beach trip details

09blue4drX wrote:

3 mile cut is ussually the cutoff for most of the crowds. I went down about 7-8 miles. Alot less traffic and the cops don't ussually go down that far unless they are getting complaints. What time is everyone planning on getting down there on Sat?

There is a group from SA going Friday too.

09blue4drX wrote:

3 mile cut is ussually the cutoff for most of the crowds. I went down about 7-8 miles. Alot less traffic and the cops don't ussually go down that far unless they are getting complaints. What time is everyone planning on getting down there on Sat?

a lot of us are going down Friday, staying overnight. So I'm sure we'll be on the beach in the morning.

3 mile cut is ussually the cutoff for most of the crowds. I went down about 7-8 miles. Alot less traffic and the cops don't ussually go down that far unless they are getting complaints. What time is everyone planning on getting down there on Sat?

I think Renee has one, and will probably bring it. Need to REPRESENT!

CRUX wrote:

Just look for the JEEP NATION jolly roger flag!

Do we have one??


What ever happened to the flag thing?

It would be pretty cool if we all flew our flag

Just look for the JEEP NATION jolly roger flag!

09blue4drX wrote:

Matagorda beach does not all ATV's, golf carts, or dirt bikes. I think you could probably get by with the jeep with no windsheild, cops are more interested in busting drinking teenagers than anything else. I was there last weekend and the beach was PACKED. Any particular spot everyone is going to be on the beach or do I just look for the giant group of jeeps when I come down? Also matagorda beach does require a permit to drive on the beach. Permits are $6 and best place for them is the little grocery store right before the new bridge.

I posted this in another thread. Found it on a website earlier today:

Once you access the beach and turn north, you have 21 miles of beach. 4WD is required most of the time once you pass 3 Mile Cut . Once you pass 3 mile cut the crowds thin out and it's not hard to find seclusion.

So how far did you go down? Was it crowded way down the beach? When we did PINS last year, we went 15 miles or so. And yes, just look for a big group of Jeeps- mostly JK's. We won't be hard to find I'm sure.

Matagorda beach does not all ATV's, golf carts, or dirt bikes. I think you could probably get by with the jeep with no windsheild, cops are more interested in busting drinking teenagers than anything else. I was there last weekend and the beach was PACKED. Any particular spot everyone is going to be on the beach or do I just look for the giant group of jeeps when I come down? Also matagorda beach does require a permit to drive on the beach. Permits are $6 and best place for them is the little grocery store right before the new bridge.

Good post... thanks.

I called the Beach Patrol at Galveston last night and they confirmed that the rules applied, I should have asked him what code it came from.. might call back.

FWIW, Bolivar/Crystal Beach have made clear their stance on it...

http://www.bolivarchamber.org/GolfCarts.aspx

Quote :

Are ATV's and Golf Carts Allowed on the Beach?

The Beaches of
Crystal Beach and Bolivar Peninsula are considered Public Highway. To
ride on the beach, a vehicle must be licensed and have a licensed
driver. A sticker does not allow the 4 wheeler or other off-road
vehicles to be driven on a Public Highway or Public Beach. If you will
check the Transportation Code Sec. 502.006 you will find that an ATV
cannot be registered to be driven on a Public Beach or roadway.

“ATV’s,
dirt bikes, mules, etc, which are unlicensed are illegal on the beach.
Golf carts are legal and do not have to be licensed, however, drivers
of the golf carts must possess a valid Driver’s License." - Patricia
Vondra, Justice of the Peace Galveston County, Texas

AFAIK, the whole concept of "why" they are considered public highways, is the root of the TOBA -- that traditionally, along coastal regions, beaches were the only effective means of moving from one coastal community to the next. That is, what with all the swamps and bayous, the beaches were effectively used as roadways. Very similar to the laws about navigable waterways.

The relevant references would probably be:

61.126 of the TNRC:

Quote :

Sec. 61.126. TRAFFIC REGULATIONS. If the order includes a traffic
regulation, the order shall provide for signs that are designed and
posted in compliance with the current provisions of the Texas Manual on
Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways, stating the
applicable speed limit, parking requirement, or that vehicles are
prohibited.

