Pictured: Jennifer Crellin and Margaret McDonald, Spinal Life’s Regional Manager North Queensland, take the new power-assisted wheelchair for a ‘test ride’ along the Esplanade.
Locals and tourists with mobility impairments can now cycle down the Cairns Esplanade on a new battery-powered bike with their friends and families, taking in all the city has to offer.
Cairns Regional Council has partnered with Spinal Life Australia to unveil a new power-assisted wheelchair bike, or ‘Brike’, based at the Cairns Health Living Centre at the northern end of the esplanade.
The Brike will be officially launched at the annual Cairns Disability Expo on Tuesday 27 August, from 9am to 5pm at the Pier Marketplace Shopping Centre.
Cairns Mayor Amy Eden said the power-assisted wheelchair bike can be hired by locals and tourists seeking to enjoy a ride along the waterfront. “We are thrilled to provide another activity that makes Cairns more accessible and inclusive,” Cr Eden said.
“This new form of active transport forms part of Council’s commitment to foster a vibrant and healthy community where everyone feels they belong.
“It is also the Year of Accessible Tourism; designed to ignite change and create opportunities for Queensland tourism businesses. Our local industry has certainly come on board by showcasing local experiences that are accessible to all travellers.”
With travel speeds up to 10km/h, the bright yellow Brike has been specifically designed for people with disability and their families, friends and carers.
It is a three-wheeled pedal cycle with battery power assist that transports the rider and a passenger in a wheelchair or fixed seat.
The new Brike continues to build on the city’s accessibility credentials, following the opening of a ‘Changing Places’ changeroom at the Lagoon earlier this year.
In recent years, Council has also improved access for people of all abilities through the availability of beach matting and wheelchairs for public use at Palm Cove and Ellis Beach, a parking map on the My Cairns app that shows all the accessible parking bays in the city, and braille and tactile street name signs at CBD intersections.
