Prince George, B.C., overnight parking
Jan. 3, 2007
— Update
We want you, RV travelers.
That’s the message inherent in a
ruling by the city of Prince George, British Columbia.
In early December 2006, city council
enacted a bylaw that allows RVs to park on retail lots for up to 36
hours.
RV owners may legally park, sleep and
shop while staying a night or two at shopping center and other
retail lots that allow it.
For RVers, the bylaw caps a welcome
turn of events. Last spring RVers voiced their concerns after city
council adopted a motion effectively banning overnight stays. A few
weeks later it voted to reconsider the issue.
For several years, local RV park
owners had been claiming they were losing business to retailers who
permitted free overnight parking, in violation of an old city bylaw.
To placate the park owners, council
in April 2006 approved a recommendation to fine retailers who
allowed RVs to stay overnight on their lots. Wal-Mart started
posting signs instructing people to report violators to city
officials.
No businesses were cited by the city
over the complaint-driven bylaw. Nevertheless, an outcry from RVers
across North America prompted city council to rescind its original
motion and seek an alternative bylaw.
Council had considered limiting RVers'
stays to between 12 and 24 hours but opted for the longer, 36-hour
limit.
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Background
May 10, 2006
— Update
Prince George will continue to allow free overnight stays in
retail parking lots.
The City Council voted unanimously on May 8 to rescind a previous
motion to ticket retailers who allow RVers to park overnight on
their lots.
Council sent the proposed bylaw back to the
administration for further study.
City officials plan to consider limiting RVers' stays to between
12 and 24 hours and changing the bylaw regulating where RVs are
allowed to park.
Council's April 24 motion to clamp down on overnight stays prompted
an outcry from RVers, who threatened to bypass the town during their
travels.
Mayor Colin Kinsley told the Prince George
Citizen he hopes word of council's rescission spreads among
RVers. "It's unfortunate we had to go
through this but we learn from our mistakes and it takes a pretty
tall person to admit a mistake and fix it ..." he said.
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May 5, 2006
The City Council of Prince George, British
Columbia, voted on April 24 to create a bylaw that, if enacted,
would allow enforcement officials to ticket retailers who allow
RVers to park overnight on their lots.
Prince George, known as British Columbia’s
northern capital, is located at the crossroads of
Highway
97 (Alaska Highway) and Highway 16. This
community of about 77,000 is well-developed and has a number of
service facilities used by motorhome owners.
After a Wal-Mart store opened there in 2003,
local private campground operators reported a drop in business.
Since then, they have been asking city officials to curtail free
overnight parking.
As news of City Council’s April 24 action
spread, so did opposition from RVers. Many said a ban on overnight
parking at Wal-Mart and similar outlets would prompt them to avoid
Prince George while on their way to and from Alaska.
Now there are signs council may reconsider,
and amend the proposed bylaw.
Mayor Colin Kinsley told the Prince George
Citizen he will ask council to rescind the motion when it meets
on May 8.
And Councilman Don Zurowski told the
Citizen he plans to suggest giving RVers a posted time limit,
possibly 24 hours, to park on commercial lots.
In a letter to Prince George Mayor Colin
Kinsley, Max Durbin, chair of FMCA’s Governmental and Legislative
Affairs Committee, pointed out how Billings, Mont., recently dealt
with a similar parking situation.
“When confronted with the loss of business to
other establishments in the community, they [Billings officials]
adjusted their proposed legislation to satisfy the needs of all
concerned,” Durbin stated.
Billings approved a 10-hour time limit for
parking in commercial lots.
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Prince George
www.city.pg.bc.ca
Prince George Citizen
www.princegeorgecitizen.com
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