Projo — Shoreline commission gets closer to proposing legislation that would clarify public rights

A woman walks a dog along Lloyd’s Beach in Little Compton, with the Sakonnet Lighthouse visible offshore. Paul Edward Parker / The Providence Journal, File

Feb 11, 2022

By Antonia Noori Farzan — If you have access to an old ox cart, now would be the time to get out a tape measure and figure out exactly how wide it is.

The answer to that seemingly esoteric question could determine where you're allowed to walk on the beach this summer. 

As the special House commission on shoreline access gets closer to wrapping up its work, a few more points of consensus have emerged. First, the General Assembly should pass a law that outlines the public's rights in more precise terms than the state constitution, which guarantees the right to passage along the shore.

Previously:Shoreline access commission agrees law should change, but has yet to settle on new boundary

Second, it makes sense to think about the seaweed line (also known as the wrack line or swash line) as the dividing line between private property and public shoreline — but people should probably be allowed to walk a short distance above it.

How far, exactly? That's where the ox cart comes in. 

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