Mobility mats and beach wheelchairs improve beach access in Southern Maine

Access to the Maine shore is not just about handicapped parking and accessible bathrooms, it’s also about being able to move smoothly on the beach. That’s where mobile mats, or mobi-mats, come into play.These large, tear-resistant mats are designed to make taking walks, pushing strollers, pulling wagons and using mobility devices easier.

Biddeford, Saco and Old Orchard Beach use these mobility mats to cover beach access points with non-slip stable surfaces. Coupled with free-to-use beach wheelchairs and beach walkers, the mats allow for people to move over the soft sand.

With Memorial Day around the corner, the Saco Bay News reached out to local communities to find out how residents and tourists alike can access the mobility items for their beaches. The Maine Turnpike Authority anticipated “just under 1 million vehicles” traveled the Maine Turnpike during Memorial Day last year.

Outdoor recreation is the number one point of interest for visitors, according to the Maine Office of Tourism Maine Beaches.

“We’re proud as a city to be known for our accessibility features in public spaces, including the mobility mats that are installed every spring by city staff at Bayview Beach, our beach wheelchair and our beach walker,” said Andrew Dickinson, communications director for Saco. “In Saco, the beach is a place for everyone.”

Even with local beach access points covered by mobi-mats, accessibility challenges remain.Ocean Park resident and mental health professional Sherry Cardinal says she has “severe mobility issues, requiring different mobility devices to get around,” and mobi-mats provide limited access to the beach.“Sometimes you can’t even see the ocean if it’s low tide.”

Cardinal, 76, who has “been trying to gather support from Ocean Park community to put in accessible access to the beach for handicapped and elderly people,” says the beach wheelchairs aren’t enough.The one in Ocean Park “takes two men and a boy to push it,” she said. “If you’re a single senior, who’s going to push?”

Office Administrator Marcia Cocker said the Ocean Park Association has no plans for exploring additional adaptations at this time. She said she’s seen the beach wheelchairs used many times with a single person pushing them.

“I’ve absolutely seen grandchildren pushing their grandparents,” she said.

All mobility equipment mentioned in this article can be borrowed by locals or visitors at no charge.A valid license or state ID is required for reservations.

BIDDEFORD

Mobi-mats cover access to Biddeford Pool Beach through Gilbert R. Boucher Memorial Park.One beach wheelchair will be on-site from June 15-Aug. 30,^, according to Waterfront Coordinator Alisha Keezer.Beachgoers must book the chair at biddefordrec.com and provide receipt of reservation to a parking lot attendant or lifeguard on duty.Morning and afternoon time slots are available; both can be selected to borrow the chair for a full day.

SACO

Communications Director Dickinson wants residents to “stay in the community and age in place.” Mobi-mats at Bayview Beach form a T-shaped promenade, complete with benches. One beach wheelchair and one beach walker are available at the lifeguard station during the busy season (late June to late August.)For shoulder season rentals contact Saco Parks and Recreation at 207-283-3139 or parksandrec@sacomaine.org.

OLD ORCHARD BEACH

Public Works staff says mobility mats cover most of Old Orchard Beach’s access points.Five beach wheelchairs are kept at oceanside hotels from Memorial Day to Labor Day.“My goal is to see that every hotel in OOB has a beach wheelchair,” said Director of Recreation and Ballpark Jason Webber. “I feel we have one of the best beaches and I want everyone to enjoy.”Old Orchard Beach Recreation has five more chairs available year-round for up to five days at a time.Contact the department at 207-934-0860 for pick-up. Beach wheelchairs can be delivered locally for a $25 charge.

OCEAN PARK

Ocean Park, a seaside village in Old Orchard Beach, has its own community identity and its own beach wheelchair program.Mobi-mats line the bottom of Randall Street, and two beach wheelchairs are parked on Temple Avenue at the Ocean Park Association. OPA Office Administrator Cocker says the association plans to have the wheelchair available until late September this year.Arrangements to borrow the chair can be made Mon.-Fri. 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Contact Ocean Park Association at 207-934-9068 or opa@oceanpark.org for more information.

Amanda Carter is a Community Reporting Fellow receiving training through the Journalism New England Career Lab to do civic reporting that provides people in towns across New England with the information they need to be engaged in their community.