What is Access?
An unfinished draft for Bay Access and the Bay Area Water Trail
By Paul Kamen
with contributions by Penny Wells, Maryly Snow
and David Dolberg
September 2004
(This is not a Bay Access document and does not
necessarily represent the position of Bay Access)
Past meanings of "access"
"It is
time we demanded access onto
the water, and not settle for only access to the water."
Will
Travis, Executive Director, Bay Conservation and Development Commission.
Access to 
things to different people.
Until recently there has been a consistent but narrow definition
of "access" as interpreted by the majority of park planners,
commercial developers and regulatory authorities. Providing access to the Bay
has all too often meant access to
the shoreline, usually by providing a shoreline path, park benches, and respect
for the “view corridors.” In some instances "access projects" cater
only to a select social demographic - e.g., facilities that serve the owners of
trailer-launched powerboats or marinas for storage of power and sailing yachts.
Finally, many recent projects provide
access to the water, but aren’t designed to allow for the safe launching and
landing of hand-carried craft.
A significant segment of water users - and arguably the largest
segment - has been neglected. This paper will redefine "access" to
include a broader range of users and use patterns than has previously been
considered.
The
challenge we face is to provide the kind of access that allows the general
public to not only get close to the Bay, but to move beyond the edge and get on
or even in the Bay. To float, rather than to watch. To paddle, soar,
skim or swim rather than to bike or blade. This kind of access can extend deep into
the demographic mix of waterfront cities, and does not have to compromise the
environmental and habitat value of the urban shoreline.
Bay Access proposes that these goals can be met by giving higher
priority to the requirements of human-powered boats and hand-launched sail
craft, and by encouraging the organizational structures and physical facilities
that make these activities available to the public at very low cost. We present
an evaluation of current efforts in this direction, and guidelines for those
private and public developers and regulatory agencies that are ready to accept
a better and broader definition of water access.
Kinds of Access
There
is a sublime pleasure in floating in a small boat and directing one's own
course. It is recreation, exercise, and therapy. It is connection with a
natural environment in the middle of an urban one, and it instills a deep sense
of place that applies to one's home waters, home shoreline and home town.
The most
basic: day launch of small private watercraft.
The most
basic level of water access is provided simply by designating a place from
which people can launch their own watercraft. These watercraft types generally
include kayaks, canoes, small rowing shells and windsurfers. For them, the access
can be as simple as a gap in the shoreline development that allows entry to the
water over unimproved beach or rip-rap.
For almost all people wishing to gain access to the water for
recreation, the limiting resource devolves to one word: Parking. The
inescapable fact is that the vast majority of water users, laden with gear and
equipment, get to the Bay by car. This is true for nearly all demographics. In
the absence of on-site storage for equipment, whether this gear is a kayak, a
windsurfer or a wetsuit and a change of clothes, the car will continue to be
the primary transportation mode and the mobile equipment locker.
Basic
access, then, requires two things: Parking and a place to launch (or in the
denser urban environments, on-site storage and a place to launch). For boats
that can be hand carried to the water, this can be as basic as a few parking
spaces near the water, and the shoreline detail can be anything that makes it
possible to walk into the Bay.
Users of different types of watercraft have different siting
requirements. Windsurfers need windy spots where the wind meets the shore,
preferably at a specific angle. Rowing shells need smooth water. Kayaks are the
most tolerant of the widest range of conditions but prefer protected launch sites.
Small sailboats need deeper water for rudders and centerboards, and also prefer
a protected launch but need access to moderate winds. Outrigger canoes traditionally use gently
sloping beaches, and whale boats, dragon boats, rowing sculls and most sailboats
need docks.
All
boaters desire to unload gear as close to the water as possible. Watercraft are
heavy and the accompanying gear is often cumbersome. A loading zone immediately adjacent to a
staging area beside the launch site is most desirable.
