If you want to go the beach in Gloucester, Massachusetts this summer, you'll have to pay up to $45 to park your car.

The city says it's an important way to control the crowds during the peak season, but some are worried the high price will drive away guests who come in from out of town.

At Good Harbor Beach, it cost Diane Messuri, who does not live in Gloucester, $42.50 to park on Tuesday. That's because a price hike for non-residents visiting the city's popular beaches is now in effect. 

"We came two years ago, and it was $20 a car. Now it's double. We didn't know we had to pay for the entire night. We are paid up until 9 p.m. tonight," said John Lacaire, a teacher who brought students from Worcester Technical High School to the beach as part of a field trip. "We are here with some of our students for a field trip, so no way we can stay until 9 p.m." 

Reservations required

The price went up $10 from last season. City Councilor Jeff Worthley says he started the push to have a reservation system for non-residents before he got on the council. 

"Before they started doing the reservation system, sometimes you could get here and not have a parking space. I understand why they did it, but it's just too much," said Messuri. "Why do I have to pay this much every time I come, and just because they live in the town, they get such a bargain?"  

Lacaire also had no idea that he and his colleague Paul Chambers had to make a reservation online before parking with the students. "They had us leave the parking lot so we could make the reservation online. We left, drove down the street, made a reservation, came back five minutes later, and they let us in," said Lacaire. 

"Our numbers have been through the roof as far as people wanting to come to the beach," said Worthley. "If it turns out somehow this impacts demand, and we don't have many people coming, we can reduce the price." 

"Costs have gone up"

Worthley says it's getting expensive to maintain the beaches. They also provide bathrooms, lifeguards, and safety measures.   

"Our costs have gone up on everything, and so this is a way to offset that, and do it in a way that taxpayers in Gloucester aren't having to shoulder the whole burden," said Worthley. "We did go up $10 more per car per day. We like to think that when you carpool with four to five people that's an affordable family friendly destination." 

Local residents pay far less to park. There are two options for them. They can pay $20 for a beach-only parking sticker. They can also apply for a sticker that gets them access to beaches and other city amenities, like their compost station. That sticker is $5 for a 5-year span that resets every five years. If you apply for the sticker later in the 5-year span, it will cost less. 

"A lot of beaches and a lot of people keep coming in, it became a big traffic problem," said Dick Pokolek, a Gloucester resident who has the five-year sticker. "The backups of traffic were so heavy, this was the solution."