This is only a small part of a great many beach towns that are trying to limit visitors who don't live there. The beach is a public area and towns should not be able to restrict their use by limiting or eliminating long-time parking areas, including parking on the right of way of SCDOT roads.
SCDOT rejects Isle of Palms plan to cut beach parking
BY DAVID SLADE
dslade@postandcourier.com
Less than 24 hours after Isle of Palms City Council approved plans to eliminate about 200 parking spaces near the beach, the state Department of Transportation Secretary Christy Hall informed the town there’s no public safety issue that warrants the parking reduction.
“I am of the opinion that the public has the right to park along the state-owned right of way unless SCDOT identifies a safety-related issue,” Hall told the mayor and council members in a letter Wednesday.
“To date, we have not identified any safety issues along Palm Boulevard that would warrant the elimination of parking,” she wrote.
The rebuke is the latest development in a monthslong controversy over restrictions on parking near Charleston-area beaches. Isle of Palms temporarily prohibited non-residents from using hundreds of free parking spots near the beach this summer, saying that doing so would slow the spread of COVID-19.
Hall said the department had allowed Isle of Palms wide discretion during the public health emergency, but the latest plan is different. The city cited public safety as a reason to permanently eliminate parking on a section of the land side of Palm Boulevard, which is a state road. Isle of Palms’ chief of police told council members Tuesday there were no incidents or statistics showing a public safety issue on Palm Boulevard. But the council went ahead and voted 7-1 to eliminate about 200 parking spots.
“We have not had incidents involving unsafe practices,” Chief Kevin Cornett told City Council members during the meeting Tuesday night. “The statistics show that we do not have an issue with that.”
Eliminating public parking in the right-of-way — the public land along the edge of the road — requires approval from DOT. Hall made it clear Wednesday that such approval will not be forthcoming.
Isle of Palms Mayor Jimmy Carroll could not be immediately reached for comment. City Administrator Desiree Fragoso issued a written statement that summarized what happened in the last 24 hours but did not indicate how the city plans to respond.
She said City Council’s Public Safety Committee would likely revisit the issue the next time they meet.
The city’s stated concern has been that when beach visitors park on the land side of Palm Boulevard and have to cross the busy street to get to the beach, that can cause a safety issue. Currently, parking on the land side of Palm Boulevard between 21st and 40th avenues is prohibited as a temporary public health measure related to COVID-19. That, along with Isle of Palms’ plan to eliminate all free beach parking and charge for parking instead in 2021, has prompted widespread criticism and allegations that the city is trying to make the public beach more exclusive.
Temporary parking restrictions on Isle of Palms and Folly Beach, along with temporary restrictions on beach chairs and coolers on Sullivan’s Island that have since expired, prompted thousands of area residents to form a beach access advocacy group this summer.
Originally pulled together as a Facebook group called Charleston Area Public Beach Access and Parking, the group is now the Charleston Beach Foundation. The group sued Isle of Palms this summer, and that lawsuit is pending.
“This is a big win for the Charleston Beach Foundation,” said Lee Rowland, director of the foundation. “This gives us a sound base to continue our goal to allow free and equal access to all area public beaches.”
SCDOT rejects Isle of Palms plan to cut beach parking
BY DAVID SLADE
dslade@postandcourier.com
Less than 24 hours after Isle of Palms City Council approved plans to eliminate about 200 parking spaces near the beach, the state Department of Transportation Secretary Christy Hall informed the town there’s no public safety issue that warrants the parking reduction.
“I am of the opinion that the public has the right to park along the state-owned right of way unless SCDOT identifies a safety-related issue,” Hall told the mayor and council members in a letter Wednesday.
“To date, we have not identified any safety issues along Palm Boulevard that would warrant the elimination of parking,” she wrote.
The rebuke is the latest development in a monthslong controversy over restrictions on parking near Charleston-area beaches. Isle of Palms temporarily prohibited non-residents from using hundreds of free parking spots near the beach this summer, saying that doing so would slow the spread of COVID-19.
Hall said the department had allowed Isle of Palms wide discretion during the public health emergency, but the latest plan is different. The city cited public safety as a reason to permanently eliminate parking on a section of the land side of Palm Boulevard, which is a state road. Isle of Palms’ chief of police told council members Tuesday there were no incidents or statistics showing a public safety issue on Palm Boulevard. But the council went ahead and voted 7-1 to eliminate about 200 parking spots.
“We have not had incidents involving unsafe practices,” Chief Kevin Cornett told City Council members during the meeting Tuesday night. “The statistics show that we do not have an issue with that.”
Eliminating public parking in the right-of-way — the public land along the edge of the road — requires approval from DOT. Hall made it clear Wednesday that such approval will not be forthcoming.
Isle of Palms Mayor Jimmy Carroll could not be immediately reached for comment. City Administrator Desiree Fragoso issued a written statement that summarized what happened in the last 24 hours but did not indicate how the city plans to respond.
She said City Council’s Public Safety Committee would likely revisit the issue the next time they meet.
The city’s stated concern has been that when beach visitors park on the land side of Palm Boulevard and have to cross the busy street to get to the beach, that can cause a safety issue. Currently, parking on the land side of Palm Boulevard between 21st and 40th avenues is prohibited as a temporary public health measure related to COVID-19. That, along with Isle of Palms’ plan to eliminate all free beach parking and charge for parking instead in 2021, has prompted widespread criticism and allegations that the city is trying to make the public beach more exclusive.
Temporary parking restrictions on Isle of Palms and Folly Beach, along with temporary restrictions on beach chairs and coolers on Sullivan’s Island that have since expired, prompted thousands of area residents to form a beach access advocacy group this summer.
Originally pulled together as a Facebook group called Charleston Area Public Beach Access and Parking, the group is now the Charleston Beach Foundation. The group sued Isle of Palms this summer, and that lawsuit is pending.
“This is a big win for the Charleston Beach Foundation,” said Lee Rowland, director of the foundation. “This gives us a sound base to continue our goal to allow free and equal access to all area public beaches.”
