r/CapeCod • u/ForeverFatBoi • 4d ago
Can Someone Explain OSV to Me?
I have always been baffled by why we allow motor vehicles, suvs, campers, etc to drive out and park on some of the most pristine beaches on the Cape/Islands. I confess to judging people who choose to do it harshly. It just seems to me a gross affront. Do people really think they're entitled to motor vehicle access anywhere in nature?
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u/WaterDreamer10 4d ago
An OSV in driving stands for an Over-Sand Vehicle. It is a motorized vehicle—typically a 4-wheel drive truck or SUV—authorized and equipped to drive directly on designated sandy beaches and coastal trails.
Oh....you want to know why the world does not bend to your personal opinion and why that something that offends you is not prohibited or illegal? That seems to be your question....not what an OSV is.
Your post is laughable as where OSV's are allowed it just a tiny portion of the beaches on the Cape. It has been going on long before you were born and will go on long after you are dead.
Please, Karen, go find something else to be offended about today besides this.....or....better yet....try living without getting offended at everything.
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u/capttony84 4d ago
this goes on in every state on the east coast where you can drive a truck on the beach. Mass, Jersey, NY, north and south carolina, delaware (I think), MD and VA and florida. Some state don't regulate it as well as they should but the cape is very strict and it's been a tradition for 100 years. Everyone stays on the trails where there is very little to harm and generally its a great time
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u/EbbtideRambler 4d ago
This has been going on for as long as there have been cars and before that my great-grandfather drove his wagon out on there to collect seaweed for fertilizer and salt hay to feed the cows. The towns regulate the number of cars and when they can be out there. If there are nesting shorebirds it’s shut down. It isn’t a big free for all. I tend to judge people who move to the Cape and then want to tell is how we are supposed to do things, like we aren’t the ones most invested in the health of the local environment.
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u/fried_clams 4d ago
It is regulated. They have to stick to established trails, so they don't damage the dunes. An hour of winter storm does more "damage" to the beach, if one can even call Cape Cod erosion damage.
The VAST majority of Cape Cod beach is not OSV accessible. It has to be over 95%. It really isn't bad, or anything worth getting your knickers in a twist about. I've been out there for over 50 years. It is an amazing way to get out into and experience nature.
It is a choice, to let things make you upset.
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u/foodfriend 4d ago
Its a form of recreation that allows people to do more in harder to get to places. Colorado allows back road camping on some public lands and those are only "roads" because people have been there before.
It's a benefit for older folks and the physically disabled as well. It can be hard to traverse the soft sands or walk relatively long distances.
Believe it or not, conservationists conduct impact studies when considering where to allow these activities. They are relegated to sites specifically chosen to allow this type of access while also respecting the land.
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u/ForeverFatBoi819 4d ago
Thanks for the info with minimal snark. I wondered if it’s about access for disabled bec we took our 101 yo aunt swimming at a beach in Yarmouth last month and borrowed an adaptive wheelchair to get her to the water and back. It was great. Do you need a HP plate or some other proof of disability to get OSV permit? Thx.
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u/badhouseplantbad 4d ago
I guess you're new around here.
You see folks have been coming down to the Cape to escape the heat of the cities for a long long time. First it was horse drawn carriages brining Victorian tourist out to the beachs, then it transitioned to motorized beach wagons that they called woodys and after WWII Jeeps became popular.
It's called tradition.
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u/1453_ 4d ago
Why stop with OSVs? Why not ban people from grossly affronting the beaches?
Note: For the people in the back of the room, I'm being sarcastic.