Beach Drivers Cross Upper’s Line, Mayor Urges Signs, Enforcement

PETERSBURG – Upper Township Committee listened to the concerns of Linda Bateman Nov. 20 regarding violations by surf-fishing permit holders that give them access to driving on the beaches of adjacent Sea Isle City.  
Bateman is a Strathmere resident and the president of the Strathmere Improvement Association.
“Lately as I’ve been washing dishes and looking out my kitchen window, there have been several vehicles driving on the beach with Sea Isle City surf-fishing permits,” Bateman said.
“It’s very clear that they have crossed the boundary between Sea Isle and Strathmere intentionally. When I called the (New Jersey) State Police to investigate, the first instance this happened there was no ticketing done although the permit number did not match the license plate which was from Pennsylvania,” she continued.
“On a subsequent occasion, I called, but the state police did not come. This situation is demoralizing and unsafe as well as makes all our hard work to protect the fragility of Whale Beach, the Point and other areas of Strathmere beaches for nothing. 
‘We have fought long and hard for protection for these areas and worked with DEP (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection).
“Why should Upper need to enforce these permits when it’s Sea Isle that is issuing them, and the permits are for a very narrow range of streets where vehicles are permitted on the beach there?” Bateman concluded rhetorically.
“In Upper Township, you can’t drive on any beach,” responded Mayor Richard Palombo. “We should consider better signs with reflectors that clearly indicate those crossing the boundary line will be ticketed and what the fine is.”
Township Solicitor Daniel Young added, “Let’s talk to the prosecutor to see how we can coordinate with Sea Isle for these types of situations.
“We need to figure out how we can cooperatively enforce these permits and how we can implement fines. There’s no reason we can’t issue our own citations in these cases especially since there were eyewitnesses with clear information about the identification of the vehicles. We just need to make sure we have the proper procedure.”
Awaiting the guidelines, Palombo cautioned, “In this day and age, please don’t self-police. It’s too dangerous. We will make sure we stay on top of these concerns and begin enforcing non-compliance of any vehicle crossing over with a permit that does not allow access to our beaches.”
To contact Camille Sailer, email csailer@cmcherald.com.