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05/29/2018 02:30 PMWith Memorial Day marking the unofficial start of summer, the Town of Madison is gearing up for the swell of residents and visitors who flock to the local town and state beaches during the summer months.
Just before the holiday weekend, the town Beach & Recreation Department added 16 more parking spaces to the West Wharf Beach parking area to allow for more cars. The additional spaces were achieved by moving the gate from its spot near the grassy strip up to the intersection of Parker Avenue.
Director of Beach & Recreation Scot Erskine said the Madison Beach Hotel was open to the move, which will give more parking to pass holders.
“Our gate guards and facility monitors are able to write citations for illegal parking at the beach, and the gate is clearly marked to state that no parking is allowed between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., so we intend to make sure that parking is available for daily tag and season pass holders,” he said.
Summer is always a busy time in Madison, but town officials are taking more precautions this year as they anticipate additional overflow from Hammonasset Beach State Park this season, according to First Selectman Tom Banisch.
“This comes at a time when residents may see an influx of out-of-towners, as the State of Connecticut has made admission to all state parks, including Hammonasset, free to all Connecticut residents,” he said. “I’m concerned that the [state] park will fill up and people who can’t get in will look elsewhere in town to go to a beach. We’ll be vigilant to be sure our town assets are deployed for residents and their guests.”
Concerns Over Passport to the Parks
When the state legislature finally passed a budget back in October 2017, the final document brought in a new program known as Passport to the Parks. Created to help foster state park revenue and encourage park visits, the program is set to launch this season—but Madison officials are worried this new program might exacerbate existing challenges at Hammonasset Beach State Park.
Passport to the Parks charges all Connecticut residents a flat fee of $10. The fee will be collected with auto registration, allowing residents to enter all state parks at no charge. The fee is estimated to generate about $10 million more in state revenue than current entry and parking fees.
Additionally, State Senator Ted Kennedy, Jr. (D-12), who serves as Senate co-chair of the Environment Committee, previously said the program may cut down on traffic jams at some of the larger state parks because residents with a Connecticut license plate will be waved right through the gates.
However, Hammonasset is the largest state park and brings in more than a million visitors in the 10-week high season following Memorial Day. The steady influx of cars to the park has been a longstanding issue for Madison officials and Banisch said he fears the passport program will only make the problem worse.
In past years, when cars line up to get into the park, the traffic often backs up along Route 1, the Hammonasset connector, and sometimes even on the highway by Exit 62. Banisch said the problem gets worse when the park gates close due to capacity, so he has asked DEEP to consider installing signs on the highway and at the entrance of the park letting people know when the park is full.
Banisch said the town is going to maintain its responsibility to the people of Madison in regards to safety and protecting property. When the park hits capacity, Banisch said beach-goers spill out into Madison and try to use private beaches to avoid paying any fee.
“My concern is in Madison, people are going to get off the highway, realize they can’t go [to Hammonasset], go over to our beach, and say, ‘I’m not paying 40 bucks to go there,’ and then go off to another beach and that’s going to be on Middle Beach Road or Park or Tuxis,” he said previously.
During the summer, Banisch said he has seen people parking at sports fields and walking into the Surf Club to avoid paying, along with a couple other creative maneuvers. This year Banisch said he and local officials will see how the season starts out, but might have to be more rigorous in policing where people park to access the beaches.
“We are not trying to be isolationists and we are not trying to be nasty to people who don’t live here, but the fact of the matter is people who pay for the beaches are the residents and we need to protect their interests and I am very sensitive to that and I am very reactive to that,” he said. “We are willing to get into the season and see what happens, but we are going to act quickly if we have to.”