At the June 12 meeting of the Eckville Town Council, Bylaw No. 688/08 - the traffic bylaw - was amended.
The amendments were made to include recreational vehicles and trailers while also cleaning up the language as to what a motor vehicle is. The additions to the bylaw include clarification on what an abandoned vehicle is.
A vehicle may be considered abandoned if parked in the same location on a highway more than 72 hours. The vehicle may also be considered abandoned if parked in excess of 48 hours on private or public property “without the express or implied consent of the owner or person in lawful possession or control of the property.”
Mayor Helen Posti also commented about the use of slides and tent trailers on public streets, saying “I don’t like the idea of having the slides open on a trailer while parked on the street.”
A slide may be in use if the trailer is being loaded or unloaded, Posti said after being asked for clarification.
“Some recreational vehicles need to have the slides out for loading or unloading,” commented Coun. Dwayne Meyers with agreement by Scott Kinley.
The concern with having slides out while parked on the street is one of safety. Coun. Sandra Hallgren said it could injure someone, like a child, riding a bike and not paying close enough attention.
Council did end up agreeing that the decision would ultimately be up to the bylaw officer.
“If they see someone actively moving back and forth from the trailer to the house then it would be considered to be loading,” said Meyers.
However, if a recreational trailer is parked with the slides out and does not appear to be in the process of being loaded or unloaded, it could be in violation of the traffic bylaw.
“This is something that we would have to have zero tolerance for,” Meyers added.
Additional changes to the bylaw include enforcing the direction of parking. This means that vehicles must park in the direction of traffic and not “backwards.”
Also, Council may approve an extension of parking for recreational vehicles.
The bylaw states a recreational vehicle may park on the street between May 15 and September 15. The amendment added Council can extend the period “up to and including Oct. 31.”