Some Turtle Beach parking to be prohibited

At peak tourist times, there are not enough parking spaces to accommodate all the cars wanting to access Turtle Beach. It has been common for drivers to park along both sides of Turtle Beach Road, which connects Midnight Pass Road to Blind Pass Road.

The county commission is expected to outlaw that overflow parking at its meeting Tuesday.

Turtle Beach Road is 22 feet wide, so when cars park on both sides of the street, the roadway is essentially just one lane wide.

About two years ago during one of those busy days, a driver towing a trailer and boat tried to navigate the left turn from Turtle Beach Road to Blind Pass Road, but there was not enough room and he scraped several cars.

Residents on Blind Pass Road then began to worry if a boat trailer could not make it through, then perhaps a fire truck may not be able to navigate the turn either.

County staff agreed and will present to the commission a resolution to prohibit parking on both sides of Turtle Beach Road.

Contact Robin Roy at [email protected].