RYE New Hampshires Atlantic coastline, the smallest in New England, is just 13 miles long, or 18.5 miles if you include inlets. And much of that very limited space is rocky, rather than sandy beach. So even in the best of times competition for parking and beach space is fierce.
This year, to assist social distancing efforts needed to keep the coronavirus pandemic in check, towns like Rye, Hampton and Seabrook, as well as the state of New Hampshire, have reduced parking by 50% or more to limit the number of people on the beaches. That is causing frustration both for town officials trying to enforce public health measures and those who want access to the beaches.
Beachgoers simply want to enjoy the sun, surf and salt air after months of being in semi-lockdown, while town officials are trying to enforce rules designed to protect the public health. Because the pandemic remains a threat the tension is likely to continue at least through the end of the summer.
Police and emergency responders are bearing the brunt of the complaints as they enforce the new beach rules.
Rye Police Chief Kevin Walsh said the town wrote guidelines based on those set by the governors reopening task force.
Rye has the longest coastline in the state, said Walsh. Most of our beaches are state beaches. We have limited the number of cars that come here, understanding the cars may have four or more people in each one. People need to but are not always self-regulating. At high tide, the beach area gets limited and social distancing goes down.
Drinking on the beaches is a problem. Walsh said Rye, Hampton and North Hampton are getting calls as early as 8 a.m. about people drinking on the beach.
The state park employees are taking a lot of grief, said Walsh. I think 90% of the people are being good and polite, but the other 10% are verbally abusing the employees. Its not their fault or their decision.
Many locals have questioned the reasoning behind Ryes parking restrictions.
Why is parking on 1A in Rye, NH still blocked? asked Portsmouth resident Robert Swan. If they open up parking and aggressively ticket, you are not going to add many more people to the beach but there will be a lot of happier residents. My wife and I have been parking on 1A and walking on the beach for 20 years, 30-minute walks that we cant do now because there is no place to park.
Adds John OReilly of Portsmouth: Even on perfect July beach days, parking near the beach access points north and south of Jenness is the problem, not finding room to enjoy the beach. Without Route 1A parking, the beach will look deserted.
People are divided on the beach issue, said Phil Winslow, chair of the Rye Board of Selectmen. A portion of the people want things to be like they were before. Others want beach access to be for town residents only. Then there are people like me who believe the beach should be a privilege for everyone. We live here because we love the beach. We are getting a lot of calls from people who want the turnarounds on 1A open.
Winslow said it is a matter of trying to keep the numbers down, because of COVID-19. Side roads are now resident only parking and near the beach, its difficult even for residents to find a parking spot.
We issued 2,850 resident beach stickers, said Winslow. Thats for 132 available spaces.
We do a call every Thursday with state Sen. Tom Sherman, D-Rye, to discuss issues on the seacoast and the beach is always a topic, Winslow said. People need to understand we are not near normal capacity. We are at COVID capacity. People want more parking but if we open up more, we are likely to see more cases. New Hampshire has done well, and I think that is due to good planning and good management. We do not want to see happen here what happened in places like Florida, Georgia and California.
Both Rye and New Castle have an aging population and Bill Stewart, New Castles selectman chair, said they took that into consideration when deciding what to do. Currently the entrances to the Town Common and to Fort Stark are blocked to vehicular traffic. People can walk or bike in.
We are not allowing parking in the common, said Stewart. There is some parking outside the park, very limited. We are concerned that opening it might result in a member of our police, fire or emergency services getting sick. It would not take much to hobble our town. We understand everyone wants access. Our beaches are small, and we are trying to accommodate people as best we can.
Fort Stark is a state park. Phil Bryce, Director of NH Parks and Recreation, said the situation as it is now at state beaches is unlikely to change for the rest of the summer.
We are taking a conservative and careful approach to provide the best opportunity for social distancing, said Bryce. Even though the state parks are self-funded, are a business, we are not looking to add more people to make more money. We will not let the beaches be overcrowded. For folks expecting things to be the same they are not. Look at other parts of the country. I do not want the parks to be the source of a resurgence of cases.
