These platforms allow for safer transfer of users from a wheelchair to an amphibious vehicle
Benidorm adds two cranes to the accessible beaches of Poniente and La Cala to facilitate bathing for people with reduced mobility
Benidorm City Council, through its Department of Beaches, has added two new cranes to its Accessible Beaches service to make bathing even easier for people with reduced mobility who live or visit the town. Specifically, as explained by the Councillor for Beaches, Mónica Gómez, these two new cranes are now operational at the Accessible Beaches sites in Parque de Elche and Poniente, complementing the one installed last summer in Levante. This means that "the city's three beaches now have this service, which yielded such good results last year and will be available to many more users from now on."
The councilor explained that these mechanisms "allow for a more comfortable and safe transfer of wheelchair users to the amphibious bathing chairs," an operation that "requires the intervention of at least two lifeguards, and with these lifts, it can be performed with a single assistant and without the need for sudden or difficult movements for the user."
Mónica Gómez also noted that "Benidorm was a pioneer in bringing accessibility to the beaches so that they could be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of their condition or abilities." She added that "year after year, we continue to improve services to make our Accessible Beaches even more comfortable, more inclusive, and more accessible for all." In this regard, he explained that last summer, the city was "one of the first to have this crane for the transfer of people, and now, we are once again setting an example by expanding this service to all our beaches, exponentially increasing the number of users who will be able to benefit from them."
The incorporation of these new elements into the Accessible Beaches service has been undertaken by the company that holds the concession for the comprehensive management of the beaches, RA Benidorm, and therefore has not entailed any additional cost to the municipal coffers.
As you may recall, Benidorm City Council opened the first Accessible Beaches point in the city in 2000. A service that was expanded in subsequent years to the current three: one in Levante and two in Poniente, which remain operational year-round. These three points offer people with physical and functional disabilities features such as access ramps, walkways that connect to the access ramp to the sea, and a variety of other services. Adapted changing rooms and restrooms; shaded areas and windbreaks; amphibious chairs and crutches of various sizes; lifeguards as support staff for swimming; buoys marking the swimming area; and Wi-Fi access. All of this, with the goal of "making their stay on the beaches as comfortable and satisfactory as possible," concluded the councillor for the department.
In addition to all of these elements, this summer, at Elche Park site, a seating area in the water and railings were added to facilitate access to the sea, so that these people can cool off and access the water more conveniently and safely.
Last year, Benidorm's Accessible Beaches service provided sea bathing opportunities for a total of 18,563 people with reduced mobility, a figure well above the 16,155 users recorded in 2023. The Elche Park spot was the busiest, with a total of 9,811 bathers, followed by Levante (6,531 users) and La Cala (2,221).
