The “Daily Dish” blog at the Honolulu Advertiser poses an intriguing question: “Should anyone own the beach?” The issue, however, isn’t about beach ownership, but rather restriction of access to publicly-owned beaches via private roads:
This past August a group of homeowners in Kailua installed a 6-foottall gate — with a combination lock! — at the end of their private roadto stop people from using the right-of-way to the beach.
Naturally,this has infuriated a collection of Kailua residents, surfers andbeachgoers who are fed up with wealthy homeowners restricting access toa beach everyone should be able to enjoy.
The comments posted are worth reading, if only to get a feel for how the issue — and the law — is perceived — and often mistakenly applied. Many beachfront property owners are not (contrary to common perception) “wealthy homeowners” intent on claiming public beaches as their own. Many are local folks who readily acknowledge the public’s right to use and access public beaches, but also wish that some members of the beachgoing public would reciprocate and respect their private property rights.