Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: norm_2 on July 07, 2008, 12:37:59 PM
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Are there any for the side of the road, in a rest area, in a valid parking area, in a park, etc.?
Are there safety issues?
Thanks.
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I do it all the time...Pick a decent place to sleep so you dont have crack heads trying to break into your car at 3am.
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I wouldn't do on the side of the road. You might get hit by a drunk driver. It would be alot safer in a rest area or parking lot.
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its safe, just make sure to have your fish bonker beside you so when the crackies do break in you just have to BONK! them on the head lol
its safe and legal!
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Where did you hear that it was legal to sleep on the roadside? That is ridiculous!
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Marmot, which laws make it illegal? Thanks.
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Staying in overnight rest areas is usually prohibited. Read the signs.
I used to own a volkswagen van and slept in it in a rest area, at about 5am i got a knock on the window and it was a parks guy, he told me i had to leave bec. there was no overnight parking. This is usually the case at all rest stops. If I'd refused to leave I'm sure I would have been given a fine.
Parking on the side of a road to sleep, watch animals, get out and stretch your legs, piss, whatever, it's illegal if you're on a highway. You need to use rest areas for that. Think about it too....do you think it would be at all in the province's best interests to make it legal for people to pull over and sleep on a main road? Come on... On side roads nobody will bother you of course but on any major road you can't do it legally. I'm sure on forestry roads it is not a good idea either unless you know when the trucks are running. I know in town or on rural roads its probably fine as long as there is no "yellow".... but not "all roads" and certainly not main hwys (which is where lots of people seem to like to pull over and sleep).
If you want specific laws you can look them up yourself.
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if you need to sleep in your car and you have been drinking make sure the keys are in your pocket not the ignition.
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if you need to sleep in your car and you have been drinking make sure the keys are in your pocket not the ignition.
even better sleep in the passenger seat it's more comfortable anyways :)
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Hmmm....I think we are getting a bit off topic here, as it sounded like the person wanted to sleep in the vehicle and then get to the river or lake to do some fishing. My word of advice with regards to drinking is to then park at a campsite, or well off the main road or highway. If you park by the highway and get checked out by an officer and he is in a bad mood, he could write you up for a roadside suspension and so much for that fishing trip.
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Lots of guys sit in their car drinking at night, right by their favorite fishing spot. So they can be there before it gets light out and hog the spot for the day. :) The booze just makes them more territorial. ::)
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you know what, the RCMP would rather see u sleeping on the roadside then sleeping in a ditch as you've just crashed your car because you fell asleep at the wheel or are too drunk to know any better!
Just don't park where it says NO OVERNIGHT PARKING! ;D
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Actually I do believe you cant even have your keys in the car with you if have been drinking!As for sleeping in your car i use to do it as well just not at rest stops i would pull off the highway onto a side road with a good size pullout.
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They made a point last year about banning sleeping in your car/truck around the Chilliwack River didnt they ?
WalMarts actually allow you to park and sleep overnight in their parking lot.
Just pick a proper spot as mentioned above, not on highways or on the side of active haul roads.If you run into a cop or a CO then thats bad luck or bad positioning. Stay up late and dont sleep in :D and you shouldnt get bothered.
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OK I spend almost half the year traveling up and down the coast and have learned a few things in the past decade or two of traveling. I've traveled/camped by car, van, and truck and camper.
It is illegal to camp in your vehicle in every town, state, and municipality from BC to the mexican border. This is the same vagrant laws that allow police to move along the homeless. Now that being said if you are courteous and keep a low profile it can be done, and I have done it for months at a time.
Rest areas are a good place to stop, you can not camp per-say at a rest area, but each province/state allows for a rest stop for weary travelers. I can't remember exactly but I believe its 8hrs in BC, 10hrs in Washington, 14hrs in Oregon, and 12 in Califorina. Sorry I have it written down in my truck, but can't remember off the top of my head. This is more then enough time to catch a few Z's. Now that being said some rest ares are known problem areas and the cops may move people along a lot quicker if the are worried about safety. The best thing to do then is ask where is the best place for a weary traveller to stop.
Forestry roads are a great and quite place to stop but as someone else mentioned make sure you are well off the road to allow the logging trucks to get by. Often City parks and waysides will be tolerated as long as you aren't making a problem and are quite.
Other great places to stop are at weigh stations and truck stops. These are a bit noisier but they are fine places to sleep and usuallly have a bathroom and some kind of services.
Some other great places to stay are church parking lots (just be out before service the next morning), large malls and Walmarts. Infact Walmart publishes a book called "camping Walmart" which shows all the locations and where to park. If you are parking in a mall lot, park in the far back corner where you are out of the way and it's good practice to just ask the manager on shift where might be an ok place to leave your car overnight. As with any spot the more courteous and polite you are the easier it will be for you to camp there.
Please note that camping in urban areas can be dangerous. Rest areas and truck stops are notorious for crime and trouble makers. If someone is harassing you don't get out of your vehicle, just get in the drivers seat and get out of there. I have heard a lot of horror stories from fellow travelers.
As for drinking while stopped. This is a tricky situation and it really depends on the mood of the cop. You are dealing with alcohol in a public place, open alcohol in the vehicle, and impaired driving. In my past experiences it is best if you are in the passenger seat and no keys in the ignition (even for the radio) be polite and let them know that you stopped to rest for the night and had a couple to relax and are just sleeping it off.
Hopefully that helps, camping in urban settings is a bit of a grey area but if done with respect can turn out very well.
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Just for the heck of it I will mention that sitting in your parked car with your keys in your pocket while under the influence of alcohol or drugs is called CARE AND CONTROL and you can be charged with DUI regardless. Thats a fact.
OTOH if I'm sober and falling asleep at the wheel and I need to pull over immediately else I will drive into a bridge abuttment, I would be breaking the law? Question for you Marmot.
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Noel thats a rhetorical question. Of course you should pull over....just like if your friend was bleeding to death in the back seat and you had to make it to a hospital, you wouldn't do the speed limit. I only said there were laws that prevented it.....not that you should follow them ;D
Lots of time laws don't make sense.....but in this case I think it does, don't you? If you do pull over on a highway or major artery you're endangering others that use the roadway. Remember, the sides of the roads are used for accident avoidance and emergency vehicles too....
The original question was if there were laws, and anyone with a license should be aware that there are.
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I don't think the police can hand out enough tickets to those lawbreakers snoozing in their cars. Some of the best work they can do for sure. Nothing else going on in the middle of the night. ::)
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Sleep where you want and when you want.
F$%# the idiotic laws and just make sure you are safe and out of the way of major traffic.