PORT HARDY—The Port Hardy RCMP would like to notify residents that in the previous six months, half of all reported collisions — many involving more than $1,000 in damage — have occurred in the parking lots of local shopping malls.
The RCMP would like to remind all drivers that parking lots open to the public are high-traffic areas, typically populated with both vehicles and pedestrians. Police are encouraging motorists to take any extra time required to ensure they are driving in a safe manner in these dynamic driving environments.
The B.C. Motor Vehicle Act clearly states that public parking lots are considered part of the provincial highway system, meaning that all drivers are required to follow the same laws while driving in a parking lot as anywhere else.
According to the Act, 'highway' includes:
a) every highway within the meaning of the Transportation Act,
b) Every road, street, lane or right of way designed or intended for or used by the general public for the passage of vehicles, and,
c) every private place or passageway to which the public, for the purpose of the parking or servicing of vehicles, has access or is invited.