All Maine residents who enjoy going to the beach are impacted by the recent & obscene price hikes for parking. Most locals cannot afford $60 a day or $5 per hour just to park their vehicle so that they can enjoy the beach. As a result, many Mainers are unable to take advantage of the beautiful coastline that we choose to live so close to. If these price hikes continue pretty soon a majority of Mainers will not be able to enjoy the coastline.

Not that long ago it was just $10 a day to park at a number of beaches in York County. There were people employed to run the booth in the parking lot. Now there are machines that only take quarters (who has $40-$60 in quarters with them!) or plastic, not everyone uses plastic. These machines do not accept bills. The people who are present as employees tend to be more of a bother than helpful. Since they are there, stopping you on your way in and often aggressively telling you to pay, perhaps they could check a license plate or ID to charge Mainers a far more reasonable rate. 

It is my belief but as residents of the state of Maine, we have a right to be able to enjoy our great outdoors, 24 hours a day at a reasonable cost. If We do not stop local municipalities from increasing the prices to park our vehicles a majority of Mainers will not be able to afford to enjoy our beaches, an activity which should be free. Many people (A majority I fear) already cannot afford to enjoy the beaches due to these egregious price hikes.