Grit removal has begun

As the cleaning progresses to smaller streets, drivers should observe any requests to remove vehicles and parking restriction signs, so that cars won't be standing in the way during spring cleaning work. 

–We were already able to start the work before Easter in certain areas, and now we are operating at the full capacity of both Infra and subcontractors – both in terms of machinery and employees. The cleaning of the biggest and busiest streets and main pedestrian and cycling routes should be done by May, and other areas are expected to follow a couple of weeks later. But work is currently being done all around the city, also on smaller streets.  The rapid pace benefits everyone,says Antti Sorvali, Site Engineer at Tampereen Infra Oy.

The city removes the grit from the streets, cycling paths and public areas 

Together with contractors, Tampereen Infra Oy will remove the grit from the streets, market squares and pedestrian and cycling routes.  Dozens of street sweepers and other machines are at work around in the city. Stairs and other places that are difficult to clean with machines will be cleaned manually by Infra employees.  The grit will be taken to circular economy areas or soil dumping sites that are authorised to accept gritting sand.

Sweeping the grit off the pavement is the responsibility of the property – grit may not be swept to the roadway or ditch

The holder of the property, or most often the maintenance company, caretaker or the owner of the house, is responsible for the yard area of their property and for cleaning the adjacent pavement. Infra will take care of pavements that border public areas such as parks. Grit may not be swept or washed onto the roadway or into the ditch. 

Use of leaf blowers for grit removal is forbidden

In order to control the spread of particles that are harmful to health, using a leaf blower for cleaning grit off the streets is still forbidden. Grit must be disposed of wet, i.e. it must be made wet if necessary. The air quality of the Tampere area can be checked on the ilmanlaatu.fi website.

Observe parking restrictions and temporary tow away zone signs to avoid charges

Car owners should observe winter parking restrictions and temporary tow away zone signs. Parking restrictions will help in grit removal, as cars won't be parked along the street. Violating parking restrictions may result in a parking fine, and failure to comply with tow away zones can result in an EUR 100 towing fee. You can subscribe to a reminder message in your phone for the street cleaning times indicated on the temporary tow away zone signs (link below).

The grit removal process can be followed in the map view

The progress of grit removal can be followed in the map view below. Streets marked green have already been cleaned for the most part. On yellow streets, work is ongoing. On purple streets, work has not yet been started. The map can be enlarged (link to the map view further on the page). There may be a small delay in updating the map.