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Rules for Beach Driving in Lincoln City under Review
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The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) requested public comment on a proposed administrative rule amendment to restrict motor vehicles on two sections of the ocean shore in Lincoln City. The deadline for comments was July 20, and a public hearing was held on July 18. OPRD got an earful from local residents who would like to be freed from the plague of vehicles on their beaches–and from Oregon Shores, strongly supporting the idea of completely eliminating street vehicles from the Lincoln City beaches.
While the official comment period has ended, there is no law against contacting OPRD at any time. Comments can still be sent via email to oprd.publiccomment@oprd.oregon.gov or through regular mail to Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Attn.: Katie Gauthier, 725 Summer St., N.E., Suite C, Salem, OR 97301.
Currently, vehicles are allowed on the ocean shore within 150 feet of N.W. 34th St. and N.W. 15th St. in Lincoln City. One proposed change would ban vehicles year-round at N.W. 34th St. The parking lot is already closed to vehicle traffic by city ordinance. The second proposed change would close vehicle access to the beach from on N.W. 15th St. May 1 to Sept. 30 or whenever conditions were unsafe. The access is already closed by city ordinance from May 26 to Sept. 5. The proposed change would also expand the area of shore open to vehicles from 150 feet to 300 feet on each side of NW 15th when access is open.
The city of Lincoln City strongly favors complete closure, for reasons of safety, trash, and overstretching their parks, police, and fire department resources. Oregon Shores opposes street vehicles on the beach, period. An advisory committee was assembled, on which Oregon Shores was represented–the advisory committee seemed to find consensus that both access points should be entirely close. Then, without consulting the advisory group, OPRD announced its proposal to double the access at 15th St. for part of the year. Their idea, it would appear, is that the need to maintain an equal amount of vehicle access, with a larger area available for less of the year. The city objects to this vehemently–as their parks director notes, they are now busy all year, so there isn’t an offseason, and there could well be more traffic than they can handle at any time. Oregon Shores rejects OPRD’s reasoning here, as our policy is that vehicles should be removed from the shoreline to protect people and wildlife.
More information about this rulemaking including maps and a copy of the rule text is available on the OPRD rulemaking website.