The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank will be limiting people to one reservation per week at the James Pond Preserve in West Tisbury.

The land bank commission voted to put limits on the reservation system at its Monday meeting in an effort to ensure more people can visit the property, which gives visitors access to Lambert’s Cove.

Repeat visitors make up a large portion of the weekly reservations. — Jeanna Shepard

Harrison Kisiel, the land bank’s land superintendent, suggested changing the reservation system so that the land bank can better meet the crush of demand. Currently, the 12 parking spots at the preserve must be reserved ahead of time online. Each reservation lasts from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“That’s been a positive, people like that,” he said. “There is still a push on how can we get more public access there.”

According to Mr. Kisiel, about 20 per cent of a week’s reservations go to the same people.

In an effort to allow more visitors, beachgoers are asked to cancel their reservation if they leave before 6 p.m. to allow others to book parking spots. The average visit lasts four and a half hours. Mr. Kisiel said that when a reservation is canceled after a person leaves, it is usually rebooked within 90 seconds.

The board discussed a number of options to make the preserve more accessible to the public, including changing from a full-day reservations to half-day reservations. Mr. Kisiel said that while it may allow for more people to visit the property, it would require staff to tell people to leave, which he says concerns the workers.

Commissioner Kristen Reimann of Oak Bluffs echoed Mr. Kisiel’s concerns.

“I feel like it’s unfair to put the staff in a position where they’re going to have to be policing people. That doesn’t feel good to me,” she said.

Mr. Kisiel also said that because most visitors arrive at noon and leave around 4:30 p.m., creating half day reservations would not meet the need based on when people are actually visiting.

The commissioners voted unanimously to limit visitors to one reservation per week. Mr. Kisiel said he would have to speak with the reservation system manager to determine how soon the change can be made.