San Diego is revamping its street sweeping program to remove more trash and boost the cleanliness of local waterways, but the changes reduce service in some neighborhoods and require new parking restrictions in areas where streets will be swept more often.

“After analyzing years of data, we identified several opportunities where a slight increase or decrease in the frequency of our street sweeping efforts would significantly bolster the amount of trash and debris collected citywide,” said Bethany Bezak, interim director of the city’s Stormwater Department.

The city is decreasing the frequency of sweeps on routes where relatively little trash is collected. And the city is increasing the frequency of sweeps on routes where relatively large amounts of trash are collected. The changes took effect last Thursday.

The estimate in the report by the city’s independent budget analyst doesn’t factor in required service upgrades or free bins

Neighborhoods where sweeping will be more frequent on some streets are Clairemont, Linda Vista, Bay Park, Miramar, Mira Mesa and University City.

Sweeping will be less frequent on some streets in Peninsula, Midway-Pacific Highway, Balboa Park, Normal Heights, Kensington, the College Area, Grantville, Logan Heights, Encanto and Golden Hill.

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In addition, four routes will have new signage posted to implement limited-hour parking restrictions so the sweepers can operate efficiently. Those routes are on specific streets in Encanto, North Clairemont, Allied Gardens and Clairemont Mesa.

Changes on those four routes will be implemented slowly through next May, with a 30-day grace period for vehicle citations after the new signs are posted.

The changes affect a total of 13 routes and more than 300 miles of streets. Officials say they will conduct robust outreach in neighborhoods where new signs are posted, including direct mail and fliers distributed on parked vehicles.

Andrea Schlageter, leader of an umbrella organization for local neighborhood groups, said Tuesday that it’s important for officials to be careful how they handle enforcement while the signs are being changed in particular neighborhoods.

City planners and residents debate how best to update the plan that will shape the community for the coming decades

City officials say the changes will make San Diego’s street sweeping more effective and efficient, which will keep more trash out of local rivers and bays, which eventually flow into the ocean.

Roughly 80 percent of ocean pollution begins inland and flows through gutters, storm drains and watersheds to the coast, city officials said.

Street sweeper vehicles are outfitted with water sprayers, rotating brushes and a vacuum, which work together to remove toxic pollutants and trash from roads while reducing dust levels.

The city’s fleet of 28 sweepers cover 61,000 miles of streets annually, removing about 220,000 pounds of trash and debris.

Residents can go to the city’s interactive street sweeping map to check whether their street is affected by the changes, or they can go to ThinkBlue.org for more information.

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