An accessible path to sea: Park board testing wheelchair beach mat
Going to the beach is an easy thing for most people — but throw a wheelchair into the mix and things get complicated.
With that in mind, and following comments from the public, the Vancouver park board is set to roll out a trial of a fixed mat that will make English Bay Beach much easier to use for people who use wheels to get around or who find sand difficult to walk on.
“What we’re really trying to do with our accessible plan is remove barriers,” board chair Mike Wiebe said.
Originally Wiebe hoped the trial mat would be in place by now, but supplier delays mean it won’t be until August. At present, there is a rolled-up mat available at the Kitsilano lifeguard station, but it must be requested in advance of use.
The trial mat will run to the water from the English Bay bath house, allowing access up to the low tide line. The pilot project will run until the end of the summer.
The mat is being supplied by Mobi Mat, a French company that has installed similar mats in beaches around the world.
Several connected platforms will be installed, so wheelchair users can be joined by friends and family.
“We can create an environment where people with disabilities can use the beach like everyone else,” said Wiebe, who also sits on the board’s persons with disability advisory committee.
It’s a project Wiebe’s been “working on for three years” and fits with a broad approach to remove barriers for disabled users at park board facilities across the city.
A wheelchair user must know the equipment available is reliable, that entrances are easy to use, that staff is able to assist, that planning can be done ahead of time through the city’s website. The list of requirements is longer than able-bodied users realize, Wiebe pointed out.
“The goal is to make the parks accessible for all. We’re recognizing that we can build better facilities. You start looking at everything holistically,” he said.
The city will take note of functionality and maintenance requirements; assuming everything goes well, Wiebe said more mats would be installed for summer 2018 at other beaches.
WATER WHEELCHAIRS ALSO AVAILABLE
The park board has a pair of wheelchairs that are designed for beach and water use. They have big tires to negotiate sand.
One chair is available at English Bay, the other at Jericho Beach, but with two days’ notice can be delivered to another city beach.