additional runs along the same major streets and will focus aggressively over the next several days on bike lanes.

SDOT deployed ten sweepers to clean up more quickly from the storms of December and early January, nearly double the normal number used. SDOT staff will be inspecting roadways throughout the city this evening to assess where additional emphasis is needed.

If citizens have concerns about streets still requiring sand removal or where additional sweeping would be beneficial, they can call SDOT at (206) 684-ROAD. The public is asked to heed “No Parking” signs placed to support sweeping. By doing so, they allow sweeping crews to clean as close to the curb as possible, removing the bulk of the sand on the roadway.

In particular, tonight’s concerned citizen was worried about conditions on 16th SW. If you don’t see cleaning on a street you’re concerned about – do call that hotline number. WEDNESDAY 12:46 AM UPDATE: Big loud street sweeper just swept through our nearest arterial-meets-arterial intersection in Upper Fauntleroy.