- Cabo Roig coastal walk remains a danger to pedestrians
Residents of the Orihuela Costa continue in their demands for action to repair one of Orihuela Costa’s top tourist attractions, the coastal walkway, which literally sits “on the edge of a cliff.”
The old Cabo Roig promenade, which runs along the edge of cliffs, connecting the region’s beaches from Cala Capitán to La Caleta, continues to deteriorate all too quickly and still with no sign that it is likely to be halted or repaired.
The pathway is becoming increasingly dangerous to pedestrians who are at the mercy of landslips from above as well as a succession of gaping holes. There are parts of the path that are easy walking, but there are also long stretches of loose stone, some areas where you need to climb over boulders, and plenty of ascents and descents where you need to watch every footstep because of the dangerous condition of the “path”.
The scenery is spectacular and there plenty of opportunities to take in the rugged beauty of the coastline, so any likelihood that the public can be deterred from using the walkway seems extremely unlikely.
The surface of the path varies considerably. In some places it is relatively flat and easy to navigate but in others the walkers are at the mercy of fallen rocks, broken paving and sheer drops onto the rocks below.
Only recently, as reported in this newspaper, a pedestrian fell into a sinkhole above Cabo Roig beach and had to be rescued by firefighters before being taken to hospital for treatment of her injuries. Fortunately they were only minor, but with increasing damage to the walkway and a seemingly lack of interest in any repairs, this will not always be the case in the future.
Day by day the image is the same as hundreds of people, rising to many thousands in summer, walk daily along this coastal route on a surface damaged by the elements, the passage of time, rockfalls, landslides and the activity of waves and the sea.
The neighbourhood associations of the Coast within the Federation of Associations of the Orihuela Costa (FAOC) continue in their struggle for action, but largely to no avail.
Given the almost certain incursion of storms and the likelihood of accidents along this promenade , there is an increasing amount of concern being generated for users, local residents and the many owners of villas that are located on the front line, because of the fears that the condition of the route will continue to deteriorate.
In this regard, safety and security is also important in terms of the repairs to the walls and cliffs, in addition to the installation of guardrails along large sections of the pathway. Many that are currently in situ are unstable and in poor condition. There is also the problem of an absence of any lighting which seems to be promised year on year but which is still to make it’s appearance along the route.
Looking after the coastal paths is an important part of the Ayuntamiento’s responsibilities. It’s work is to care for the coast, giving its residents and its visitors access to amazing sea views, beaches and fascinating coastal spaces. Unfortunately both our coastal authority and our politicians seem to have lost their way and it would appear to be only a matter of time before long stretches of the Orihuala Costa walkway are closed to us all purely as a result of a lack of maintenance and public safety.
