Many residents of Egilsstaðir, a town in East Iceland, are fed up with camper- and caravan driving travellers who think they can park and spend the night wherever they please, be it in the church or school parking lot or the side of the street. A group of concerned citizens has prepared a flyer with a polite message to visitors reminding them to use designated campsites.
Read more: Locals in Reykhólar village baffled to discover travellers think they can camp out inside the church
One of the Egilsstaðir residents who prepared the flyer told the local news site visir.is that small campers have become increasingly common in town in recent years. “Those kinds of cars are being parked everywhere within the town limits.” While townsfolk welcome the growing numbers of visitors, he argues, there must be some limits. “The time when people could just park wherever to spend the night has simply passed. We are getting far too many visitors to make that possible.”
It‘s illegal to sleep in your car within town limits
According to police ordinances in most towns and villages it is only legal to sleep in your car at a designated campground. Sleeping in a camper or a caravan is therefore both illegal and a nuisance to the residents. The town has large well equipped campgrounds with public bathrooms and other necessary facilities, he points out. The concerned citizens hope that by directing people to the campground they can reduce the number of people who are staying overnight in parking lots or along residential streets.
The flyer is supposed to solve this, by allowing people to politely point out to visitors that they should spend the night at the campground, rather than some random parking lot.
“When you see a camper parked in front of your house, or by the church, or at the edge of town, you can put this under the windshield, and it serves as a friendly reminder.”
The flyer includes a map of town, showing the campgrounds as well as a short message:
Dear visitors
This is not a camping place!
Please use marked camping sites and restrooms.
The nearest campsite with restrooms is in Egilsstaðir and open all year round.
Please respect this message and help us keep our environment clean. This is our home.
Many residents of Egilsstaðir, a town in East Iceland, are fed up with camper- and caravan driving travellers who think they can park and spend the night wherever they please, be it in the church or school parking lot or the side of the street. A group of concerned citizens has prepared a flyer with a polite message to visitors reminding them to use designated campsites.
Read more: Locals in Reykhólar village baffled to discover travellers think they can camp out inside the church
One of the Egilsstaðir residents who prepared the flyer told the local news site visir.is that small campers have become increasingly common in town in recent years. “Those kinds of cars are being parked everywhere within the town limits.” While townsfolk welcome the growing numbers of visitors, he argues, there must be some limits. “The time when people could just park wherever to spend the night has simply passed. We are getting far too many visitors to make that possible.”
It‘s illegal to sleep in your car within town limits
According to police ordinances in most towns and villages it is only legal to sleep in your car at a designated campground. Sleeping in a camper or a caravan is therefore both illegal and a nuisance to the residents. The town has large well equipped campgrounds with public bathrooms and other necessary facilities, he points out. The concerned citizens hope that by directing people to the campground they can reduce the number of people who are staying overnight in parking lots or along residential streets.
The flyer is supposed to solve this, by allowing people to politely point out to visitors that they should spend the night at the campground, rather than some random parking lot.
“When you see a camper parked in front of your house, or by the church, or at the edge of town, you can put this under the windshield, and it serves as a friendly reminder.”
The flyer includes a map of town, showing the campgrounds as well as a short message:
Dear visitors
This is not a camping place!
Please use marked camping sites and restrooms.
The nearest campsite with restrooms is in Egilsstaðir and open all year round.
Please respect this message and help us keep our environment clean. This is our home.
