Road ends raise issues of public access to the shore
For more than a decade, the city of Bainbridge Island has aggressively proclaimed the public’s right to use “road ends,” which are public rights of way that run down to the beach.
Many city and county governments have been shy about promoting public use of such narrows strips of land where adjoining residents often maintain expensive homes. Some people worry about vandalism and excessive tramping of sensitive habitats. But couldn’t these quiet little access points also help people appreciate nature?
Many road ends across the island and throughout Puget Sound seem to be the result of haphazard platting rather than carefully designed access. Still, the Legislature has recognized the importance of maintaining what little public access remains for average Washington residents. See RCW 35.79.035.
Public access to shorelines is a growing issue in Washington state, where most tidal areas were sold off in the early 1900s to promote commerce related to the shellfish industry. Bainbridge Island decided years ago that road ends offer a public-access opportunity worth millions of dollars.
“This is an island, but we have little access to the water to enjoy the peace, the birds and a quiet walk,” Marci Burkel, a member of the city’s Road Ends Committee, said in a Kitsap Sun story by reporter Tristan Baurick.
The island has been publishing maps of its road ends for years, but many of these sites are overgrown and difficult to use for shoreline access. Now, the Road End Committee is recruiting volunteers to monitor conditions at the road ends. More ambitious folks are encouraged to maintain the access points.
For additional information, check the Web page for the city’s Road Ends Committee, which includes annual reports for 2004 (PDF 660 kb), 2005 (PDF 496 kb) and 2006 (PDF 588kb). The island’s Shoreline Access Guidebook contains maps of the access points and general rules and guidelines to avoid potential problems.
I’m aware of several prime locations in Kitsap County that could provide access routes for people to reach to the water. Should other cities and counties in the Puget Sound region follow Bainbridge Island’s lead, first by publishing the locations of these road ends and then recruiting volunteers to clear these areas for public use?
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Tags: Bainbridge Island, Road ends
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
December 8th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Thanks to the Kitsap Sun for showing an active educational interest that promotes State intent to encourage our communities here in Kitsap to find and use these public lands as our Legislature has intended.
December 9th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Instant inspiration and motivation came out of reading Chris Dunagan’s blog about shoreline access earlier today. With the Kitsap Beach Naturalists program’s growth and activities of the Shore Stewards, Stream Keepers, Marine Riparian Initiative, Stillwaters, future Beach Watchers, etc., it’s hard to believe a shoreline access guide doesn’t already exist for Kitsap County.
A possible option… I just created a map called “Kitsap Marine Shoreline Access” (link below) and added two points (Southworth Ferry Dock “road ends” site and Manchester State Park) to show how this can work (pictures can also be added). The text I added was very quick and could be edited and improved, but the idea would be to provide some context by which to enjoy and appreciate the place, and provide information on conservation issues that may be important or observable at that site.
Google map
I imagine this could be populated very quickly since I can invite others to collaborate and contribute to the map. It might be a nice project for Beach Naturalists, Shore Stewards or other volunteers. The “road ends” sites, described in Chris’ blog, could be provided by the County and cities. This could be created inexpensively and quickly as a resource, then a printed version could evolve from it if there was interest and resources.
I will begin to populate this map with sites, but am interested in any reactions you may have. Thanks and have a great day! JEff
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Jeff Adams – jaws@u.washington.edu
Marine Water Quality Specialist
Washington Sea Grant – Kitsap
University of Washington
345 6th Street, Suite 550
Bremerton, WA 98337-1874
360-337-4619
(m) 360-229-9398
(f) 360-337-4864
http://www.wsg.washington.edu
December 9th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
For my first years in Kitsap, I did not own waterfront and I could not find a way to get to the beach. Intuitively I knew that there must be public access allowed other than the few parks that communities were able to to somehow set aside..at that time I knew only of Illahee. I would drive looking for ways to get to the beach and everywhere it was posted..private property. While yes some was private, I now know that many of these signs are simply keep the public off in cases where the actual access and beach are owned in part by the county, state or town, in essence owned by us.
Property owners who share ownership of the tidelands ajacent or near often have taxes they do not pay and you and I pay because of the public ownership which they would likely have to tolerate.
No property owners that I know of embrace use by the public and whole communities of them will attempt to stall, harrass or otherwise restrain public use and sometimes with the help of the county who will yield to a litigenous body of property owners..the fear of who has the most money to bring them down is historical, not so much in an obvious way because again, we are talking about the mob with money. The public generally accepts the signs, the yelling to get off the beach because not everyone carries around maps of county property and the county hardly if ever! puts a sign up saying this belongs to all of us.
If people do not want to share what is not theirs ie public land ajacentto theirs, find a different property..IF those who are willing (is there ANYONE who we pay their property taxes, willing to let us wander and wonder at the great Puget Sound in Kitsap?