The City of Calgary wants Calgarians to provide their input on whether or not recreational vehicle owners should be able to park on driveways.

The current bylaw limits owners to parking on hard surface driveways at private residences, for a maximum of 36 hours.

“As RV ownership has evolved locally, we are seeking Calgarians’ feedback to update the definition of RVs, and to better understand perspectives on parking RVs in residential communities, from both owners and neighbours,” said Aalika Kohli, business strategist for community strategies for the City of Calgary.

The engagement process by the city is open from Jan. 23 through Feb. 14, at Calgary.ca/rvparking.

Ownership of recreational vehicles has dramatically increased across Canada throughout the pandemic. Statistics released by the Canadian Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association for 2021 showed a 97.9 per cent increase in the number of recreational vehicle units sold in that year.

Travel trailers, fifth wheel trailers, truck campers, and motorhomes that would be affected by potential bylaw changes increased by 109.5 per cent, 80 per cent, 66.1 per cent, and 42.7 per cent respectively, nation wide.

The current Calgary City Council directed city administration to review the RV parking bylaw, and the definition of what constitutes an RV in June of 2022.

“Residential RV parking regulations mitigate potential impacts on properties and in neighbourhoods, including visibility and safety concerns (such as blocking views along streets and sidewalks for recreational use and drivers), and overall aesthetics,” said Kohli.

The City of Calgary said that the current 36-hour window for parking allows for owners to load and unload vehicles, but does not allow for long-term use.