NOAA Report on the TOBA: http://www.csc.noaa.gov/cz/2007/Coastal_Zone_07_Proceedings/PDFs/Tuesday_Abstracts/2658.Fisher.pdf

Quote :

BACKGROUND
Historically Texans drove along the
beach for miles, and in some cases the
beach was used as a roadway between
coastal communities; therefore, driving
and parking along the beach developed
into a cultural phenomenon which is still
popular today. In truly Texas fashion,
the impetus of the OBA had roots in the
oil industry involving disputes over
mineral right ownership. Beachfront and
bay-front landowners contested the
common law property boundary that established the line of vegetation as the state lands
boundary. The Luttes vs. State Supreme Court ruling changed the boundary between
beachfront private property and state owned submerged lands to the Mean High Tide
Line. Once this ruling was made, beachfront landowners began constructing fences and
barriers to restrict vehicular access on the beach, and consequently the public responded with discontent. The state legislature took action in a special session by enacting the
OBA in 1959. The OBA merely defined the public’s common law rights, and did not
give the public ownership nor did it create rights in private property, but rather it
described the existing rights for public easement across private land. Littoral owners3
actually hold title to the dry beach above Mean High Tide (MHT), but if the public
historically used and accessed the beach then they maintained that right of access.

!c

Items of Inspection
05.01 Inspect Every Passenger Car For: (Listed in suggested order of inspection)

* Check for evidence of Financial Responsibility

1. Horn
2. Windshield Wipers
3. Mirror
4. Steering
5. Seat Belts
6. Brakes (system) (Parking - beginning with 1960 models)
7. Tires
8. Wheel Assembly
9. Exhaust System
10. Exhaust Emission System (beginning with 1968 models)
11. Beam Indicator (beginning with 1948 models)
12. Tail Lamps (2); (1) if 1959 model or earlier
13. Stop Lamps (2); (1) if 1959 model or earlier
14. License Plate Lamp (1)
15. Rear Red Reflectors (2)
16. Turn Signal Lamps (beginning with 1960 models)
17. Head Lamps (2)
18. Motor, Serial, or Vehicle Identification Number
19. 1988 & newer - inspect for window tinting or coating
20. Gas caps on vehicles 2-24 model years old.

Texas Crazy Law


<li>It is illegal to take more than three sips of beer at a time while standing.

</li><li>A recently passed anticrime law requires criminals to give
their victims 24 hours notice, either orally or in writing, and to
explain the nature of the crime to be committed.

Looking for more dumb laws? Check out DumbLaws.com!

</li><li>It is unlawful for a person to consume an alcoholic beverage
while operating a motor vehicle upon a public roadway, if the person is
observed doing so by a peace officer.

</li><li>The entire Encyclopedia Britannica is banned in Texas because it contains a formula for making beer at home.

</li><li>When two trains meet each other at a railroad crossing, each
shall come to a full stop, and neither shall proceed until the other
has gone.

</li><li>It is illegal to drive without windshield wipers. You don't need a windshield, but you must have the wipers.

</li><li>You can be legally married by publically introducing a person as your husband or wife 3 times.

</li><li>A city ordinance states that a person cannot go barefoot without first obtaining a special five-dollar permit.

</li><li>It is illegal for one to shoot a buffalo from the second story of a hotel.

</li>It is illegal to milk another person's cow.





Maybe this will help ya ....lol

jeeperjennie wrote:

Tx state law does not require you to have a windshield but you do have to have something to put the reg. and insp. sticker on.

Y'all's jeep does not have Registration, Inspection Ins. or lic plates.

chances are as long as no body is acting stupid and you stay in the group the police will not mess with y'all.

State regulated beaches have the same driving codes as the highway, I bet you guys could get it registered and inspected out here in waller county.

Thanks for clearing this up. I was wrong.

Same laws apply for the public roadway - and unless otherwise posted the speed limit is 15mph. Some cops may be looking for a reason do be an ass, most would not if someone was not acting stupid but you never know.