Nearby parking is needed that permits water based recreation to
actually take place. Many fine access
sites have been made “inaccessible” because of parking restrictions
But
how close is close enough? Kayaks are not particularly difficult for two people
to carry over a considerable distance, and windsurfers can be easily carried by
one person. The issues are inconvenience and security problems. Because it
usually requires several trips between car and launch site to set up for launch
and departure, and because urban access points are often vulnerable to security
problems, launch sites will be less desirable if the boat has to be left
unattended while the boat's owner is out of sight making another trip back to
the car.
Important
details: Posted rules must reflect reality. While those "in the loop"
may know that certain areas posted as no parking or limited time parking are
perfectly okay for even extended parking, most people are not "in the
loop" and most people actually do try to observe posted parking
regulations. If it is okay to park all day or all week, the signage needs to
reflect that fact or access is effectively denied.
If
there are special security concerns - i.e. frequent car break-ins - a warning
to that effect needs to be posted also.
There
is a perception that water access parking needs to be paved, landscaped and
cosmetically pleasing. But water users generally have their eyes on the water,
not the land, and while it is an exaggeration to say that they hardly notice
the condition of the parking lot, it is very true that this is low priority
compared to what they find on the water and the ease with which they can move
their boats in and out. A gravel or packed earth parking lot serves almost as
well as landscaped pavement, especially when it makes the difference between feasible
short-term implementation and a project with years of lead time.
Enhancement
Level One: Ramps, Tidal Steps and Beaches
These features create a much more inviting route into the water,
although it must always be kept in mind that paddlers or sailors are primarily
interested in the water-borne part of their outing, and are generally not that
concerned about the aesthetics of the land-based access facilities. Ramps,
tidal steps and beaches are mostly static features and are virtually
maintenance free. Different users have different needs in this regard. Steps
are great for windsurfers but can be dangerous for users of other watercraft. The ideal is a wide ramp with steps along the
edges.
Enhancement
Level Two: Bathrooms and Rinse Water
Bathrooms
are very important but expensive amenities. Bathroom facilities make a site much
more attractive to users and protect the Bay from human waste. In developed
commercial settings, public access to bathrooms can be negotiated as part of
the development agreement. In open space settings it is important to site
bathrooms so that they are accessible to water users as well as land-based park
users. When cost concerns preclude plumed facilities, portable toilets should be
considered as a practical low-cost alternative.
An
inexpensive feature to add to any plumbed bathroom specification is an outside
hose bib for washing down equipment after use. A cold-water outdoor shower head
is also appreciated by windsurfers and sea kayakers using wetsuits.
Enhancement
Level Three: Floating Docks
This
is where sites become differentiated by geography. Floating docks require some
degree of protection from waves . They are essential where boats must be stored
in the water, or in tidal areas where low tide exposes large expanses of mud.
A
small simple floating dock allows the user to get to deeper water, facilitates
entry and exit for small boat users,
relieves crowding in tight access areas, and offers an enhancement to ramps or 
stairs.
The
floating docks near launching ramps and in marinas are typically 18”-24” off
the water to facilitate stepping off a power or sail boat. These docks are difficult to negotiate when
the boater is sitting in a kayak at water level and must stand up to reach
it. Far more desirable are low (4"-6”
high) docks specifically designed for small boats. The small craft launching dock in
Floating docks can also be configured to allow storage of light
watercraft (kayaks, small ourtriggers, rowing shells, small sailboats) on the
float, in very close proximity to the water. This dramatically reduces the
setup overhead, often an essential feature for making short (lunch hour)
excursions practical.
Floating docks allow use by human-powered boats that are too big
or too heavy to be hand-launched,
such as the 40-50 ft long “dragon boat” canoes, or sailboats with ballast keels.
Large outrigger canoes are commonly stored on beaches where there is adequate space
above high water, but these can also be berthed in the water at floating docks.
