[Brighton] Petition to help disabled people have access to the beach

[Triggaaar]

No, I was being flippant. I was trying to demonstrate, in a poor way, that not everything is accessible to everyone as it could be. Unfortunately when Mother Nature designed beaches she clearly didn’t take into account those less able.

Riiiight. But is the beach not something we could try to make more accessible? Your 'where does it stop' comment suggests that I'm asking too much.

 

[Triggaaar]

Access to the seafront is one thing, and yes disabled access should be improved, but access to the sea is a different kettle of fish (excuse pun).

So maybe just close enough so they can see other people enjoying themselves?

 

[darkwolf666]

So maybe just close enough so they can see other people enjoying themselves?

No, no-one with a disability should be excluded from anything, if possible... but sometimes it just has to be accepted that somethings can't really be.

I have seen pictures of suggestions for access, which appears to be boardwalks going onto the beach, but these still won't address the problem of access to the sea - so the disabled would get closer, but still have to just watch like the poor kid at the restaurant window.

I would like to see some sensible, cost effective suggestions as to how this can be done, and not just as tokenism!

 

[darkwolf666]

Riiiight. But is the beach not something we could try to make more accessible? Your 'where does it stop' comment suggests that I'm asking too much.

As a demonstration of what I am talking about, I recently visited Shanklin Chine on the Isle of Wight, a wonderful piece of engineering by nature, but unfortunately not readily accessible for those with impaired mobility. Should those that tend for this natural feature be required to provide wheelchair access to the detriment of the feature? I couldn't travel to the top with my party, as previously mentioned, but I accepted this, as did they, and enjoyed what we could.

 

[brightn'ove]

Brighton beach wouldn’t exactly be hard to make accessible to wheelchairs ffs. We already have ramps down to the promenade, I’m certain some parts of the beach have long mats that you can walk easily on too, it’s a pretty simple upgrade to make that wheelchair friendly.

Absolutely ridiculous comments in this thread.

Signed.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I know this is all well meaning, but where does it stop - I am expecting a disability lift or ramp to be put into my local lighthouse real soon!

Oh, and I look after 3 disabled children...

Odd viewpoint IMHO, particularly as you say you look after disabled children. Have been to many resorts worldwide that have boarded walkways leading down to the sea to allow access for disabled people. I dare say there would be a few more technical challenges building such a walkway on a relatively unstable surface as shingle, as opposed to on sand, but nothing that couldn't be overcome shirley?

Signed.

 

[darkwolf666]

Odd viewpoint IMHO, particularly as you say you look after disabled children. Have been to many resorts worldwide that have boarded walkways leading down to the sea to allow access for disabled people. I dare say there would be a few more technical challenges building such a walkway on a relatively unstable surface as shingle, as opposed to on sand, but nothing that couldn't be overcome shirley?

Signed.

As said earlier, it was a slightly flippant reply to the OP. I fully endorse anything that can be done to make the life easier of anyone with a disability, whatever it may be, physical or mental, but just accept that there are some things that are maybe on the too difficult pile.

As I also mentioned earlier there are some good disabled/mobility friendly beaches in the UK, but these are all, as far as I can see, sandy beaches with little or no gradient to the sea. I wasn't objecting to the idea of disabled people having access to the sea, more the fact that is it technically possible for a location like Brighton where the beach is moving shingle, and posed the question, where does it stop!

 

[Return of the Rev]

Always a shame when I worked as a support worker that we could not access the beach with wheelchairs. Thought a hot air balloon that would float a wheelchair above the ground would be great, open up the country side as well.

 

[mikeyjh]

As a demonstration of what I am talking about, I recently visited Shanklin Chine on the Isle of Wight, a wonderful piece of engineering by nature, but unfortunately not readily accessible for those with impaired mobility. Should those that tend for this natural feature be required to provide wheelchair access to the detriment of the feature? I couldn't travel to the top with my party, as previously mentioned, but I accepted this, as did they, and enjoyed what we could.

But that's nothing wrong with people having an ambition or a vision of how to make life for people with limited mobility better right? As already mentioned, the boardwalk at SBS is a fantastic addition, takes nothing away from the setting and while it doesn't get people in to the sea, it's a great facility. Once they got past the knobend who didn't want it in front of their house.

 

[darkwolf666]

But that's nothing wrong with people having an ambition or a vision of how to make life for people with limited mobility better right? As already mentioned, the boardwalk at SBS is a fantastic addition, takes nothing away from the setting and while it doesn't get people in to the sea, it's a great facility. Once they got past the knobend who didn't want it in front of their house.

Nothing wrong with the boardwalk, they have a great one at Folkestone, which like Brighton is a shingle beach. Unfortunately it goes nowhere to giving sea access.

 

[AlastairWatts]

I think that there are two issues here that no-one has mentioned. Firstly its my experience of disabled people that they don't want their difficulties highlighted, so any engineering solution - eg ramps on the beach etc - would need to be of a kind that anyone could use. And secondly, given the obvious practical difficulties of doing anything on a shingle beach, who exactly is going to pay for this? It is, surely, a little naive to expect the council to cough up? - seems to me that most councils are pretty hard pressed already.

 

[Triggaaar]

No, no-one with a disability should be excluded from anything, if possible... but sometimes it just has to be accepted that somethings can't really be.

I agree, there are plenty of old man made things where it's not always practical, like having lifts put in HMS Victory, but we're not talking about some quirky tourist attraction here, where talking about the massive beach where a few hundred thousand people live, and if it's not beyond the wit of man, then surely it would be good to get something done?

