Watch Out for Broken Glass on the Street

A question we are frequently asked was most recently put to us by neighbor Deb, who writes:

I ride a bicycle around the neighborhood–mostly Marlborough and Rugby between Cortelyou and the Parade Ground–and I see massive amounts of broken glass. During the winter most of the glass was on the side of the road–maybe smashed car windows, but now I see piles of brown crushed glass in the middle of the streets. Has anyone else seen them or have any idea how they get there?

Here’s your answer:

When recycling trucks are making their rounds, the trucks occasionally spew little piles of glass behind them. Theoretically the street sweepers will clean this up, but as Deb and others have noticed, that’s not so quick to happen, making biking and driving fairly hazardous. And even when the street sweepers have passed by, be sure to keep an eye out, because sometimes the glass is just dragged down the street.