May 26, 2008 1:22 pm US/Eastern
Memorial Day 'Staycations' Due To High Gas Prices
Larger Than Usual Crowds Expected At Area Beaches
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Local parks and beaches are expected to be more crowded than usual as many families spend their Memorial Day close to home because of high gas prices. However, CBS 2HD has learned emergency medical technicians who patrol the city's beaches said they are not ready.
Budget cuts will mean few if any EMTs and their specialized sand-roving vehicles will be available for beach patrols.
The EMT union claims the Fire Department is cutting beach controls on the days when calls for help are the highest, something a park's commissioner did not know about at the start of the holiday weekend.
"The first I'm hearing about it. I can speak to the fire department and find out more about it. But luckily we have very good lifeguards here," Commissioner Adrian Benepe said.
Record crowds are expected on the Jersey Shore and in Belmar, enforcing the parking and no-bikes-on-the-boardwalk rule.
"For every little thing, you make a peep at night, make a sound, they'll give you a ticket for $365," a beachgoer said.
And don't forget to feed that parking meter. "I was literally getting in my car when he was writing the ticket and he said too late," Belmer visitor Dawn Cappetto said.
If the water is too cold at the beach, there is always a parade you can catch. There are so many across the city in all five boroughs. We even boast the nation's largest parade, that is 2:00 this afternoon, the annual Little Neck Douglaston Parade.
Mayor Bloomberg will be in the procession.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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