Municipalities for everyone campaign

inconsiderate and illegal parking in Torrevieja

The objective, was to highlight the increased physical and sensory accessibility that municipalities should consider for the urban environment.

ACCESSABILITY FOR those not fortunate enough to be able to walk everywhere is a major problem in all cities. Torrevieja is one of the few who have a well established program of access ramps on almost every street corner and major crossing points around the city for not just those wheel chair bound but also those pushing prams and baby buggies or even a shopping trolley. All have a need to be able to cross the road especially in a city designed to have high kerbs to dispose of heavy rainfall in as quick and efficient a manner as possible. Such is Torrevieja’s experience in providing leadership in this area that on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, Mayor Eduardo Dolon was delighted to open a two-day conference and seminar in the Virgen Del Carmen Cultural Centre dealing with the topic of Universal Access and how best to achieve it, under the title of ‘Municipalities for Everyone.”

The objective of the seminars, organized by Torrevieja’s City Council, the ACCESS Foundation and the Representative Platform for the Physically Handicapped (PREDIF), was to highlight the increased physical and sensory accessibility that municipalities should consider for the urban environment. This was primarily aimed at local government delegates as well as representatives of key private sectors of the municipality, such as commerce, hospitality, leisure, culture and sport. The seminar also looked at the major problem of inconsiderate drivers who park their cars indiscriminately over access ramps, forcing those requiring assistance to seek a different route to simply cross the road!

The two-day seminars included practical demonstrations and awareness techniques covering topics such as the existing legislation on accessibility and tourism (European Standard, State and Autonomous Community), global accessibility in the municipality and the major requirements for accessibility settings and equipment. Torrevieja is presently undergoing a major fact-finding mission to improve accessibility throughout the city, which it hopes to have completed and implemented during 2012. This will place the city well ahead of the legislated deadline of 2014, by which time all major towns and cities will have to adhere to new legislation regarding access in the community.

Keith Nicol