Ramp for People with Disabilities Installed at Beach in Burgas

The first rail-mounted ramps in Bulgaria designed to provide people with mobility difficulties with access to the sea are being installed in Burgas today, August 11. How do they work, and will they make the sea more accessible to people with disabilities?

Electric systems powered by solar panels will be installed at the North Beach in Burgas and at the beach in Kraimorie. These two special ramps will provide access to the sea for people with mobility difficulties. The facilities were secured through a project by Burgas Municipality. The ramps are mounted on rails, allowing a person with mobility difficulties to move from the beach to the water itself without having to take a wheelchair across the sand.

The location at North Beach was also chosen because of its proximity to a car park. An existing wooden walkway provides a link between the parking area and the beach, making access to the facility easier. Todor, whom you can see now, was the first person to use the ramp. Today, he is using it for the second time.

Todor Katsarov: “Until now, I had to do this with the help of my father, but from now on I will be able to get into the water on my own and have even more freedom to be without my parents.”

Simeon Tsvetkov, beach concessionaire: “The lifeguards will be able to coordinate so that the ramp can be brought out. Yes, it will indeed need to be retracted during times of rough seas.”

Dimitar Nikolov, Mayor of Burgas: “I hope this good example will spark interest in similar beaches elsewhere along the Black Sea coast. We will also help our colleagues in the other coastal municipalities with the paperwork and applications, so that they can obtain similar platforms free of charge to make things easier for people with disabilities.”

In addition to the ramps, 20 wheelchairs adapted for people with mobility difficulties to move across the sand itself are also being provided to the beach concessionaires.