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I am writing to complain about the lack of signage at a gravel parking area just west of the main parking lot by the Stawamus Chief Provincial Park, right beside the information booth.  My car was towed despite there being no signs in the gravel area restricting parking.

On July 25, my family and I drove from Burnaby to the Chief to go hiking. There weren’t any parking spaces in the lot, so we ended up parking in a gravel area. Although there were signs on the highway saying no parking, we were not on the highway and not blocking cars, buses, or emergency vehicles. Yet when we returned to our car, it had been towed.

We were not given a ticket or any warning that where we had parked was illegal. There are no signs saying that it is private property and parking is not allowed. In fact, there were other cars that had parked there as well.  

When I complained to the tow truck driver,  he said that he had just towed six vehicles in that area. He said he was instructed to tow any cars that park in that area.

Paying the $195 fee to retrieve my car is a financial hardship for me. That, plus the fact that if it were not for the tow truck driver offering to give me a ride to the impound lot, it would have cost even more to hire a taxi.

We would not have been able to walk there since my daughter was with me, and she is eight years old.

How many other people have had to pay so much money, if not more, after parking there because of the lack of “No Parking” signs? This is negatively impacting tourism in Â鶹Éç¹ú²úif cars are randomly towed without warning and without adequate signage.

Signs should be put up letting other people know that the gravel lot is unavailable for parking. Doing so will stop other people from inadvertently parking there and getting towed and will also encourage more positive experiences from tourists coming into Squamish.

Feyona McKenna

Burnaby

Editor’s note: Asked about this, a BC Parks spokesperson said the ministry does have a towing policy in effect at Stawamus Chief Provincial Park “with signage stating illegally parked vehicles will be towed.”

The gravel parking area is not within the provincial park but instead falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. “Parking restriction signs are visible along the on-ramp in this area. The parking restrictions in this area are set here to ensure the safety of all road users. Vehicles accelerate along the on-ramp in this location, making this an unsuitable location for drivers to try to pull into and out of the gravelled area,” said the spokesperson.

“Ministry staff will be performing a review of the site to assess the need for additional signage or potentially physically blocking parking access in the restricted area.”