A solution for Hilton Head’s growing beach-parking problem
Demands on Hilton Head Island beaches in the summer will only become greater. I have a suggestion of how to confront the situation.
In New Jersey, where I lived until 1999, we would go to Island Beach State Park, which is near Seaside Heights. The park had beautiful beaches. We had to cross a bridge to get to the park. The state had an electronic sign at the bridge that gave the state of available parking. If the parking was full, you were notified of the fact. We could use the same system here, but upgraded as follows:
If we established a trolley system based at Honey Horn, with the sign directing beach traffic there, when parking lots were full at the beach we could reduce traffic to the beaches when parking was unavailable. To encourage use of the trolley, a parking fee at the beach would be established. Let’s say $5, while a smaller fee of say $1 would be charged to a family using the trolley. The trolley fee would cover the costs of the trolley. We would set the beach parking fee and the trolley fee at a level that covers the trolley costs.
Summer beach use by off-island folks should have costs involved to cover the expenses to the town that occur. I think my proposal could help cover those costs and help alleviate future traffic congestion at the beach.
Charles F. Lenzinger
Hilton Head Island
How to submit a letter
Send letters to the editor by email to letters@islandpacket.com or letters@beaufortgazette.com.
Or you may submit a letter online.
Letters to the editor must be 250 words or fewer and include your first and last names, street address and daytime telephone number so we can verify the letter before publication.
You are limited to one letter per 30 days.
Letters may be edited for length, style, grammar, taste and libel. All letters submitted become the property of The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette.
Letters will be accepted only if they are typed into the body of an email, not sent as an email attachment.
This story was originally published December 23, 2017 at 6:00 AM with the headline "A solution for Hilton Head’s growing beach-parking problem."