01/24/2023
Hello Facebook family! The City of Calgary is asking for feedback on the current bylaws pertaining to RV parking in front driveways. This is a topic that gets talked about often, and I have a pretty strong stance, so I figured I'd put my opinion out there.
Rising storage fees, time/gas to transport units to and from storage, time to pack/unpack every trip, and the clear security disadvantages make this bylaw nothing but a pain for RV'ers in Calgary, and fantastic for RV storage lots in Rocky View County (sorry friends). The disadvantages to non RV'ers seem minimal to non-existent. The argument for this bylaw has always been "safety and curb appeal," which apparently isn't an issue in the multiple other municipalities that allow RV parking on front driveways in Alberta.
On a normal 2 day weekend, instead of getting off work at 5, hooking up by 6, and out camping Friday night through Sunday afternoon, we have to spend that night getting our RV's from storage and packing it for an early morning departure Saturday. By maybe 10-12, we're totally set up, and we're tearing down by noon Sunday to get home, unpack, and get it back to storage that night. What I've found is that I'm just less likely to go camping at all on normal weekends because it's more work than benefit, and that's just no good for anyone. We should be out every weekend! In fact, one of the reasons I no longer own a 5th wheel and downsized is because of this bylaw. I save $600/year in storage fees, and I get an extra night out every trip because the new unit fits beside the house, not in front of it (which is currently acceptable). I just didn't get to use it enough to justify the costs.
I've always thought this bylaw was a huge nuisance to RV'ers with little benefit to anyone but the storage lots (again, sorry friends). It's nice that they're taking feedback because I think it's long overdue it changes. Hopefully, that's the feedback they receive and we see positive changes!
Let them know your thoughts and share this link with your friends!
The City of Calgary is seeking feedback on recreational vehicle (RV) parking on residential driveways.