Tourists flocking to the Hole-in-the-wall have created serious safety concerns according to the area director for Cherry Creek.
Dianne Bodnar says there is no good access to the popular site as people are parking on the highway shoulder, blocking a gated access road, or running across a 4-lane highway from the Coombs Country Candy parking lot.
“A lot of the people who are going to the Hole-in-the-wall right now are from out of town and their GPS tells them to go down that (gated) road, and if they do park at Coombs Country Candy there’s no crosswalk there and it’s not safe because traffic comes down the highway very fast,” she said.
She says promoting the Hole-in-the-wall as a tourist destination is irresponsible as there is no good access to the site.
“I think it’s important for people to do their homework and see if there’s parking available, if this is a safe thing for people to see, and where would they park,” she said. “I don’t feel that’s been done in this situation.”
Bodnar said representatives from the local tourism office are warning people about the dangers, but it has had little effect.
She’s urging the Regional District to begin looking for safe parking and access solutions, but recognizes that because access is through private lands it’s a difficult issue that’s not going to be solved overnight.
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