An on-street truck parking program in Langley’s industrial areas will be extended, after a recent unanimous vote of the Township council. At the Monday, June 29 meeting, council approved continuing a pilot program in the Gloucester Industrial Estates, and also expanding it to a few select streets in the industrial district in northwest Langley, near Walnut Grove. Truck parking has been in short supply in recent years, leading to a number of problems around the Lower Mainland. In Langley, this mostly manifested in trucks parking
in illicit lots established on rural properties. This violated local bylaws and also upset surrounding farm owners, who were worried by both the noise of large numbers of trucks, and the potential for oil and diesel runoff into the local soil and water. The Township cracked down on some of those parking sites using bylaw officers. The council also tried to add more parking, establishing temporary truck parking lots in South Aldergrove, and allowing a one-year pilot project starting last year, in which drivers could
park big rigs and dump trucks overnight on Gloucester Way and 272 Street in the Gloucester area. Staff reported that this project has been successful so far, except that there has been an increase in trash near the parking sites. The council approved spending $6,000 to install new trash bins in the area. A second-phase expansion, opening up more roads for parking Gloucester, isn’t seen as necessary right now, Township staff said in their report to council. An average of 21 trucks are parked at
nights in Gloucester, well below the 50 to 70 trucks those roads could accommodate. However, the Township will being the third phase of the project, and consider opening up parts of 101 Avenue, 197 and 198 Streets in north west Langley to more truck parking. Councillors were generally in favour of the project, with Councillor Margaret Kunst asking about how long it would go on as a “pilot” project. “At what point does a pilot become not a pilot anymore and just something that we’re
going to do for the long term?” she said. According to Township chief administrative officer Chan Kooner, staff will keep advising council and consulting with the community to determine if the pilot program is helpful or not. Coun. Tim Baillie said that having spoken to people in the area around Gloucester, some washroom facilities are probably needed.
Langley, Gloucester, truck parking, pilot program, bylaw officers, industrial areas, Walnut Grove, trash bins
So they’re letting trucks park on the street now… cool cool. Hopefully the farms don’t get oil and diesel soaked into the ground again.
Pilot extended??? That’s just a long way of saying “we couldn’t stop it” lol. Also $6,000 for trash bins like that fixes the noise and everything.
I read this as they expanded parking for all trucks like 50-70 capacity but only 21 are there at night. So it’s working, right? Unless the trash is secretly coming from somewhere else…
“At what point does a pilot become not a pilot” 😂 I’ve asked that about school projects too. If they keep adding streets near Walnut Grove, next thing you know 101 Avenue is just a truck stop. People need washrooms and also actual rules or this turns into those illegal rural lots all over again.