You might never have given it a second thought, but that street sweeper truck in your neighborhood makes a major impact. The work of a street sweeper beautifies your neighborhood and shopping areas.
It maintains the value of properties, and it also enhances your own safety.
If you’re curious about the importance of these under-appreciated vehicles, here are three major benefits street sweeper trucks have to offer.
What Does A Street Sweeper Truck Do?
Can’t even think what a “street sweeper truck” is? Here’s the gist. Street sweepers are giant trucks with a large, circular, rotating broom.
They travel slowly along streets, especially near curbs. Usually, they are seen cleaning up after a crash or storm.
They gather and remove unwanted items from the road. They may not be as common or widely appreciated as garbage trucks or other common neighborhood maintenance vehicles, but the need for them is greater than you may think…
Saving The Planet
Every time you stop at a major intersection or look out the window on the freeway you see it: garbage. Litter is literally everywhere (see what we did there).
Liter may not be left intentionally. Still, motorists and pedestrians everywhere are responsible for its accumulation on our roadsides.
And it’s not only ugly to look at, but it’s also highly destructive to communities and wildlife.
Unfortunately, most wildlife cannot tell the difference between food and garbage. Items like plastic bottles, bags, and wrappers are especially dangerous to animals. Animals often gather around garbage left in gutters and near curbs.
This puts them at risk of getting hit or choking.
Liter also causes problems in city drainage areas. It gets into the system and may contaminate water supplies or cause blockage and other damages.
Enter the street sweeper!
This one reason alone makes street sweeper trucks an essential aspect of every city’s maintenance team. Street sweepers help gather and get rid of debris and garbage from roads. In this way they protect animals and plants in your neighborhood.
Birds are especially susceptible to dangers from roadside garbage. Often, they land to investigate those candy wrappers or plastic bottles left by the side of the road for food.
Street sweepers are an important part of any city’s plan to “go green.” Without their cleaning efforts, garbage and debris would be left to pile up and harm the health of neighborhoods.
Improving Road Safety
Parking lot sweepers are another type of road sweeper that works to improve the safety of lots and roads. These trucks work hard to make sure your day isn’t ruined when you run over a nail or giant piece of broken glass.
Following accidents, it’s often road sweepers that come along to clean up bits of glass and debris so other cars don’t suffer damage. In this way, they even work to prevent future accidents caused by cars running over unseen obstacles.
Street sweepers are also there to clear rocks, tire pieces, and other items from streets so cars don’t have to swerve to avoid missing them.
Without these essential trucks, parking lots, highways, and even your neighborhood streets would be covered with junk. This debris can wreak havoc on your car, or become the cause of collisions.
Sweepers also work to clear items from gutters and drains. If left to build up, leaves, branches, garbage, and more can become a serious flooding concern for many streets.
Following storms or heavy rains, street sweepers become a vital part of the cleanup.
Your car’s undercarriage may be the least of your concerns if you suddenly find yourself driving through massive amounts of standing water–all because the drains were too clogged to let rainwater pass.
Street sweepers make sure roads are clean, clear, and safe for everyone.
Protecting Property Value
Of course, street sweeper trucks protect your car from running over damaging items, but what effect do they have on your home or business?
It may surprise some to learn that the condition of your streets can have a major impact on the value of your home.
Ask just about any realtor, and they’ll tell you that your street plays a huge role in potential home buyer’s interest. For example, many home buyers are turned off from homes located on a busy main street or near lots of road construction.
Even streets with funny names or unsavory neighbors can affect the value of your home for the worse. So, it follows that dirty, debris-filled streets are no different.
Street sweepers are a hallmark of classy areas. They keep your streets looking pristine and tidy, thus upping the literal “curb-appeal” of your home and neighborhood.
Plus, if there’s no buildup of dead leaves and grass in your gutters, your home looks well cared for and maintained. The work of street sweepers is massive and without them, trying to clean the streets and gutters of your neighborhood would be a daunting task.
Business owners also benefit from clear streets in front of their storefronts. It sends a clear message to potential customers that a business values organization and cleanliness.
Should I Hire A Street Sweeper?
If your home or business doesn’t currently benefit from the services of a street sweeper truck, you might want to consider hiring one. Neighborhoods with an HOA are often open to considering hiring such a service.
Street sweepers help to maintain the quality and aesthetic of neighborhood and business streets or shopping areas.
For more great ideas on how to improve your property or small business’s appearance, browse the Growth Strategies portion of our blog.
