People with disabilities will be able to park near two beaches in Odesa

<span><span><span><span><span><span>In Odesa, people with disabilities will be allowed to park hand-operated vehicles in designated areas near two inclusive beaches. This became possible after the Executive Committee of the Odesa City Council amended the regulations governing pedestrian zones along the Black Sea coast and in the city center.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>This was reported by the Center for Public Investigations</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>The Department of Transportation, Communications, and Traffic Management, in collaboration with the municipal agency “Specialized Installation and Maintenance Unit,” will continue to regulate access to pedestrian zones in accordance with the Rules of the Road; however, exceptions have been expanded for certain sections of the coast. Specifically, parking has been permitted for manually operated vehicles driven by people with disabilities who have musculoskeletal impairments near the 11th Station of Velykyi Fontan and the accessible beach in the Delfin area.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>This decision was made to regulate vehicle entry, stopping, and parking in pedestrian zones and to ensure the accessibility of the coastline for people with disabilities.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

Previously, representatives of the Odesa City Council’s Standing Committee on Emergency Situations and Their Consequences, Ecology, and Digital Transformation identified 10 beaches operating without a permit. In other words, legally these beaches are not operating, but because the law does not allow restrictions on access to beaches and the water, these beach areas remain physically open. Business owners provide beach chair rental services there, and the city council can only respond by issuing cease-and-desist orders. Currently, the prosecutor’s office is seeking to terminate the lease agreements for these beaches in court; however, because the city’s old regulations governing beach facilities are no longer in effect and new ones have not been adopted, municipal services and city authorities lack the means to exert pressure on business owners.

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