Imagine a beautiful winter’s day, low tide, lots of beach to walk on, kids all bundled up, dog in the car, everyone excited to be going to Higgins Beach, and then you drive around looking for a parking spot and all you see are “No Parking” signs. That could be the reality this winter.

The systematic attack on public access at beaches in the state of Maine, as well as the rest of the nation, is very disturbing. In the case at Higgins Beach, it’s the continual reduction of available public parking in the area. The streets at Higgins Beach already have longer periods of time when parking is not allowed on any street, but now there is a chance that beach users will banned from all on-street parking in the off season.

Proponents of the ban will say to go and park in the town lot up the street, being it’s only one and half blocks away. However, this walk, about a quarter of a mile, at times may be too hazardous for certain users and will eliminate their ability to access Higgins Beach. Furthermore, any outright ban is not supported by safety concerns, is inconsistent with other Scarborough beaches and is not supported by the general public.

Now let’s go back to imagining that beautiful day, but let’s eliminate those “No Parking” signs and make that the reality.

Sarah Mosley
Westbrook

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