Lakeshore is launching a season-long weekend shuttle bus to West Beach to ease parking pressures created by the increased use of the area after Windsor closed Sand Point Beach early last summer.
Shuttle details and schedule
The free shuttle bus will run between the Atlas Tube Recreation Centre and West Beach on Lake St. Clair from June 20 to Sept. 7. The bus will operate from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends and holiday Mondays. Pickup points are located at the southwest corner of the recreation centre parking lot and on River Street in Belle River.
West Beach features a pier and marina, pavilions, playgrounds, a splash pad and walking trails. It also has a concession stand for snacks and barbecue pits.
Reason for increased demand
Sand Point, Windsor’s only public beach, was fenced off last June after a 15-year-old boy drowned in May 2025. It was the ninth swimming fatality near Sand Point, located on Riverside Drive, opened in 1986. Last June, city council voted unanimously to close the beach pending a coroner’s investigation. Ontario’s coroner recommended the Lifesaving Society — a charitable organization that works to prevent drownings and water-related injuries — perform a comprehensive safety audit. The safety audit is expected to be presented to city council on June 29.
Funding and pilot project
Lakeshore approved spending for the shuttle service — about $10,000 to purchase the bus — at its June 9 council meeting after it became apparent the increase in visitors to the park “created several operational challenges,” an administration report says. The parkway was not able to handle the increased demand during the 2025 summer season following the closure of Sand Point Beach, generating concerns from residents near the Belle River park about congestion and parking in nearby neighbourhoods.
Parking restrictions in place are indicated by signs but Lakeshore’s two bylaw enforcement officers don’t work on summer weekends because most of the cases they investigate occur on weekdays in the spring and summer. The shuttle bus is intended as a pilot project for this summer season, after which officials will evaluate ridership and usage patterns.
