Beachgoers heading to Volusia County for Labor Day weekend will find fewer places to park directly on the sand at several popular coastal parks — part of a temporary safety strategy aimed at putting more space between moving vehicles and people walking onto the beach.
Volusia County and the Volusia Sheriff’s Office say approximately 125 on-beach parking spaces will be coned off and unavailable from Saturday through Monday next to five coastal parks.
The county says those 125 spaces represent less than 3% of the more than 5,000 on-beach parking spaces available across Volusia County.
And there is an important distinction for drivers: vehicles will still be allowed to drive through the affected areas. The restriction applies to designated on-beach parking spaces next to the parks, not beach driving itself.
Where on-beach parking will be restricted
The temporary restrictions apply to on-beach parking adjacent to:
- Grayce K. Barck North Beach Community Park
- Esther Street Beachfront Park
- Marianne Clancy Park
- Ed Peck Sr. Park
- Dahlia Avenue Park
The county says permanent on-beach parking restrictions will remain in effect directly in front of Sun Splash Park, Frank Rendon Park and Flagler Avenue Park.
The City of New Smyrna Beach identifies Grayce K. Barck North Beach Community Park and Esther Street Beachfront Park among its beachfront park locations.
Why officials say removing parking could make the beach safer
Cars and beachgoers routinely share portions of Volusia County’s beaches.
The county says the five areas affected this weekend see significant pedestrian traffic as people walk between park facilities and the beach. Clearing parked vehicles from those locations, officials say, should improve visibility for both drivers and pedestrians and create more of a buffer between the two.
Volusia County Beach Safety Director Tamra Malphurs said the county saw positive results when a similar strategy was tested over the Independence Day weekend.
“We experienced a much safer environment for families to enjoy the beach,” Malphurs said.
According to the county, increasing visibility and creating additional space between passing vehicles and people entering and leaving the parks helped reduce opportunities for conflicts between drivers and pedestrians.
That interaction is something local beachgoer Ali Simmons told News 6 she thinks about when walking across beach driving areas.
“Every time I come out here, even myself as a walker, and it’s packed wall to wall, I feel like, what if I get hit?” Simmons said.
Simmons said she pays close attention before stepping across an area being used by vehicles.
“I look both ways three or four times and I calculate the rate of speed of oncoming cars to make sure they’re going slow enough before I cross,” she said.
Her biggest concern when families and cars are sharing the sand is simple: a child unexpectedly running into the path of a vehicle.
“A darter, a little child darting out,” Simmons said when asked what worries her most.
She supports giving up some parking for additional separation, but also believes officials should make sure drivers have alternatives.
“I think they should do more and more of it, and then provide off-beach parking somewhere,” Simmons said.
Recent crashes have put beach vehicle safety in focus
The concern surrounding vehicles and beachgoers sharing the sand is not theoretical.
News 6 reported in April that a woman was recovering after being run over by a pickup truck while she was sunbathing in a designated driving lane on a Volusia County beach. Authorities said the incident happened in the Ormond Beach area.
Then, during Memorial Day weekend in May, a 22-month-old girl was struck and killed by a vehicle on New Smyrna Beach. News 6 reported investigators said the child was hit near East Seventh Avenue.
The death renewed attention on the risks that can arise when vehicles and families occupy the same stretch of sand. In the days afterward, News 6 reported officials were urging both beachgoers and drivers to take additional safety precautions.
When Volusia County experimented with reduced parking near busy beach parks over the July Fourth holiday, News 6 reported Sheriff Mike Chitwood said the decision followed a series of troubling incidents involving children being struck by vehicles on the beach.
The county is now bringing that parking strategy back for Labor Day.
Beachgoers weigh safety against a Volusia tradition
Driving and parking on portions of Volusia County’s beaches remain longstanding parts of visiting the coast. The county continues to permit both in designated areas and instructs drivers to follow posted speed limits, keep headlights on and keep at least one front-seat window open while driving on the beach.
That tradition makes the parking restrictions a tradeoff for people accustomed to bringing their vehicles onto the sand.
Joanne McMunn, who told News 6 she has lived in the area for four years, said she understands why some beachgoers could be disappointed.
“We enjoy parking on the beach. We enjoy being on the beach. It’s our beach,” McMunn said.
Still, when asked whether giving up some parking is worthwhile if it improves pedestrian safety during a busy holiday weekend, McMunn said, “Anything to keep people safer, if that’s what it takes.”
There are thousands of other parking spaces
County officials stress that the Labor Day change affects only a small portion of available beach parking.
In addition to roughly 5,000 on-beach parking spaces, Volusia County says there are more than 60 off-beach parking lots providing more than 2,000 additional spaces.
Volusia County residents registered through ParkVolusia can use county on-beach driving and parking areas and participating county-owned off-beach lots without paying a daily fee. The county encourages residents who still need to register to do so at least 48 hours before their planned beach trip.
Officials are also encouraging beachgoers to use the Volusia Beaches app before leaving home to check real-time information about pedestrian access, vehicle access ramps and nearby off-beach parking.
One additional limitation remains unrelated to the Labor Day parking strategy: the Seabreeze Boulevard beach access ramp remains closed because of structural concerns involving a nearby building. According to Volusia County, beach driving is currently unavailable for approximately half a mile between the University Boulevard and Seabreeze Boulevard ramps.
For Simmons, sacrificing some convenient parking is worth it if the result is a beach where visitors can spend less time worrying about traffic.
She said the goal should be to let people “relax and enjoy what you came here for, which is the ocean, the breeze, and other people having fun.”