Half of city council Wednesday night was dedicated to debate on an existing bylaw restricting people from parking their RVs in front of their house.
Councilor Dave Wilbur acknowledged that the city hasn’t done all that great letting people know the bylaw is there;
“This is not a new bylaw to Prince George. It’s been in place since 2007 and there was a year and a half of consult when it was put in place. We may have dropped the ball in communicating it, but all the realtor’s know about it and most communities across the north and south of us have a similar bylaw”
He outlined the purpose of the bylaw;
“First and number one is safety in mind so that RVs are not parked on the street. And number two, the unsightliness of the RVs if they are peppered up throughout a neighbourhood. A neighbourhood has a right to try and control that and that was the purpose for it”
Some councilors were concerned that the city’s current public awareness campaign on the bylaw had caught some people off guard, but city administration assured that nobody was getting issued surprise tickets.
In the past three years the City of Prince George has received 33 complaints about RVs parked in front of houses, but in that same time zero tickets have actually been issued. Nearly everyone moves their trailer/RV once asked to by the city, which many councilors said shows it is an effective bylaw.
After an hour of debate, council punted the issue to administration for a report due after the municipal elections.
The city says they will continue to use the bylaw as a way to encourage people to be considerate to their neighbours.
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