RVs, utility trailers bylaw amended by council

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Owners of RVs and utility trailers will have a little relief when it comes to parking in the Friendly City.

In a recorded 4-3 vote, city council narrowly passed an amendment to the city’s bylaw, now allowing RVs and utility vehicles to be parked for 72 hours per month between May and October on driveways.

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Couns. Sandra Talbot, Connie Lauder and Deb Tait were opposed to the measure.

While staff were reviewing the bylaw, they also recommended changes be made to prevent people in the city from living in parked RVs.

A request for a change to the bylaw was made during a May council meeting, which led to council asking staff to return with a report highlighting options.

The existing bylaw allowed RVs to be parked on the street but only for a maximum of five hours and not within a metre of a driveway or nine metres of an intersection.

The report noted regulation was needed since “not all residents find the parking of these vehicles in their neighbourhood to be desirable.”

The report also highlighted the safety concerns of larger vehicles blocking sightlines while noting the city’s bylaw department receives many complaints of streets being clogged with parked cars. A parked RV taking up most of a driveway, the report added, can lead to cars being parked on the street.

The report gave four options –  maintaining the previous zoning bylaw, amending the zoning provisions to allow RVs to be parked in a driveway from May to October, allowing RVs to park in driveways with a minimum six-metre setback to ensure safe sightlines and the 72-hour option that council finally endorsed.

Harold deHaan, the city’s chief engineer, said bylaw officers are often “forgive” people who are loading and unloading RVs or utility vehicles. They typically only enforce the bylaw when staff receive complaints due to the amount of staff available, he said.

Councillors expressed mixed feelings on the different options, with Tait preferring the second and Talbot the first.

“I don’t think it matters what part of the city you live in or the neighbourhood, people aren’t even using their driveway for their regular vehicles, let alone parking other vehicles in it,” Talbot said. “I think it’s going to give us some troubles.”