They're OUR beaches, we paid for them!
You might have heard about free public beaches in Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach and you might have even tried looking for them after you spent two hours in traffic between exit 117 and Sandy Hook, only to find a "Lot Full" sign at Gateway National. Unfortunately, those beaches in Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach don't serve all of the people at the local, state and federal level who have paid for beach replenishment projects, a sea wall and bird protection regulation on those beaches. Monmouth Beach believes that their *200* parking spaces for public access is somehow adequate to the public demand for the beach access, I suppose if only 200 people were paying to restore those beaches, they might be right, but since Monmouth Beach is accepting federal funds (from tax payers nationwide) and state funds (from tax payers state wide) to restore "their beach", I propose that Monmouth Beach must provide more, and better, beach access. Even if Monmouth Beach didn't get federal or state funding, Monmouth Beach should still be expected to provide beach access to the public, after all, no one "owns" the beach, right? And I doubt they are going to give everyone in the nation their money back for the sea wall we built for them, so how about giving the rest of us tax payers, who have paid to protect "your beach", fair access to that beach? Monmouth Beach has 1 mile of ocean beach front, and 200 parking spaces. Even at 4 people in a car on average, that's 800 people on a mile long beach and at 100 ft wide, the "public access" over two or three stair ways over the sea wall just doesn't seem adequate.

Widening Route 36
Many people suggest that Rt 36 must be widened to a 4 lane highway to solve the "problem" of limited beach access. I disagree, I believe what is needed is increased parking in Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach where "free beaches" exist. Sure traffic is a problem on a nice summer weekend, but it would be just as bad if there were two more lanes. I do believe that more, or better, bridges to and from the peninsula would benefit the tax payers, the residents of the area and visitors to the area. The Rumson bridge and the Highlands bridge are both is need of repair or replacement and if either or both draw bridges should ever fail due to an emergency (like a hurricane), many people would be "trapped" on the peninsula with their only option being to drive south to Long Branch and then west to (presumed) safety. Regardless, if there is room for two more lanes of highway, then surely there is room for some more parking, if not "on street" parking along Rt 36. This would benefit us tax payers who have paid for those beaches, and benefit the many small businesses in Sea Bright that have limited parking available. Currently, many business owners in Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach complain that they lose business to Long Branch's Pier Village and believe a 4 lane highway would just make matters worse. I disagree, I don't think the extra lanes would hurt, but I also don't think it helps anyone, us tax payers/consumers who would pay for the wider road, or small business, who depend on people having a place to stop and park to shop in their stores. Long Branch provides adequate parking facilities - although the beach in Long Branch isn't free - it cost's $5 for a day pass - which I think is fair since these beaches are cleaned and have life guards on duty and parking is "free" and I suspect it is the abundance of parking that draws people to Long Branch as they generally don't have to fear a parking ticket to enjoy the beach.

The condos are falling! The condos are falling!
You mean those GIANT towers in Monmouth Beach building right on the beach that come with a price tag of $200,000 or so above a comparable condo not on the beach front? Let me remind everyone that some private developer built these towers on the beach, and some local zoning board approved the construction. Now the property owner wants our tax money to replenish the beach and protect the foundation of the buildings because the proximity of the buildings to the ocean has damaged the buildings. Again, let's compare - I paved my driveway between two rows of giant oak trees and now the roots are damaging my driveway so you the tax payers should pay to repair my driveway so that I don't destroy the environment by cutting down the oak trees. The federal, state and local tax payers should not be giving me money because I failed to think about the obvious when I paved the driveway and I as a tax payer, and you as a tax payer, should be angry that some private property owner wants our tax money to fix their property. Will the buildings eventually have to be condemned or knocked down? Maybe, not my problem, I didn't build the structure without thinking about the obvious and I didn't purchase a home/condo without thinking about it's location compared to the ocean and I as a tax payer don't want my money being spent to pay for other people's mistakes. Worst case, the buildings have to be knocked down and someone might build a parking lot or shopping center with some small businesses on the property which provides beach access for us, more local jobs in small businesses and more income from sales tax in the township. Seems like a win for the tax payer instead of a cost for the tax payer to supplement some private property owner's buildings.

It's one thing I'll agree with Pallone on...
I'll give credit where credit is due, Pallone's record on "the environment" is nearly impeccable, however, there is a trade-off between protecting the environment and proving the public with what they have paid for. Frank Pallone consistently wants the public's money to restore the beaches and protect the beaches, but Frank Pallone never wants your money to get you something, like adequate beach access, or more parking for the beach, or free beaches instead of $5 beaches. Frank Pallone wants to protect the environment and the condos in Monmouth Beach, which is nice, but the rest of us don't want our money spent on other people's mistakes. Likewise, I'm sure some of our money from here in Jersey is being spent to "protect" someone in California's cliffside mansion from falling off of the cliff, I find this unacceptable. Don't build on the cliff, or don't complain and beg for my money when your house falls off of said cliff. In the same respect, I'm certain that some of our tax money from here in Jersey is being spent to build new levees in New Orleans to protect against another Katrina, also unacceptable - new Jersey has it's own flood zones to worry about and our tax money isn't being spent on those, because Frank isn't fighting for us the way someone who cares about the people he is supposed to represent should be fighting. It's one thing to care about the environment, it's another thing to waste the tax payer's money on projects that don't benefit the tax payers, and wasting tax payer money is all that Frank Pallone has ever done in his 20 year career in office.