Updated: City Council Enacts Rule Changes Along The Waterfront
Smoking ban on all city beaches & no bicycle riding from 10 a.m to midnight
The Asbury Park City Council approved a smoking ban on city beaches by a 3 to 2 vote during its Wednesday night Regular meeting. Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn and Councilman Jesse Kendle cast the no votes.
The new regulation will prohibit smoking or littering of tobacco products on all public beaches. Those products, according to the resolution that outlines the guidelines, include cigarettes, cigars and all other tobacco products.
In a news statement released Thursday, officials said smoking will be allowed along the Asbury Park boardwalk. The plan was introduced after an increasing number of complaints from beach goers. Offenders of the ban will be subject to fines.
“Our ultimate goal is to keep our beaches beautiful, safe and family-friendly,” Mayor John Moor [at right] said in the written statement. “We wanted to address the public health concerns as well help keep our beaches clean. The smoking ban will help eliminate the waste created by improperly discarded cigarettes that litter the sand and end up in our oceans, contaminating the water.”
The governing also voted to shift its no bicycle riding hours from 10 a.m. to midnight, effective May 10. The former guidelines allowed for cycling activity to occur until noon.
Also prohibited are use of skateboard, roller skates, sled, toboggan, and/or similar items, on the boardwalk or at any of the arcades, public walks, ramps and public sidewalks adjacent to the beachfront.
The laws also outline no cycling on any portion of the boardwalk north of Sixth Avenue.
Signage along the boardwalk and beaches will be changed to reflect the new guidelines prior to the summer season, officials said.
Officials also said new beach pass pay stations will be available at every beach entry to help reduce the wait time for visitors buying daily beach passes. The stations will offer a credit card payment option for buying beach passes on the boardwalk.
“With good weather, we are expecting a blockbuster beach season this year with more residents and visitors coming to enjoy Asbury Park than ever before,” Moor said. “We’re getting our beaches and boardwalk ready for a spectacular summer.”
For more information about the Asbury Park Beaches, visit cityofasburypark.com/beaches.
—————————————————————————————————–
Follow the Asbury Park Sun on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The Asbury Park Sun is affiliated with the triCityNews newspaper.
