PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 6, 2026
The Cape Elizabeth Town Council recently voted to limit access to Cliff House Beach, one of the only free public beaches. First, it banned nonresident parking on Sea View Avenue leading down to the beach, so visitors had to find parking on Shore Road. Now members have voted unanimously to ban parking on Shore Road and the surrounding streets for nonresidents. They did not start with light-up crosswalks, they did not add a speed bump, they did not reduce the speed on this main artery. It is abundantly clear that the council, along with the residents, are using safety as a thinly veiled excuse to privatize one of the few remaining public beaches in Cape Elizabeth. ~ Sebastian Shames, Portland