Beach advocates don’t want shore towns to regulate own beach access

At some Jersey Shore points, you’ll walk miles before you find a public restroom, a parking spot or a place you can picnic. That’s intentional.

But beach advocates are asking Gov. Chris Christie to toss his plan to allow individual towns to regulate their public beach access.

A Press of Atlantic City report details the fight, which dates back to 2008 when rules implemented by former Gov. Jon Corzine’s information regulating beach access were appealed. No longer were restrooms required every half mile on publicly funded beaches.

Despite waterfront homeowners who want to keep their view pristine, beach advocates argue beaches funded and replenished by public dollars should allow for better public access.

The new rules will be published next month, followed by a 60-day public comment period after which the Department of Environmental Protection will decide if the plan to let towns set their own rules is a good one.

Feed the Feed: Should individual towns be allowed to decide how publicly accessible beaches will be?