No Beach Buggies Allowed in 2014, Toms River Officials Say

While many people were understanding of a ban on beach buggies – the popular name for four wheel drive vehicles that allow fishermen to access the beachfront – in 2013, what appears to be a ban on vehicles in 2014 is raising eyebrows.

But township officials say the extension of the ban on vehicles is temporary and will be restored once an upcoming beach replenishment project is completed.

Local anglers have become sensitive to the issue after attempts over the years to limit access to beaches by preventing people from using their vehicles to transport their fishing equipment over the sand, say members of the New Jersey Beach Buggy Association.

Toms River has always supported vehicle access to beaches during the off-season, so any attempt to extend a ban enacted after Superstorm Sandy is a cause for concern, said Paul Harris, the president of the group.

"We’ve always had a pretty good relationship with [Toms River]," Harris said.

Township Councilwoman Maria Maruca said beach buggies would not be allowed on township beaches in 2014 since a beach replenishment project is set to begin during the summer.

"With the beach replenishment project coming in with a timeframe of June, this will not be the year to issue permits," she told her fellow council members at a meeting this week. "I would urge the council to particularly look at it next year at this time and make an educated decision."

Toms River issues its beach buggy permits in January, so accepting payments now – then telling beach buggy owners they can't use the beaches – wouldn't be fair, said Maruca. Though there are general timelines for the island-wide beach and dune replenishment project to begin, there's no specifics as to when Toms River's beaches will get their sand, she said.

In other locations where replenishment projects took place during this past summer, beach buggies were allowed in the fall. Surf City and Long Beach Township both allowed vehicles on their beaches this fall since the pumping of sand onto beaches was complete long before Labor Day.

"I was hoping we could negotiate with them through the summer, see what the beach looks like, and see how things look in the fall," said Harris, whose organization had offered to help the township with dune plantings and other projects in the wake of Sandy.

Maruca said Thursday that taking a look at the issue in the fall could be a possibility.

"I’m not averse to looking at it in the fall depending on what’s happening," she said, adding that no matter what, beach buggy access should be restored after the project is complete.

Harris said that not only does allowing vehicles on the beaches cause no damage to the sand, it can potentially help with sand quality once the replenishment is complete.

"It more or less helps it because it breaks up the hard-crusted sand," Harris said. "Just look at the sand quality of Island Beach State Park, right down the road."