A reminder from the Town of Slave Lake about recreational vehicle and trailer parking is putting a spotlight on one of the more visible signs of summer in the Lesser Slave Lake region: RVs and trailers.

A Sept. 2 notice reminded residents that RVs and trailers cannot be parked on town roads while unhooked.
If properly attached to a vehicle, they may be parked on the road for a maximum of 24 hours, according to the town.

Residents who need to keep an RV or trailer for longer than 24 hours are asked to move it onto a driveway, into a backyard or to an appropriate storage facility. The town also reminds property owners to ensure RVs and trailers do not block sidewalks.

It says parking an RV or trailer outside those requirements is contrary to its Community Standards Bylaw.
Slave Lake’s Traffic Bylaw also contains specific rules concerning recreational vehicles and trailers. The bylaw states that a recreational vehicle or trailer cannot be parked on a highway unless it is attached to a vehicle that is mechanically capable of and properly equipped to tow it safely.

The bylaw also prohibits parking in a number of other locations, including on sidewalks or boulevards, where a vehicle obstructs pedestrian or vehicle traffic, near fire hydrants or where it interferes with fire department operations.

A violation of the RV and trailer parking provision carries a specified fine of $78 under the traffic bylaw.
The consequences can go beyond a ticket.

The bylaw allows a vehicle parked in contravention of the rules to be removed and impounded, with the owner responsible for towing, removal and storage costs in addition to any applicable fine. Continuing offences can also result in a separate offence for each day, or part of a day, that the violation continues.

Alberta’s Traffic Safety Act gives municipalities authority to make bylaws governing the use of highways and the parking of vehicles. It also allows a peace officer to have a vehicle removed when it is parked on a highway in contravention of provincial legislation or a municipal bylaw. There is no single provincewide time limit for parking an RV on a residential street.

Municipalities establish their own parking rules.
In Edmonton, for example, recreational vehicles can generally be parked on a roadway beside the owner’s residence for no more than 72 consecutive hours, followed by 48 hours off the street. Unattached trailers cannot be parked on city streets at all.

The rules are particularly relevant in the Slave Lake area, where recreational vehicles are closely tied to the region’s camping, fishing and tourism culture.

Big Fish Bay RV Resort operates within the Town of Slave Lake on the shores of Lesser Slave Lake, offering full-service seasonal RV sites. Norm’s Walleye Camp, just north of Slave Lake along Highway 88, has operated as a family-run RV park since 1992.

Other RV-oriented campgrounds and facilities operate throughout the Lesser Slave Lake region, while R Storage Ltd. in Slave Lake offers outdoor storage for RVs, boats, trailers and other vehicles.

The Town has also previously identified a potential need for additional RV parking. Its downtown planning documents have called for consideration of a public parking lot that could accommodate tourist RVs near downtown, as well as temporary RV parking during special summer events.

The Municipal District of Lesser Slave River also has rules governing recreational vehicles on residential-serviced lots, including requirements concerning parking and the seasonal use of RVs.

The popularity of recreational vehicles is not unique to the region. Alberta has historically had one of Canada’s largest populations of recreational vehicles and trailers. Provincial statistics recorded more than 209,000 travel trailers registered in Alberta in 2008, compared with about 158,000 in 2004.

More recent statistics do not provide a straightforward current count of RV ownership in Alberta, meaning there is no readily available figure showing exactly how many RVs are currently owned in Slave Lake or how ownership has changed in recent years.

For local residents, however, the practical message from the town is straightforward: RVs and trailers cannot be left indefinitely on residential streets.

Residents who need to store a trailer between camping trips are being asked to use their own property, where permitted, or an appropriate storage facility rather than leaving it on the road.

William Hetherington
Lakeside Leader