The
advantage of these large paddle-propelled boats is that they allow very
cost-effective team and youth programs to develop. A single dragon boat, for
example, costs about $10,000 and can keep a team of 22 youth occupied for hours
of on-the-water training or racing. Compare to the cost of a acquiring a new
playing field (about $2 million per field in the
Water
does not have to purchased, graded, landscaped, fenced, mowed, weeded or
lighted. Water access that caters to big multi-paddle race boats can make a
very significant difference in the recreational options available to a
community.
This is an opportunity that is especially valuable to those youth
who are not attracted the culture of field sports; paddling is often viewed as
an off-mainstream alternative, and it can get many kids engaged in competitive
sports who would otherwise be left behind.
This
level of access improvement begins to serve the wider social demographic by
supporting teams and youth programs.
Enhancement
Level Four: On-site Equipment Storage
On-site storage has a very strong broadening effect on real access
because it removes the requirement to own both the watercraft and the means to
transport it to the site. Non-profit clubs, co-ops and commercial rental
operations become possible when there is provision for on-site storage, and shore-side
environmental impacts are reduced when equipment does not have to transported
via car.
On-site
storage may at first glance appear to differentiate sites based on availability
of additional space for boat storage. However, any site with even a small
amount of parking also has the potential for significant on-site storage.
Fifteen windsurfers or twenty kayaks can be stored in about the same footprint
as a single parking space.
The
advantages of on-site storage for access enhancement include:
1) Non-automotive transportation to the site becomes feasible
because users no longer have to transport their equipment. This may significantly
reduce the parking load on the facility.
2) Automotive access can be more direct (e.g. users can come straight
from work, instead of having to go home first to pick up gear) saving many
driving miles, even if the parking load on the site is not reduced. This is
probably represents a very significant shore-side environmental gain, albeit one
that is very difficult to measure.
3) Most importantly, on-site storage is a prerequisite for
alternate ownership models. Without on-site storage, all equipment has to be
privately owned. When on-site storage is available, non-profit clubs and co-ops
can own the equipment and run very low-cost volunteer-based programs.
Enhancement
Level Five: Overnight Accommodations.
"All we
need is a place where we know we won't get arrested." David Dolberg.
The
overnight and multi-day outing has become one of the lost traditions of small
boat paddling and sailing. But there are still enough people who remember the
possibilities of multi-day trips to spark a revival in this kind of water use,
if it were possible to do it legally and safely.
Traditional
park campsites do not serve the needs of the small craft beach cruiser for two
main reasons: 1) They usually require reservations
well in advance, and 2) The campsites are generally so far from the water that
the boats must be left unattended. Presently, the only central SF Bay sites
that are even practical for overnight camping are
Camping
from a small muscle or wind-propelled boat, while popular on many waters
throughout the
There
are many locations around the Bay that seem suitable to such a camping
paradigm:
One
successful model for overnight accommodations in an urban environment is the
youth hostel. The obvious policy problem, however, is that those arriving by
water must compete with land-borne guests who would be very likely to fill up
hostel capacity well in advance of a kayak's arrival. Presently there is no
youth hostel in the entire
Existing
waterfront hotels or inns offer another possibility, although this is
necessarily somewhat upscale and exclusionary. All that would be necessary to
accommodate multi-day trips is secure boat storage for guests at these waterfront
inns.
One
option that has been successful on other water trails in other parts 
of the
The
Bay Trail makes it possible to walk or bicycle around the entire bay, yet the
vast majority of use is day use that begins and ends at the same access point.
Most trail users arrive by car and leave from the same access point at the end
of the day. Still, it is the concept of the "Continuous Bay Trail"
that provides context to the local access point. The concept of the continuous
trail raises awareness throughout the region of the existence of the local
trails.
The
Water Trail would undoubtedly share this dynamic most of the time: Although the
trail makes it possible to paddle the entire shoreline, most users will
probably launch and retrieve from the same location. But some will definitely
enjoy the adventure of a circumnavigation.
Webliography:
"Logical Lasting Launches," a guide to
launch site details, from the National Park Service Rivers & Trails
Program.
Technical Report on Small Craft Operation in
the