A beach in Delta, B.C., is becoming too popular for its own good.

On a hot summer day, around 5,000 people make their way along the single road in and out of Centennial Beach, with many of them battling for one of 650 parking spots.

"It's a bottleneck for local residents," said Coun. Dylan Kruger with the City of Delta.

Kruger said the traffic issues are getting worse. Delta Police have been called in twice this summer to close down the main road.

On a hot and busy weekend, up to 5,000 people head down to Centennial Beach in Delta. (Jacy Schindel/CBC)

Delta Police say long weekends typically gather large crowds to the area, but an influx of beach-goers is becoming an issue on regular weekends as well.

"It's been a victim of its own success. We're really proud of Centennial Beach. It's a jewel here in Delta. But the overcrowding has turned into a real problem," Kruger said.

The city is turning to Metro Vancouver, which is in charge of the beach, for solutions. Delta recently sent Metro Vancouver a letter, asking for it to review its traffic plan for the area.

Delta Coun. Dylan Kruger said it's no surprise Centennial Beach is popular, but the crowds are a big frustration for residents. (Jacy Schindel/CBC)

Metro Vancouver said it plans to have staff on hand this weekend to put up road closure signs right away if there are too many people, which it says has worked well at other crowded sites in the region.

"No sense driving in any further and congesting the areas, because you'll just be sent back," said John McEwen, chair of Metro Vancouver Parks.

McEwen said Metro Vancouver is also in touch with TransLink about improving transit routes to the beach.

"We need to get people out of their cars, into buses to get to the parks," he said.

Overcrowding a regional problem

Centennial Beach is just one of many outdoor havens in the region struggling to keep up with demand — including Sasamat and Buntzen lakes.

"The worst thing, and we're starting to see this now, is that our parks are getting overused, overcapacity," said McEwen, who is also the mayor of Anmore.

He said with hot weather and E. coli scares in Vancouver, more people are looking to cool off outside the city. And social media is helping to popularize spots like never before.

Crowds flock to Centennial Beach in Delta, B.C. to cool down in the summer. (Jacy Schindel/CBC)

In order to keep the beaches sustainable, McEwen said they will simply need more park land, for which he plans to ask for funding in the fall budget.

"Hopefully we can get an increase so that we can start buying more land for everybody to use," McEwen said.