The Belmar Business Partnership has created an ad that is circulating on Facebook and is aimed at bringing more crowds to Belmar:
I contend that the more successful that campaigns like this are, the more misery is visited upon the people who actually live here.
More tourists help the tourist industry but do nothing for us. It does not increase tax revenues. Commercial property values have declined since the BBP came into existence. Furthermore, much of the new development has been done under redevelopment law with “payments in lieu of property taxes”. The developers win. The bars and restaurants win. The residential property tax payers lose.
Traffic gets worse and worse. Pedestrians and bicyclists face greater risk of injury or death. Forget having committees to study pedestrian and bicycle safety. Stop bringing so many cars into town! Remember, all these drivers are looking for parking spots. They are not watching out for pedestrians or cyclists.
And please people, stop the wild cheering every time Brian Magovern announces the badge revenues for the period. Overcrowded beaches do not help the folks that live here. We do not get that money. We only get the crowds, the noise and the litter in our neighborhoods.
Yesterday morning my wife and I decided to go to the beach. Because cars were coming down our street every 5 seconds, and the street was narrowed from parked cars lining both sides of it, we could not pull our bikes into our own street! There was no way for us to get out of our driveway into our own street. We had to ride down the sidewalk to get to 4th Ave. When we got to the beach we had to sit right up against other beach goers if we wanted to be anywhere near the water. There was barely room to open up my umbrella. I know to the Mayor and his Council this is a big success. But as someone who would like to live a quiet life near the beach, I did not see it that way.
I know summer crowds go along with living by the beach and I would do nothing to discourage people from visiting or to prevent businesses from opening to serve them. But I do strongly object to having our government working so hard to make things even worse for us.
12 Comments
We are in total agreement with your column. Dangerous crosswalks all along Ocean Avenue. Dangerous navigating for all emergency personnel. Something has to be changed to protect the residents as well as visitors.
As a diver, I have come to appreciate
these high on the food chain guys. True, I don’t dive with Great Whites, or even Tigers for that matter. But if with all the global warming and say, it moves up from North Carolina, well…
let them eat. It’s on me. Chow!!! Maybe the sharks will finally provide the most needed favorable dining reviews for Belmar. Just saying. My solution to overcrowded beaches via Sheriff Brody.
Who gets the beach money? Can’t use it for the pavillions? Do any of the beach towns account for the collection and spending of such funds? Do the towns have any official document to submit to the state? Now I’m tired and must rest. Please somebody explain. I would appreciate some answers soon.
Beaches has been crazy busy. If you are not at the beach before ten. Forget it you will not get a spot on the beach. We don’t need anymore advertising.
Plus how much is all this advertising costing?
The point of the BBP video, I think, is to attract those that ARE coming to Belmar to do more than just the beach. They’re hoping that those that visit spend money in the town. It’s not a bad thing to show off ALL that Belmar has to offer. Summer is a short season and the beach will attract visitors without any advertising needed. It’s the other facilities and businesses that may bring them back in the off-season.
I agree with it being dangerous to ride a bike ANYWHERE in Belmar. My children and I have been trying to ride to the places we frequent all summer. It is very hard to put them in the street when drivers are not paying attention- sometimes even texting or talking on their cell phone. We were actually yelled at for being on the sidewalk and I yelled back unfortunatley it is safer for her to be on the sidewalk than in the street. I will ride the street and take my chances but not with my children. They should have put in bike lanes along Ocean Avenue when they had the chance when the boardwalk was rebuilt – can the money that has not been spent yet from buy a board be used toward that?
#6 Probably not…….
No bicycle paths as the boardwalk was done too quickly. Dave is spot on as usual and his opponent is trying to use Dave’s thoughts to start his own platform. But we all know it is Dave that does the research, articulates it both on this blog and at meetings and anyone else is just playing catch up using Dave’s words. I truly believe Dave will be a fantastic councilman bringing to Belmar what we desperately need, critical thinking absent political agenda.
Actually Jim Bean had suggested incorporating a bikeway into the new boardwalk. Therefore it could not be done.
As far as this column goes…it wasn’t researched. It was just a rant at all the traffic and crowds on Sunday.
Yes, Ocean Ave is dangerous for walkers and bikers in the summer. Too much chaos. Need crossing guards and more free shuttles so people don’t have to drive and park near the beach
Seems to be an extreme lack of crossing guards, but hey We do have beach attendants renting lawn furniture for our out of town guests.
If the walkers would walk in the crosswalks instead of crossing in the middle of the blocks or between cars we might have less problems. The bikes are another story they ride in the traffic lane and think nothing of it. Answer?
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