I still cannot find the exact code that spells it out but will keep looking.

Tx state law does not require you to have a windshield but you do have to have something to put the reg. and insp. sticker on.

Y'all's jeep does not have Registration, Inspection Ins. or lic plates.

chances are as long as no body is acting stupid and you stay in the group the police will not mess with y'all.

State regulated beaches have the same driving codes as the highway, I bet you guys could get it registered and inspected out here in waller county.

As long as it is not on a public roadway you are good.... take it and have fun!!!

Apparently if you have the windshield down or otherwise do not have a windshield, you're required to be wearing goggles or appropriate eye protection. That doesn't keep it from being legal to run on the highway, so I can't imagine they'd keep you from running it on the beach, regardless of whether you're actually wearing eye protection beyond sunglasses.

No frame to lay down the person we got it from cut everything off and put 3 inch roll bars all over the thing ! There is no physical way to put a windshild or doors or a factory top ! But for an even trade for a 4 wheeler ! The guy didn't know what he had !

-Krys

So just lay down the windshield frame. Is that it? I mean, I guess it's theoretically possible that a cop might hassle you, but I seriously doubt it if that's all it is.

Here ya go, the relevant section of the law:

"
§ 502.006. ALL-TERRAIN VEHICLES. (a) Except as provided
by Subsection (b), a person may not register an all-terrain
vehicle, with or without design alterations, for operation on a
public highway.
(b) The state, a county, or a municipality may register an
all-terrain vehicle for operation on a public beach or highway to
maintain public safety and welfare.
(c) The owner of an all-terrain vehicle that is not
authorized to operate on a public beach or highway and that is used
or to be used on public property shall apply each year to the
department, through the assessor-collector of the county in which
the person resides, for off-highway registration of the vehicle for
the registration year in which the application is made or the
succeeding registration year.
(d) For off-highway registration of an all-terrain vehicle,
the department shall issue:
(1) a registration certificate; and
(2) a number decal or sticker of appropriate size and
design as determined by the department, in lieu of a license plate.
(e) Section 502.172 does not apply to an all-terrain
vehicle.

Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 165, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1995. Amended

by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 311, § 1, eff. May 29, 1999."

KrystalBlackJeep wrote:

Does anyone know the regulations on taking a non street legal vehicle on the beach ? Me and Phil want to go (His Birthday is on the 22nd {Wednesday}) and I thought it would be nice to go!

I have been trying to look for numbers to call to get a straight answer but no luck yet!


-Krys

Generally speaking, beaches in Texas are regulated as public highways, and therefore all laws of the public highways apply, except that the speed limit is lower (25 or 15mph, depending on which version of the transportation code you look at). Special provisions are made for golf-carts on beaches, and local municipalities may increase restrictions on traffic, as regulated by the Texas Open Beaches Act.

Which is to say - you might not get a ticket, but then again, you might =)

!c

That's what I thought ! but I don't want to haul it down there and then the Five-oh come tell us we can't have it down there !

it is an 1988 Jeep Wrangler YJ and it doesn't have a windshield ! Phil says he might just throw up a piece of Plexi glass and stick a license plate on the back !

-Krys

Why couldn't you? I mean, can you take 4-wheelers, dirt bikes, go-karts, or anything else on the beach?

Does anyone know the regulations on taking a non street legal vehicle on the beach ? Me and Phil want to go (His Birthday is on the 22nd {Wednesday}) and I thought it would be nice to go!

I have been trying to look for numbers to call to get a straight answer but no luck yet!


-Krys

N2rock wrote:

Yes, Heather & Hunter will be along. Hey- they will soon officially be TEENS! They turn 13 the Thursday after the beach trip (July 30).

Wonder how much longer I'll be able to keep claiming they are 11 at Spring Creek (so I don't have to pay to get them in) :teacher:

Not too Much longer they are shutting down !

-Krys

Dutchboy101 wrote:

My two girls are going as well. Might let them drive into the ocean, if it is not too busy.

FIXED.


my 6 year old son is going too. we are camping.