I would like to see some sensible, cost effective suggestions as to how this can be done, and not just as tokenism!

Agreed, but that's going to take some thinking from someone with the necessary skills. We shouldn't tell the disabled people not to bother asking for it if they haven't worked out a solution, instead we should tell the counsel that it's something that many of us would like addressed, and then if the will is there, they can get someone with the skills to come up with some options.

As a demonstration of what I am talking about, I recently visited Shanklin Chine on the Isle of Wight, a wonderful piece of engineering by nature, but unfortunately not readily accessible for those with impaired mobility. Should those that tend for this natural feature be required to provide wheelchair access to the detriment of the feature?

Do hundreds of thousands of people live by it, with the numbers spending hours there that we get on our beach here? First you compare our beach to a lighthouse, and now to a remote place on the Isle-of-White. It's not the same ****ing thing! The petitioners aren't asking for access to everything in the world, just the beach.

 

[Triggaaar]

I wasn't objecting to the idea of disabled people having access to the sea, more the fact that is it technically possible for a location like Brighton where the beach is moving shingle

We don't know what's possible. That doesn't mean we shouldn't ask the council to try and find a solution.

Off the top of my head, how about a couple of the concrete ramps down to the pebbles are made much bigger, and just extend down towards the sea while also sloping out to the sides, so pebbles just wash up onto them, and there are no edges to fall off, as they just continue sloping down?

and posed the question, where does it stop!

It was a really stupid question when you asked it, and it's not looking any better the next day.

 

[Triggaaar]

I think that there are two issues here that no-one has mentioned. Firstly its my experience of disabled people that they don't want their difficulties highlighted, so any engineering solution - eg ramps on the beach etc - would need to be of a kind that anyone could use.

Er, like ramps we have next to stairs all around the city, and the ramps that are by the prom now?

And secondly, given the obvious practical difficulties of doing anything on a shingle beach, who exactly is going to pay for this? It is, surely, a little naive to expect the council to cough up?

The council could always apply for some lottery funding, but I don't see why the council shouldn't be paying.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Not being funny, but the Victorians managed to install bathing machines on Brighton beach. Seems to me there's some scope for introducing a re-worked version of these somewhere along the seafront as a fun tourist attraction that could be used by disabled and non-disabled alike - with priority given to the disabled. Would IMHO be a definitive improvement on some of the current blots on the seafront landscape such as that crummy zip-wire thing.

 

[Husty]

I'd imagine make the beach as accessible as possible to a person in a wheelchair.

I often describe people in wheelchairs as "invisible". You very very rarely see them, but then you realise you are somewhere they can't get. London particularly difficult obviously, Ever tried getting on the tube in a wheelchair ?

Just needs the will.

Again, amazed in Formentara. Can't get there by plane. but you can get a wheelchair on the beach.

Right, but how do you realistically make a pebble beach with a steep gradient and frequently changeable profile accessible in a cost effective & sustainable answer. We can all get behind the principle but it seems to me to be a problem requiring more than just goodwill?

 

[darkwolf666]

We don't know what's possible. That doesn't mean we shouldn't ask the council to try and find a solution.

Off the top of my head, how about a couple of the concrete ramps down to the pebbles are made much bigger, and just extend down towards the sea while also sloping out to the sides, so pebbles just wash up onto them, and there are no edges to fall off, as they just continue sloping down?

It was a really stupid question when you asked it, and it's not looking any better the next day.

Trig, I guess we will have to agree to disagree - for me, as a carer of children with disabilities I would rather see easy access to public buildings, libraries and shops made easier, and acess to mental health services a right rather a postcode lottery. I would far rather see the limited amount of money in the pot spent on those necessities, rather than "nice idea" projects. Sorry!

 

[pearl]

I think that there are two issues here that no-one has mentioned. Firstly its my experience of disabled people that they don't want their difficulties highlighted, so any engineering solution - eg ramps on the beach etc - would need to be of a kind that anyone could use. And secondly, given the obvious practical difficulties of doing anything on a shingle beach, who exactly is going to pay for this? It is, surely, a little naive to expect the council to cough up? - seems to me that most councils are pretty hard pressed already.

How about a pier like the one in Hastings?

 

[Triggaaar]

Trig, I guess we will have to agree to disagree

Ok.

for me, as a carer of children with disabilities I would rather see easy access to public buildings, libraries and shops made easier

When the laws mean that shops have to improve disabled access, doesn't the cost burden lie with the shops? I wouldn't think this would require a vast sum of money, it could be a one off project, and not impact on the other services you care about.

I would far rather see the limited amount of money in the pot spent on those necessities, rather than "nice idea" projects. Sorry!

I disagree with your view on what's important to many disabled people. You think it's just a 'nice idea', and you liken it to a trip to a lighthouse. You care for some disabled children, but I don't think you're fully grasping what life is like for them.

 

[Triggaaar]

Right, but how do you realistically make a pebble beach with a steep gradient and frequently changeable profile accessible in a cost effective & sustainable answer.

Well firstly, the suggestion is that the council look into this, and come up with a solution. It should be obvious that disabled people wanting access to the beach should be able to ask for it without first having to get a degree in engineering and put a working proposal forward. But...

Off the top of my head, how about a couple of the concrete ramps down to the pebbles are made much bigger, and just extend down towards the sea while also sloping out to the sides, so pebbles just wash up onto them, and there are no edges to fall off, as they just continue sloping down?