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Just to Save a Buck

After reading Tom Banisch’s column [Feb. 14, “No Lines at the Gate”] on his new electronic beach pass program replacing gate personnel with roving park monitors with license plate readers checking parked cars to see who has paid for a beach pass seems overly optimistic.

While online purchasing of the pass is easy and convenient, not having gate personnel challenging non-compliant cars will only encourage more unauthorized visitors taking spaces that otherwise would be for those who follow the rules. Even if these monitors issue non-compliance parking tickets, it still doesn’t make that taken space open for someone else.

Madison has envious beach facilities for its residents and guests, who have been greeted for decades by high school and college kids working summer jobs at the entrance. We shouldn’t be short-sighted and eliminate these positions just to save a buck or two because of some personnel issues during the 2018 season. I would hope more thought goes into this plan before this plan is implemented.

Chuck Flynn

Madison