The Local Committee of Nueva Canarias (NC) in San Bartolomé expresses its disagreement with the "lack of sensitivity" of the municipal government group towards people with reduced mobility who wish to access Guacimeta beach in Playa Honda.
The Canarians maintain that the walkways to the beach "do not meet the necessary accessibility conditions for all people". Moreover, according to the local spokesperson for NC in San Bartolomé, Pablo Yebra, "these are dangerous and serve the opposite function, they act as a barrier."
From the NC San Bartolomé group, they regret that the municipal public officials "continue to not understand the importance of planning accessible and inclusive urban environments, basing themselves more on the planning of occurrence than on one where people are at the center."
"Wooden walkways with different levels and steps make no sense, since it makes it impossible for a person with physical motor disabilities to use the beach," points out Pablo Yebra, who requests changing them for "flat, high-resistance fiber walkways in a color that contrasts with the sand in order to improve perception."
On the other hand, NC also finds in the only public bathroom "a lack of inclusive perspective, since it is not designed to respect the diversity of people." The formation considers necessary "the incorporation of more bathrooms, which are spacious, safe, and take into account the elderly, people with muscular dystrophies and neuromuscular conditions, people with cerebral palsy, or pregnant women."
Thus, the Canarians consider that the material conditions of the beach "do not maintain minimum quality standards to achieve the Blue Flag award." "To make matters worse, there are still points of fecal discharge that reach the sea, aggravating the quality of the environment and the attractiveness that the beach could have," adds Pablo Yebra.
NC encourages the government group of San Bartolomé "to seek immediate solutions that improve accessibility to Guacimeta beach, in addition to providing it with inclusive public services and eliminating fecal discharges."
"If these issues are improved, Guacimeta beach can achieve the long-awaited Blue Flag, which would benefit not only the users but all the shops and establishments adjacent to Playa Honda," Yebra concludes.
