This morning a street sweeper truck stopped across the street from me. Inside the cab, the driver grabbed some papers that had fallen into the gap between the steering wheel and the front windshield. Then he got out of the cab and threw the papers—and a half-full coffee cup he was holding—into the street in front of his vehicle.
When the light turned green and he took off, he ran the papers and the coffee cup over and they disappeared. This may sound dumb, but I never realized modern street sweepers have a vacuuming component. The ones I remember from my youth, which is the last time I paid close attention to one, seemed to do nothing but move garbage around the street.
A closer look reveals it's not really a vacuum at all, but an equally effective mechanical contrivance. After doing some research, I learned NYC uses the Allianz 4000 Street Sweeper.
Seen here without the purty NYC Department of Sanitation paint job
The Allianz 4000 is a purpose-built vehicle whose design is closely tied to its functions. First off, the overall size of the vehicle is relatively small, in order to navigate the tight corners of more narrow city streets.
Secondly, the driver sits in a centered position inside a very narrow cab, to provide him with a panoramic view of the street and the curbs he's meant to hug. Parabolic mirrors on each side provide overhead views of the brushes.
