Deep Cove introduces parking restrictions, cap on Quarry Rock hikers to ease congestion
'We found that last summer, well over 100 people were at one time on top of that rock' says councillor
If you've tried to visit Deep Cove on a beautiful summer day, you know just how hard it can be to find a parking spot.
Now, Deep Cove is introducing parking restrictions and a limit on the number of people who can hike to Quarry Rock — a popular lookout spot close to town — at any given time.
Mathew Bond, a councillor from the North Vancouver District Council said it started reviewing options in 2014 due to an "an unprecedented amount of growth that we've seen in tourism in Deep Cove and Lynn Canyon over the past few summers."
Bond said council heard from residents and members of the local business community that congestion in town was preventing people from going about their daily business.
Safety concerns were also raised about accessibility.
"Deep Cove is pretty much one way in and one way out, and so when traffic backs up it becomes really hard for people to access their homes and access businesses," said Bond.
Bond said councillors will be shortening the hours that visitors can park in the few parking lots that exist around Deep Cove.
Tour buses will also be banned given the difficulties with them manoeuvring the smaller streets, many on inclines.
The District of North Vancouver will also be looking into the use of pay parking, maximizing the use of overflow parking lots and coordinating extra parking when there are special events in town.
Quarry Rock hike
Bond said there will also be a cap on the number of people on the trail to Quarry Rock, a popular hiking spot.
"We found that last summer, well over 100 people were at one time on top of that rock and if you've been there, you know it's a steep drop on almost all sides," he said.
Bond said on one particularly sunny day last summer, there were 2,400 people on the trail at once.
"We're going to be looking at closing the trail when it gets too full — so having a park ranger there and monitoring how many people are going into the trail, and if there's too many people, telling people 'well, you'll have to wait,'" he said.
With files from Megan Batchelor