parking lot at the beachFinding themselves too crowded for comfort during COVID-19 on weekends and, in some cases, too desolate for business during the week, beach towns through the U.S. are enacting–and sometimes removing–restrictions on parking to effect traffic one way or another. A few examples:

  • Parking in parts of Charleston, S.C., was restricted to cars with permits in an effort to reduce the number of people on the bach.
  • Rehoboth Beach, Del., began offering free street parking on Mondays to encourage visits to businesses.
  • Beaches in Newport, R.I., saw their parking restricted to season passholder vehicles.
  • Plum Island, outside of Boston, had its parking restricted to residents on weekends through Labor Day.

The parking restrictions have been met with cheers and complaints from residents of beach towns, with some saying they’re grateful to have something controlling social distancing, and others crying unfair. Is your town restricting parking as part of COVID-19 efforts? Let us know on Forum.