Long Beach residents and visitors with mobility limitations may soon have access to one of the City’s greatest assets: the beach.
At the direction of Long Beach City Council Tuesday, staff will look into the feasibility of launching a pilot program that would install mobility mats on the sand to facilitate beach access for persons with mobility limitations.
“Despite significant efforts by the City to ensure that all Long Beach residents feel welcome and have access to all city facilities and resources, one area is not yet accessible to everyone—our wonderful beaches are not accessible to residents with mobility limitations,” Councilmember Suzie Price said.
Residents and visitors who rely on wheelchairs, walkers and other mobility support devices are unable to traverse Long Beach’s sandy ocean strips due to uneven terrain that hinder the use of such devices.
“I have lived on the beach in Long Beach for 11 years and during that time I have never been able to get to the water on my own,” Kim Vuong, who has cerebral palsy, said through a tablet. “I cannot use my walker in the sand.”
Mobility mats, also known as access mats or beach mats, could solve this problem. The long strips of synthetic mesh create a firm, stable surface on which to cross the beach. The mats are portable and can be rolled up.
“I see the mobile mat as the first of many steps, not the only step,” said Deaka McClain, commissioner on Long Beach’s Citizens Advisory Commission of Disabilities (CACOD). “It is no longer enough to just do the minimum, to just be ADA compliant. We need to expand the conversation and action to make our city more inclusive and accessible.”
In Long Beach’s most recently reported Census, 7% of residents under 65 years old reported having a disability.
Vuong, who is the secretary of CACOD, said mobility mats would also benefit Long Beach’s aging population and parents who use strollers.
“I would implore you to please lay out actionable and swift steps at our beaches as soon as possible,” CACOD Chairperson Nubia Flores Cedeño said. “These are long overdue and already in use in our neighboring cities.”
This past April, Venice Beach rolled out mobility mats to help those with difficulty crossing the sand—the eighth mobility mat installed on Los Angeles County’s coastline. Orange County followed suit in May, installing its first mobility mat in Huntington Beach.
“Frankly, I’m ashamed that we didn’t bring this item earlier,” Price said.
The City will study the feasibility of implementing a pilot program at the Granada Beach ramp, though staff are free to identify potential sites at other beaches and parks. Staff are expected to report back on the item in 30 days.
“For years we as a city, shamefully, have discarded the fact that people with mobility limitations and other disabilities have not been able to enjoy the main feature of our city, which is the beach,” said Councilmember Mary Zendejas, who uses a wheelchair. “[The pilot program] will ensure that everyone—not just someone or some of our residents, but everyone—will be able to live, work and play in their own city.”
