After enduring a cold, wet spring, Rhode Islanders are ready to head to their favorite fresh or saltwater beach for a swimming season that already seems too short.

State-owned beaches in South County and the state parks are fully staffed with lifeguards and park rangers, according to officials of the state Department of Environmental Management.

Beach buses are rolling from Kennedy Plaza to Galilee again, but budget cuts will eliminate some weekday runs, according to officials at the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority. The agency starts its summer schedule Saturday. Beach bus schedules are available online at http://www.ripta.com/schedules/schedules.php or by calling (401) 781-9400.

The beach buses go to Salty Brine Beach in Galilee and Scarborough State Beach nearby.

At Salty Brine State Beach, the DEM is building a 2,478 square-foot bath house and snack bar with a lifeguard station on the upper level. As construction proceeds this summer, Salty Brine Beach will remain open, but parking will be limited to about 30 spaces. Lifeguards and a park ranger will be on duty, and portable restrooms will be available, but beach-goers will not have access to changing rooms.

Generally, lifeguards at state beaches on the oceanfront are on duty from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., according to a DEM spokesman. At Lincoln Woods State Park, they are on duty from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. early in the summer, but the beach will close earlier as daylight diminishes following the summer solstice.

If you’re driving to a state beach, parking fees have not changed. On weekdays, residents pay $6 per car and non-residents pay $12. Resident elders pay $3 and non-resident elders pay $6.

Weekend parking rates are $7 for residents, $14 for non-residents, $3.50 for resident elders, and $7 for non-resident elders.

Rhode Island’s constitution guarantees everyone access to the shore, but municipalities and neighborhood groups often discourage access by banning on-road parking near beaches. Many town-beach parking lots, such as Barrington’s and North Kingstown’s, are open only to town residents with parking permits, but they can’t keep you out if you walk in.

You can also walk onto all state beaches for free.

The state Department of Health monitors water quality at beaches; it provides advisories and news about beach closures on its Web site at www.ribeaches.org/closures.cfm and on its answering machine at (401) 222-2751.

DEM has launched a program to make its beaches more accessible to beach-goers with physical disabilities. In addition to designated wider parking spaces, restroom accommodations and ramped building entrances, the state’s beach and park system offers accessible picnic tables.

— TOM MEADE