‘Municipal departments, such as City Management, Enforcement, Safety, and Beach Affairs work closely with the police, the lifeguards, and first aid. There are regular consultations about the situation on and around the beach. We also have contact with the beach pavilion owners. What worked well last season will continue, but there are also new initiatives. Our goal? A pleasant beach visit for everyone.’

Extra Containers and Donation Rings

To keep the beach tidy, just like last season, extra containers of 1,100 liters are placed. ‘If the regular trash bins are full and not emptied immediately, people can dispose of their waste in those containers. This prevents litter on the beach and in the dunes.’ The donation rings for empty bottles and cans are also back. In total, donation rings hang on 20 trash bins. ‘If you don’t want to take your empty bottle or can with you, you can put it in such a donation ring. This makes other people happy, and they won’t have to rummage through the trash can looking for empty bottles and cans. This keeps the area clean next to the trash bins as well.’

Flags

Visitors to the beach see various flags waving. ‘Including the Quality Coast and the blue flag. These flags are proof that the beach is clean and safe. But also that the beach meets criteria in terms of environment, maintenance, and sustainability. The question mark flag at the first aid station will also be used again this year. When the flag is raised, it means that a child has been found who is missing their parents or guardians.’

New flags have recently been waving at the Lifeguard post. ‘Research showed that the old flags were not clear to everyone. By adding icons and texts, the recognizability has greatly improved.’ (photo Alderman Simons raises the new lifeguard flag)

Resident and Business Cards

To ensure smooth traffic flow on busy beach days or during trunk sales, certain road sections are sometimes closed. Therefore, the municipality has sent special cards to residents of Hoek van Holland and businesses. ‘With such a card, you can show the traffic controllers that you live or work in the neighborhood or at the beach.

Benches and Platforms

She continues: ‘When you walk from the large parking lot on Badweg to the beach, you have to climb a hill. On warm days, that can be quite a climb, so we have placed a bench along the path to rest for a while.’ (photo To avoid getting lost, orientation poles are placed on the beach)
On the parking lot at Badweg, there are platforms for parking cargo bikes, regular bikes, and electric bikes. You can secure the bike to the platform with a chain.

Water Taps and Public Urination

At the beach entrance on Rechtestraat, there is a water tap. ‘Since this year, there is also a water tap at Zeeplein.’

Since the toilets are not open 24 hours a day, the municipality is placing portable toilets at the parking lot on Badweg this season. ‘There is a lot of nuisance from public urination, which we hope to address with the portable toilets. What not everyone knows: there is a high urgency app. This app shows you at which beach pavilions you can use the toilet for free.’

The app can be downloaded via Google Play and the App Store.

Orientation Poles and Sunscreen Poles

This season, 10 so-called orientation poles are distributed across the beach (photo). Each pole has a different symbol, including a sun, house, palm tree, fish, and a Hoeks heart. Yvonne: ‘If you go swimming in the sea and drift away, you can use such an orientation pole to know where you are. Or if emergency services are needed, it also helps if you can say that they should be at this or that pole.’ There is also a sunscreen pole added at Rechtestraat. ‘There was already one at the first aid station. You can apply sunscreen with SPF 30 for free at those poles.’