Who Owns The Beach?

I saw this on the Honolulu Advertiser. So I thought I’d reprint it and see what people think.

Should anyone own the beach?

This past August a group of homeowners in Kailua installed a 6-foot tall gate — with a combination lock! — at the end of their private road to stop people from using the right-of-way to the beach.

Naturally, this has infuriated a collection of Kailua residents, surfers and beachgoers who are fed up with wealthy homeowners restricting access to a beach everyone should be able to enjoy. (Read story in today’s paper here.)

With this latest gate — it’s located at the end of L’Orange Place — the stretch of N. Kalaheo Avenue only has four marked public access paths to Kailua Beach. Four. That’s about the same — if not less — than the number of right-of-ways to Lanikai Beach. Which is, well, substantially smaller than Kailua Beach.

What’s going on here?

It’s worrisome to me that there aren’t more conversations about these restrictions to beaches and surf breaks.

And it’s happening all over the Islands, from the northern coast of Kauai’i to the shores of La’ie. It’s long been an issue in Kahala, around the North Shore of O’ahu and along Kalaniana’ole Highway.

Public access to a 1.5-mile strip of Portlock beachfront — and some of my favorite breaks — was almost denied to beachgoers about two years ago.

So who’s right? Homeowners? Beachgoers? A public clamoring for equity?

Should people who live along private roads — as in Kailua — be allowed to block access to the beach fronting their homes? After all, they paid big bucks for their homes and privacy, right? Should they have to deal with the increased vehicle and pedestrian traffic and other headaches that accompany the right-of-way?

Or does the public have a right to access any beach, anywhere? And should the city and/or state step up and make sure there are enough public right-of-ways along long stretches of beaches so the burden doesn’t fall on just a few communities?

So what do you think?

Posted on October 2, 2007 - Filed Under Beach News and Stories

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