Fines tripling for illegal parking near Pineview, Causey reservoirs

SALT LAKE CITY — Parking fines are tripling for those who park illegally near Pineview and Causey reservoirs.

The text of an ordinance passed last month explains that these changes are due to increased parking violations in Weber County, especially in the summer.

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“It was decided that it was best to increase the parking fees, really due to public safety,” Weber County Commissioner Gage Froerer said.

“People would basically all park on the side of the road and haul coolers and whatever they needed to do for access to the reservoir across that road. … It’s a 50-mile-an-hour road, and they had kids, teenagers, et cetera,” he said. “They were basically just putting themselves or somebody else in danger by virtue of parking there.”

According to the ordinance, “These parking violations create a public safety hazard by increasing pedestrian traffic near moving vehicles and by reducing the travel space that is available for vehicular traffic, including emergency vehicles.”

The increased fines are also to disincentivize people from carpooling, parking illegally and splitting the fee afterwards.

Changes to existing fines at reservoirs

The previous fine was $50 if the fine was paid or contested within 14 days. It increased to $100 after two weeks.

Now, the fine will be $150 if paid or contested within 14 days, increasing to $300 after two weeks.

Fines have also doubled for those who have more than one parking violation within the same year. What was a $300 fine is now $600.

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“We’ve had a number of reported incidents up there from people getting in arguments over parking to near misses, etc. So, we just felt it was time, before something major did happen, that we took this step,” said Froerer.

These fines apply to those who park in specific trouble spots, including:

• the road to Causey reservoir, and all roads branching off of it,
• east of the entrance to the Weber Memorial Park campground, and
• all locations within one quarter mile of the Pineview Reservoir high water mark.

The higher prices apply for all parking violations in these areas between May 15 and September 15.

“I just ask the people that come up to visit our areas … to check out, before they get there, where they’re going to park,” said Froerer. “We encourage carpooling, we encourage them to make sure they respect the signs. We don’t want to get into a situation where we start towing cars or start causing problems for people.”

For violations in different locations and times, the fines remain $50 to $100.