Hampton Town Manager Jamie Sullivan said their beaches are state beaches, so they follow the guidelines of the state.
Our process is to see thats done in a safe, responsible manner, said Sullivan. Its a balancing act and not everyone is going to be happy. The traffic pattern is causing the most issues. The main area is closed to traffic and while some people love it, many residents do not because side streets are bearing the brunt of the traffic changes.
Sullivan said Hampton Beach has a daytime crowd and a nighttime crowd, each with their own set of problems.
At night, at the bars and restaurants, people are not always social distancing, said Sullivan. Day and night, some people do not want masks. I think our police and our business owners are doing a really good job managing the flow.
Sullivans view is not shared by many, frustrated but what they see as unnecessary regulation of parking and beach access.
It is wonderful that the Seacoast is so safe that there are going to be a lot of law enforcement officers out to make sure I do not sit on the beach wall simply to enjoy the waves rolling in, said John OReilly of Portsmouth. I can keep proper social distance by myself, I do not need my freedom to enjoy public spaces impeded.
Sen. Sherman said his main concern is the public health of the communities.
Our ability to enjoy our beaches is based on how we each enjoy that privilege, said Sherman. We want to continue to keep the COVID numbers down to prevent a surge, to prevent people from getting sick or dying. This is what New Hampshire does best, doing things responsibly, and we watch out for each other.
Sherman said if we continue to do what is needed to be safe, we can find a reasonable way to continue to enjoy our natural resources.
We need to listen to our public health experts, said Sherman. We need to be polite, courteous and patient.
The beach access in Seabrook is a bit less, and Town Manager Bill Manzi said they have tailored their approach a little differently.
In working with the state, we have decided to do primarily resident access only, said Manzi. There is limited parking, so along the beach parking is now resident only. There is a municipal lot on 1A, and that is at 50% capacity use.
There are two other big changes people considering a visit to Seabrook. One is that the parking fines have increased from $50 to $200.
We were hearing that people didnt consider it a big deal to pay a $50 ticket to park all day at the beach, said Manzi. Well, they think harder about a $200 ticket.
The other big change involves people who own property in Seabrook but are not residents.
Every year we would give parking placards to the owners, two each, said Manzi. They could use it for their own parking, or for their renters. This year we did not issue those.
Manzi said if the property owners dont have driveway access, they are having difficulty.
The people who own or rent are not happy, said Manzi.
Rye Police Chief Walsh said the bridge at Rye Harbor has become a problem.
People are dropping off kids as young as 10 at the bridge, said Walsh. There are cars, motorcycles and bicycles coming over the bridge. We already had a minor chain reaction accident. I am afraid someone there is going to get hit by a car. The rules say no dropping off, all along the route, but its happening.
Rye has not raised their parking ticket price, which ranges from $50 to $100, but they are actively ticketing cars, and in some cases towing cars.
Hampton Chief Rich Sawyer said the parking lot by the bridge between Hampton and Seabrook is by reservation only. The rest of the parking spaces are first come, first served, but at 50% of the regular capacity.
We have not adjusted fines, said Sawyer. We have adjusted restrictions on town roads. In the beach precinct and the north shore, parking is for residents only. The town operates three pay parking lots. The Church Street one is for residents only currently and we have a program where business owners can buy a placard for their employees to park in the lot.
The private beach lots have no restrictions. They are charging $20-50 to park for the day.
Hampton center has been closed to vehicular traffic and open only to pedestrians. Sawyer said the businesses seem to be doing well and the visitors seem to like the pattern.
Trash removal is a constant battle at the Hampton beach.
There used to be contracts with the visa kids, said Sawyer. They would come from places in Europe. Obviously, that is not happening now. Its a struggle but we cant let trash pile up for health reasons.
Bryce said one chokepoint for him at the state beaches is that people are not wearing a mask in the public restrooms.
Please wear a mask, he said.
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Beach battle: Reduced access increases tension between tourists and Seacoast communities - Seacoastonline.com
