Benidorm finalizes the plan to achieve total accessibility in the main itineraries of the city

The City Council of Benidorm already has the Universal Accessibility Plan document to which the members of the Mobility Advisory Council will be able to contribute for 10 and 15 days. This Plan, which has been transferred today in a session of the Council, is a technical document linked to the development of the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (PMUS) and it has analyzed the accessibility that exists in the main itineraries of Benidorm to detect deficiencies existing based on this analysis, the Plan "proposes solutions to achieve a 100% accessible city with environments, itineraries and services available to all people," said Mobility Councilor José Ramón González de Zárate, who said that the intention of the local government is to raise the approval of this document to the regular plenary meeting in April.

De Zárate has indicated that this Universal Accessibility Plan has analyzed "all points of interest in the city", establishing which are the priority ones. Around these points of interest have been drawn "the corridors most used" to travel to them and their environment.

As specified, the Plan proposes 15 solutions or actions to be developed over a period of 3 years (2019-2021) and with an investment of just over 450,000 euros. Among the proposed solutions are the widening of sidewalks eliminating parking band and / or narrowing part of the traffic lane; the filling of tree pits, change of the pavement that is deteriorated; note the itinerary on the pavement; Remove items such as bins or trees from the pass band; move the lighting outside the pedestrian band; or adapt the fords to the regulations, both public and private. De Zárate has clarified that "these are proposed actions, which does not mean that they will all be carried out."

The mayor has stressed that "many of the proposed solutions are already being applied in the works and actions the City Council has done or is doing, both in the remodeling or renovation projects of the streets and in the specific plans to improve accessibility and the urban scene ". In fact, according to the editor of the Plan during the session of the Advisory Council, the projects promoted by the local administration already comply with the premises included in the technical document.

At this point, De Zárate recalled that the works of the 'Improvement of Universal Accessibility' project, valued at 2 million euros, will be awarded shortly and that, among other actions, it foresees the complete remodeling of Elche Park, the accessibility to all public buildings, and an Asphalt Plan.

The person in charge of Mobility has clarified that the Plan presented today to the Advisory Council "is a purely technical document, in which the lines to be followed are set and implemented to achieve an accessible city in the actions and projects proposed by the City Council; and that, consequently, it will have to be developed ".

A technical document that in its conclusion section states that during the drafting of the Plan "it has been possible to confirm the will of Benidorm to be an accessible city"; and also that "in recent years (...) has developed numerous and continuous actions to advance the goal of Universal Accessibility to eliminate architectural barriers" throughout the term with, among other actions, "recesses and lugs in pedestrian crossings", "Adapted traffic lights for people who are deafblind", "adapted children's games in the parks and green areas", pedestrianizing "streets in the downtown area", the constitution of the Municipal Council of People of Functional Diversity, and the signing of collaboration agreements with the Platform State of People with Physical Disability (PREDIF).