City’s Bike Lane Clearing Mini-Streetsweeper Remains Missing in Action
The early months of Mayor Spencer’s term were dominated by concerns surrounding the city’s response to the historic tornado that left billions in damage and controversies such as the decision to halt the city’s women and minority contracting program. At the time, Mayor Spencer and staff were looking for feel-good stories to lighten the city’s mood and show that there were signs of hope and progress, despite the tornado’s wreckage. The beginning of last August brought just such an opportunity, as the city announced the purchase and deployment of “Archie”, a mini-street sweeper that would be used to clear the city’s growing protected bike lane network of tire-flattening debris.
At the time, the city took numerous steps to promote the new piece of equipment. There was both a press release announcing the equipment purchase and an accompanying media event featuring the mayor herself driving Archie. As the mayor is an avid cyclist, the event was both positive and on-brand, providing a welcome respite from the heavier topics that dominated the first few months of her term. At the time, the press release noted that the new machine would be “used as needed or by request as we learn what the capabilities are, such as how many miles are feasible in a day and how quickly the hopper is filled. Further schedules will be developed after we meet with other agencies on compiling a list of all locations that can be cleaned using Archie.”
The media push was a huge success, garnering coverage from both print and television outlets. St. Louis Magazine hailed the purchase and press event, stating that the vehicle cost $150,400 and noting that the mayor “sees the bike lane sweeper as a necessary step in ensuring that both expanded and existing infrastructure is properly maintained”, and that the city had previously “lacked a tool to reliably keep separated bike lanes clear prior to acquiring Archie, as the lanes generally cannot be reached by traditional street sweepers.” The same article quotes the mayor as saying, “This is so important, because our cyclists are going through our protected bike lanes, and you get broken glass, debris, rocks, or any number of things that can obstruct your path.” She went on to note that “It can be not only uncomfortable but really pretty dangerous.” The mayor also shared pictures from the press event on her official social media, where the posts garnered hundreds of “likes” and comments.
The mayor wasn’t alone in promoting the new purchase, as she was joined by members of the Board of Aldermen at the press event. Alderman Anne Schweitzer was quoted as saying, “One of the most important things we hear from residents is that they want their city to not only build this bike infrastructure, but maintain it. Keeping it clean is such an important part of that.” St. Louis Magazine’s coverage even noted that “Sean Hadley, a Street Department representative, says the city’s Parks Department has already expressed interest in using Archie to help maintain dedicated bike paths in some of St. Louis’ larger parks.” Seemingly, multiple city departments were eager to deploy this new equipment.
In the months that followed Archie’s announcement, cyclists across the city noticed the machine did not seem to be present on the city’s bike paths. Questions began to swirl, as the highly publicized device was nowhere to be seen. Meanwhile, broken glass and other debris continued to fill the protected lanes. More and more, the city’s cyclists began talking among themselves about Archie and speculating as to its whereabouts.
In recent months, numerous readers reached out to inquire about the machine and its schedule. One even forwarded an email from this June that indicated Archie’s anniversary was nearing without completion of a basic schedule of routes or regular usage. In the email, the city’s Traffic Engineer and Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator Kyle Nelson was quoted by aldermanic staffer Mary Foshage as saying that the city “is currently working on the logistics of testing the machine to see its capabilities and limits, testing routes and frequencies, and drafting communications for the cycling community once a comprehensive update is available.“ This verbiage is very similar to that used in the August 2025 press release.
Upon asking for an update on Archie’s whereabouts, Nelson stated, “Over the past year with Archie, we’ve had our share of ups and downs. While the sweeper has admittedly seen limited service hours to date, we continue to make progress toward establishing a sustainable operating schedule. Like any new piece of equipment, this is a process. We’ve had a few maintenance issues along the way, and we’re still learning how to use a specialized machine like this as effectively as possible.” When asked if the mention of maintenance issues meant that Archie was non-operational, Nelson responded that the machine is functional and “running some routes”. He further acknowledged that it was not seeing the consistent usage the city knows is necessary for improving bike lane safety. Nelson was unable to provide a timeline for when Archie would see regular usage.
Trailnet, the region’s premier cyclist and pedestrian advocacy organization has long been pushing for protected bike lanes. The organization’s reports have also highlighted the importance of maintenance to encourage regular utilization. When asked for comment on Archie’s lack of deployment, Trailnet spokesperson Chantal Incandela responded that the city’s “Transportation and Mobility Plan identifies maintenance as one of the City’s highest transportation priorities. During the plan’s public engagement process, 76% of respondents identified maintenance as a top concern, and the adopted plan calls for a shift from reactive maintenance to proactive asset management. We support continued implementation of those priorities so people can rely on safe, well-maintained transportation infrastructure throughout the City.”
Frustrations with Archie’s inability to keep the city’s bike lanes clean has even reached the mayor’s office. When asked for comment on Archie’s lack of use, the mayor acknowledged the limited service, stating, “Archie is a great asset but has been challenged by all the litter in St. Louis. As a daily cyclist, keeping our bike lanes clean is a priority and we continue to explore how we can make that happen.”
With the city’s network of protected bike lanes growing, keeping them cleaned will be necessary to promote regular utilization and deliver on promises of safer cycling. As we enter Archie’s second year of service, the city’s cycling community will keep an eye out for the tiny street sweeper and look forward to the day when protected bike lanes are regularly cleaned.
