Image: Supplied by Cultus Lake Park Board / Illegal parking became so rampant along Columbia Valley Road at Cultus Lake this long weekend, Chilliwack-Kent MLA Kelli Paddon took to social media Saturday evening to address it.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Cultus Lake parking

Chilliwack-Kent MLA Paddon addresses illegal parking at Cultus Lake over long weekend

Jul 31, 2022 | 6:00 AM

CHILLIWACK — Chilliwack-Kent MLA Kelli Paddon took to social media Saturday night to address the illegal parking mayhem in and along the Columbia Valley Highway shoulder amidst the three-day weekend.

In a Facebook post, Paddon said she heard from constituents about the volume of cars parked along the primary arterial through Cultus Lake, far beyond the main beach area and along the lake during the B.C. Day long weekend.

The area in question stretches from near Entrance Bay up to Maple Bay, close to Lindell Beach.

She said a likely solution is on the way.

“Yesterday (Jul. 29), I met with the Ministry of Transportation to hear about the plans for a pilot of permanent delineators to address the issue (as compared to the temporary pylons that we have seen some success with over the past couple of summers),” Paddon wrote. “As we all know, the Ministry has been working hard to repair major highways and bridges since the atmospheric river this fall, but this situation at Cultus Lake is also a priority and work will begin as soon as crews are available.”

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Image: Supplied by Chilliwack-Kent MLA Kelli Paddon.

Paddon expressed satisfaction at the fact planning and mapping for this work is already complete, and she looks forward to seeing work start soon. She said the effectiveness of the delineators will be evaluated after installation.

“I appreciate the work that has been done in partnership with the RCMP and Fraser Valley Regional District to keep people informed and work on solutions, and look forward to more feedback and collaboration,” Paddon wrote, adding that she invited people to contact her constituency office.

She noted that as she drove around the lake today, she witnessed an increased presence of RCMP. Ticketing vehicles, she said, would require an RCMP officer to hand an infraction directly to the driver, as opposed to leaving tickets on the windshield, which the RCMP apparently cannot do. Paddon indicated she had spoken multiple times about the parking issue with RCMP Superintendent Davy Lee, who is the Officer-in-Charge of the Upper Fraser Valley Regional Detachment.

One Facebook user reported some motorists were simply moving the orange pylons aside in order to park along Columbia Valley Highway, or taking them in some cases.

Cultus Lake attracts well over 2 million visitors annually.