FACILITIES for the disabled will be installed at Limassol beaches by the end of July, the municipality said yesterday, responding to criticism it had done nothing since promising the measures a year ago.
The Green Party had criticised the authorities for “doing nothing” since the measure was first announced in June 2007.
Ioanna Panayiotou of the Cyprus Green Party said yesterday that they had been waiting for this development to occur over the past year but, “Since last year when this plan was decided on, nothing has been done yet!”
Limassol Municipality, however, was keen to put the record straight. “Ramps will be installed in two locations of the Limassol beach,” said the architect who designed the facility. One will be in front of Debenhams and the other in front of the Olympia stadium. The installations should be complete by the end of July 2008.
A spokesperson at the municipality added: “We are using special material along with special wheelchairs that have been imported from abroad that will allow the wheelchairs to enter the front of the sea. So far, we have only discovered two types of chairs that can be used for this purpose, and we decided to use both,” she explained. One of the wheelchairs is the ‘Hippocampe’, and the other one is called ‘Tiralo’.
The Hippocampe makes holidays, sea and other outdoor leisure activities accessible to handicapped people. It was designed by a paramedical staff, and tested by people with restricted mobility. “It meets all strength, durability and safety criteria and will keep you secure as you pursue your outdoor hobbies,” according to the manufacturers. “You can ride across the sand, clear all the obstacles and enter the water. The Hippocampe wheelchair then floats while you are having a swim.”
The Tiralo is a floating beach chair. “With this wheel chair there is no need for ramps. It is stable and safe and floats like a boat. Also it is easy to pull into the water and most importantly it is comfortable. With this chair, you can enter both shallow and deep parts of the sea.”
Finally a Mobi-Mat will be installed which allows for easier access into the sea and sand. The heavy-duty polyester mats provide traction, reducing the chance of slips, trips and falls. They can also be walked on comfortably and even driven over without being damaged, and they are reusable year after year.
