how is it possibly legal for manchester by the sea to charge people to walk onto the beach? all beaches are accessible if there is public access...they charge $5 to walk off a public road and onto the beach...

I think the colonial ordinance is only applicable if you are fishing, fowling, or navigating. If it is town property I guessing they have the right if you are just sun bathing. Bring a rod and tell them about the ordinance!

$12.50 will get you a season Pass........ and there is nobody there at night to collect the fee

$12.50 will get you a season Pass........ and there is nobody there at night to collect the fee

it is not the amount they charge (used to be $2) but just the principle of charging to walk on to a beach from a public road...i am becoming a disgruntled old man i guess but it pisses me off...

It all started about 12 years ago when the town of Manchester realised how many people came by train and walked to Singing Beach....the charge was a dollar...the town is un friendly even if going there by car.

It all started about 12 years ago when the town of Manchester realised how many people came by train and walked to Singing Beach....the charge was a dollar...the town is un friendly even if going there by car.

i'd be interested to find out how it is actually legal...for any attorneys out there?

Don't walk on.....run on!!! :uhuh:

My brother-in-law live a few houses away on Masconomo and he told me that there isn't much beach left after the bad storms in the last few months. I can attest to the fact of how many people walk from the train up the hill and down to the beach on weekends. They leave in droves when the day is done. The DD's across from the station must love the weekend train coming in.

They charge for parking, but when people stopped driving anmd started taking the train and walking they lost out on $$, so now they charge you for walking to the beach.

What's next?

They start charging you for talking about the beach, and then for THINKING about the beach.

They must be one of the following:

A) Hard pressed for cash?
B) Hard up for wringing every cent they can out of tourist?
C) Looking to pad someone's coffers for their undeserved pension and retirement?
D) All of the above?


I wonder what they would do if people stopped going to the beach, stopped spending their money in their town, and took their business and $$ elsewhere???

They charge for parking, but when people stopped driving anmd started taking the train and walking they lost out on $$, so now they charge you for walking to the beach.

What's next?

They start charging you for talking about the beach, and then for THINKING about the beach.

They must be one of the following:

A) Hard pressed for cash?
B) Hard up for wringing every cent they can out of tourist?
C) Looking to pad someone's coffers for their undeserved pension and retirement?
D) All of the above?


I wonder what they would do if people stopped going to the beach, stopped spending their money in their town, and took their business and $$ elsewhere???

The town would probably be happy if no one came.

Its "E" none of the Above...Like FA said they would rather no-one used the beach....

They are far from hurting for or needing cash...

They charge for parking, but when people stopped driving anmd started taking the train and walking they lost out on $$, so now they charge you for walking to the beach.

What's next?

They start charging you for talking about the beach, and then for THINKING about the beach.

They must be one of the following:

A) Hard pressed for cash?
B) Hard up for wringing every cent they can out of tourist?
C) Looking to pad someone's coffers for their undeserved pension and retirement?
D) All of the above?


I wonder what they would do if people stopped going to the beach, stopped spending their money in their town, and took their business and $$ elsewhere???

Of course if all the people stopped going to their beach, they would be happy only for as long as their coffers are full.

Then they'll be broadcasting on all stations, in all media how they NEED tourists badly, spouting the old line "Come up and visit our SINGING Beach!" You know, come up and don't forget your wallet!

They wouldn't be happy if tourists stopped going to their beach, or their town, as they had become accustomed to having all that extra money year after year. You think they would just say "We don't need those extra hundreds of thousands of dollars, we are just fine as is"?

I doubt they would. Once any town gets a taste of tourist dollars, they expect it every year from that point on, so much so that they write it into their town budget. And if and when those dollars don't show up, they scramble around in disaster recovery mode to make up that cash loss.

i already called the director of parks & recreation to inquire and ultimately complain about this ridiculous, potentially illegal walk on charge...i encourage y'all to do the same...

Town of Manchester-by-the-Sea - Parks & Recreation (http://www.manchester.ma.us/pages/manchesterma_recreation/index)

They charge for parking, but when people stopped driving anmd started taking the train and walking they lost out on $$, so now they charge you for walking to the beach.

What's next?

They start charging you for talking about the beach, and then for THINKING about the beach.

They must be one of the following:

A) Hard pressed for cash?
B) Hard up for wringing every cent they can out of tourist?
C) Looking to pad someone's coffers for their undeserved pension and retirement?
D) All of the above?


I wonder what they wrould do if people stopped going to the beach, stopped spending their money in their town, and took their business and $$ elsewhere???


Manchester-by the sea doesn't need the money, not in any sense of the word. I think they want to cut down on the crowds because thier is less space due to beach erosion. As far as charging for parking where? Fifty spaces, maybe a few more. That doesn't serve anyone. They never haver any trouble there, so its not how many people actually went to the beach. Its as popular as it is for several reasons. Clean, bathroom facilities, food there and nearby, and city folks can actually feel like they got away from it all, so to speak. I know my family there haad been waiting for a mooring,13 years, old guy kept telling eddy you'll get one. Old guy retires and new guy wasn't corrupt and he found out many peoples boats on the town moorings had no business being there. Friends boats, people who had the moorings didn't even own a boat. Ed gets a mooring almost immediately

I'm surprised that Gloucester has not introduced a walk on charge for Good Harbor Beach....:)

Yeah the thing with Good Harbor is that you actually can pay to park as an out of towner whereas I think the entire lot at Singing is resident only (unless that has changed)

I spoke with my bro-in-law over the weekend that lives in Manchester-by-the-sea, and he said as long as he has lived there thier has been a charge during the day. He thought up until this year it had always been $3.00. So charging to walk on isn't new to that beach.

The beach charge has nothing to do with beach erosin....it started out being snobish towards out of towners years ago.

As far as non resident parking I think they had two spots years ago...what they have now I do not know.

Regardless, U will not be fishing from the shores of Manchester unless U know someone that has property along the shore.

I think U can park at the little mall and train station and hike to the beach after 5 o'clock in the evening, no charge....be careful a resident may mistake your rod for a riffle and call the local cops as U walk.

...so from talking with some lawyer friends and looking into the issue briefly and muddling my way through a ridiculous amount of legal jargon, it looks as though case law allows towns to charge 'fees' to non residents even for walk on charges...something so unethical about this...the beach just screams to be public for all to enjoy...

I've actually found that at night and early am there is not a lot of enforcement of the resident only areas, but definitely is during the day...

...so from talking with some lawyer friends and looking into the issue briefly and muddling my way through a ridiculous amount of legal jargon, it looks as though case law allows towns to charge 'fees' to non residents even for walk on charges...something so unethical about this...the beach just screams to be public for all to enjoy...


Thats because residents already pay fees in the form of property taxes to use beach
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this whole idea of charging to walk on a beach
reminds me of white wigged judges from England
makes me sick inside

this whole idea of charging to walk on a beach
reminds me of white wigged judges from England
makes me sick inside

precisely