The light brown sand is covered with women laid on multicolor towels tanning in the bright sun. Men in groups toss volleyballs back and forth across the beach. Families share laughs and in between probably take selfies with the hashtag “Coney Island.” In the distance, the water is dark blue and cold as ice. Pathways are uneasy to walk on and trash cans are overfilled causing litter to be buried in the sand or thrown in the water.
Coney Island Beach has been reported in several sources to be in unsatisfactory condition. It has excessive amounts of litter, pathways that can cause potential trip hazards and an abundance amount of maintenance issues. However, Coney Island visitors enjoy the sunbathing weather on the sand claiming that the beach is actually better than others in the NYC area.
The area’s history as a seaside resort and amusement park is legendary and whether the beach is unsanitary or not, hasn’t stopped the public from enjoying the location.
The NYC Report Card was designed to be an easy-to-use tool for communities and public officials to assess their local beaches.
The 2015 report does not show any improvement as the status is still considered “unsatisfactory.” Almost a third of fountains failed inspection as the reasons for failure were insufficient pressure to take a drink, algae, weeds, or other unsanitary substance at the fountain’s foot. Pathway maintenance at the beach also remains a challenge as they fell from a score of 99 in 2011 to a score of 78 in 2015. A third of surveyed areas on the boardwalk suffered from trip hazards in the form of missing, raised or sunken sections.
Little has changed since the 2007 report, where “excessive broken glass was found at 40 percent of transects and excessive litter also impacted 40 percent of surveyed areas.” One quarter of the pathways suffered from wooden boards that were raised or missing, causing potential trip hazards and maintenance issues include spilled paint and loose nails. These unsafe conditions can end in injuries for Coney Island visitors, especially with 15 million visitors in 2006.
However, Coney Island visitors are not alarmed by these unsanitary conditions. The legendary experience the resort is known for still attracts then.
Coney Island is well known as the site of amusement parks and a seaside resort. The attractions reached a historical peak during the first half of the 20th century.
According to Brooklyn history, “as soon as the summer sun starts to scorch the Brooklyn pavement, Coney Island resurrects itself for another season of screeching rides and mischievous amusements as thousands migrate to its beach and boardwalk.”
A woman sunbathing on the sand said that the rides attract her to come to the beach. A man tanning under his umbrella said that the rides also did attract him, but also the convenience of the beach. It is local, easy to get there, more anemities and the bathroom is close to the sand area. A woman added that the relaxation and convenience attracts her to come to the beach. Although the beach is not to its upscale point of cleanliness, people are still attracted to its desirable assets.
People claim to be aware of the excessive amount of litter, but it is not “noticeable.” A lady said “The beach is actually the cleanest, it is cleaner than Orchard beach where in the water you step in diapers and tampons.” Another man said “It is not terrible, not bad and not really noticeable.”
Although people claimed that the litter was unnoticeable, they made suggestions for the future of the beach. Women said that there should be more garbage cans on the beach because people may feel it is too far and instead bury trash into the sand. A man added that people should be responsible for picking up their trash.