"Are you kidding me? Spent all this money for lunch here and can't even see the ocean!"

I had lunch at the Beach on a Thursday right around noon and. . .

After I sat down this truck pulled up and parked with a loud "hiss" of air brakes. . .

. . . and a little later so did this one.

Below are more recent photos from previous trips to our Beach:

This is not the fault of any business operating at the beach or the truck driver. It's due to faulty site planning back in 2009 and 2010.

Not exactly the best use of a bike lane, is it?

First, you'll be happy to know there is good news. The "pilot fix" to stop the leaking on the second floor has met with some success. However, going forward there are still many matters left to address.

The majority on the Commission are tackling these issues head on, not just "kicking the can down the road" with band aid solutions like raising parking rates "and whatnot". Here's another recent change at the Lake Worth Casino:

Motorcycle parking now available at the Casino. Spaces up top the dune and below.

It's been another busy weekend at our Beach with cars maneuvering around parked trucks. It didn't have to be this way; that is explained below.

Semi-truck using upper parking lot to deliver supplies on a Saturday morning around 10:00.

As many of you know, I regularly go to the beach to use the Lake Worth Municipal Pool (for information about the pool use this link). Am usually there during the late morning hours and as an urban planner always looking around at how the property functions. One of the most important functions for privately-owned businesses is the delivery of goods and supplies.

Many refer to the property as a "beach park" so the priority should be to handle such deliveries with as little impact as possible to people visiting and preserving views of the ocean; one of the major reasons people go there in the first place.

Sign indicating the size limit for vehicles using the upper beach area. A "dually" would be one example of vehicles not allowed.

The first four pictures below were taken on another Saturday in July. The rest were taken over the past two months. I was there before ten o'clock and a food service semi was parked in the driving lane on the upper part of the beach. I happened to be on my bike but those in vehicles (the lot was full) had to maneuver around this delivery truck. Being a fair weather Saturday, let's just say that it was a busy time at the beach.

With nowhere else to park trucks block the flow of traffic.

As far as parking at the beach those decisions were made by the Best Commissioner Ever in 2009 and 2010. The negative impact vis-à-vis truck deliveries and vehicular circulation on the 19 acre property continues to the present day.

The problem is most acute in front of the Casino building when large trucks regularly use the "no parking" bike lane for regular deliveries.

The loading dock area on the north side of the building is inadequate to accommodate most delivery and service vehicles unless they are small trucks or vans. The result is what you see in these pictures. People who come to enjoy a view of the Atlantic Ocean are treated to a view you could see at any convenience store instead.

The time of day deliveries are permitted is a variable that can be looked at from an operational point of view.

The ultimate solution is making physical changes to the property that would provide better and more accessible areas for delivery vehicles.

The likelihood of constructing new loading docks for trucks is slim to none. The people who should have cared the most about parking and deliveries were the same ones that made the poor design decisions when creating the site plan in 2009/2010. They are also the same ones, like ostriches with heads in the sand, that have those signs proclaiming their fondness to keep our beach and pool just the way it is.

The "Silly Red Sign" or SRS for short.

So here we are:

While we are fixing construction and design flaws in the actual building we should also be considering design alternatives to address this situation, or if any realistic options are even possible.

Your ideas are welcome. Look in the right-hand column for "How to use blog & contact Wes".