Blythe, California city council members are mulling over a proposal to restrict RV parking on the town streets. Blythe lies in close proximity to the snowbird "Mecca" of Quartzsite, Arizona--just 20 miles to the east. Some have noted an oddity in the proposed ordinance: Purportedly written with public safety in mind, the law would single out RVs while other vehicles would seem to create similar safety hazards.
The brain-child of town mayor, Oscar Galvan, the law if passed would limit the parking of recreational vehicles on the street to just two days. The proposed law declares its purpose to be of a benevolent nature: "WHEREAS safety issues, such as sight distance from driveways and intersections, result when such vehicles are parked on public streets or rights-of-way in the City."
Granted, when a large vehicle is parked on the street next to a driveway, the line-of-sight when looking out for traffic can be obstructed. However something that has nothing to do with safety also pops up: "WHEREAS, the parking and/or storage of recreational vehicles and trailers causes visual blight in the City."
A close reading of the ordinance reveals the only vehicles which come under the two-day parking restriction are these, defined under California law: "A motor home, travel trailer, truck camper, or camping trailer, with or without motive power, designed for human habitation for recreational, emergency, or other occupancy." Nowhere in the proposed rule are there limits to how long boat or utility trailers may be parked on the streets of Blythe.
A drive through the town streets does reveal a large number of boat trailers, many of which are loaded up with large pontoon-style boats. These large (and popular) rigs likewise tend to restrict the line-of-sight of drivers and pedestrians. Just how much "visual blight" either boats or RVs create is in the eye of the beholder. Evidently in the eye of Blythe's mayor, RVs must be ugly. Should the ordinance pass, park your RV on the streets of Blythe in excess of 48 hours and find yourself guilty of a misdemeanor, subject to a citation, and the vanishing of your RV by towing. The first reading of the proposed ordinance will be this week.
7 comments:
Stay out of Blythe. There are other towns around to spend your money in.
ahh yes, Blythe, we camphosted there one winter, one of the most unfriendly towns for RVers. They passed on all the tax money from a wal-mart that Parker eventually got. Snowbirds now gladly drive to Parker to shop instead of spending their money in Blythe. Both of these decisions, wal-mart and the parking decisions are so typical of Blythe.
Anonymous has a point, but let's wait to see whether this proposed ordinance passes or not, and in what form.
We do our shopping in Blythe and will continue to do so. There really is no place in town where I'd feel comfortable spending the night in an RV, let alone two. It's too bad, however, that they are singling out RVs when the large boats pose the same problems.
There really aren't any other "towns around" to spend money in. The closest town to Blythe (other than Quartzsite where grocery shopping is limited) is Parker. From where we stay in the winter, Parker is a longer drive, and at the price of diesel, it would cost us more to get there...plus the drive is much more boring than the drive to Blythe.
I see lots of commercial trucks parked in Blythe, also. I guess they don't count.
Since I probably paid more for my motorhome than most houses in Blythe are worth, I don't know how it can be an eyesore, but I'll happily pass on thru, and keep my money in my pocket until I reach a friendlier town. You would think in today's tough economy, these little towns would be happy to have anyone come spend money. Isn't Blythe one of many California towns hovering on the edge of bankruptcy?
It's California -- land where common sense died a long long time ago. They cry the blues about having no money, but block any attempts to increase tourist revenue. RVers are particularly picked on. There are 47 more contiguous states for me to spend my money in!
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