Always for the ruts, Let it come back with you (the garbage) or Be legal. Not knowing the law does not give you the right to break it. These are some slogans of those who have this activity almost as a way of life to get together in the natural environment with family and friends who have a common hobby.
The most recent awareness initiative, which also includes motorcycles and quads, is entitled Caring for what is ours is everyone’s job. It is driven by three premises: set an example, collect all the garbage and do not use ravines or other natural spaces as landfills
Aday González recalls that «we have held meetings with the Cabildo and there is a good disposition but the law is obsolete with a massed mountain by reaction to the pandemic and poor surveillance. The situation should be tackled with a more medium-long-term project ”. Consider who has experience in this world that “what they promote is night poaching. In other words, people go to the mountains and commit irregularities by lacking that insufficient vigilance today. In this regard, he clarifies that “Only four Seprona agents monitor the entire Island”. On the prohibitions he deepens: “Now it is the Mesa Mota, in La Laguna, and they propose an alternative circuit in Los Baldíos that we do not see for different reasons, including the proximity of the houses.”
Aday insists that “more and more people are going out to enjoy nature. The number has increased after the pandemic and control is necessary. You have to adapt to the times and define a clear census because this is going to get worse.
“We must not put everyone in the same bag because we pay just for sinners”
In this regard, he defends the idea of «create an application that allows you to locate those who are at a certain time in the mountains. The Cabildo has had one for more or less a year, Vente, but it seems outdated and needs to be renewed. Whether this or a new one is an essential measure.
González even admits that “it could be paid, at a cost of 1 or 2 euros per user, although I don’t think it is that expensive for the Cabildo. We know that It would be possible with between 3,000 and 15,000 euros of investment. Everyone would be registered centrally in the insular Cecopin, where there is a 24-hour service ».
Alerts for almost everything
From accumulated garbage to firebreaks that have been entrapped by weeds, participating in fire prevention campaigns or warnings about missing people. Aday González recalls in this sense the Warning and alert work anywhere on the Island where 4x4s pass. It is also common for them to report the presence of abandoned animals, the collapse of tracks or “witchcraft and Santeria practices are becoming more frequent in isolated places in our geography.” Do not forget to mention altruistic and disinterested actions such as the excursion that the children with cancer from Little Brave were able to enjoy thanks to them.
González Negrín is clear that “if irregularities are committed, it is necessary to sanction in an exemplary way. There are always black chickpeas in all groups. But he also values: «Putting everyone in the same bag is making us pay just for sinners. We are reported for four or five who do not comply. And that should not be so. He acknowledges that “in 2020 there was no penalty for 4x4s and off-road vehicles, although there were for motorcycles and quads.”
Aday gives an example of how they are harmed in his opinion: «The Anocheza track, one of the busiest on the island, from Güímar to Izaña, is removed from the forest tracks due to its supposed danger because there have been two deaths. It is true but it has nothing to do with 4x4s or with activity in mountains and protected areas ».
The proposal is “to go out to the mountains without rushing, relax and enjoy the road. Slowly and with the clear concept that the space is shared with other users. Lovers of this hobby in Tenerife They defend “going out into nature with your family or friends without any type of competitive interest. We just want to access and move through our mountains through forest tracks in a responsible way to be able to enjoy a day with family and friends ».
Economic activity
The 4×4 world moves a growing economic volume, not only because of its high incidence regarding the payment of fees and taxes, but also for job creation. Both in service stations and in the flourishing market of ITV companies, the take-off of insurance companies, mechanical and paint workshop companies or spare parts stores and gastronomy (restaurants and guachinches). Without neglecting the tourism sector.
Tenerife has a network of forest tracks with more than 2,200 kilometers, but it is only allowed to circulate for 180. They point out from the sector that «other autonomous communities, such as Galicia, allow the free movement of vehicles on tracks to contribute to their recovery».
Punish in an exemplary way those who do not comply. It is the first precept in the proposal for groups and users. But also “The creation of an APP in which access to the track can be requested in real time”. In this way, it would be possible to control “where it is accessed, the route taken, the speed of the vehicle, its license plate, the number of occupants, the option of warning in an emergency, labeling the garbage, and so on.”
Other requests are “the opening of a greater number of tracks, with more continuity of traffic; expand the number of users per day or allow clubs to organize routes with more than three vehicles ”. Also, “the use of firewalls to link several tracks or divide the use of these with the idea of giving them rest in winter and summer seasons.”
More specifically, the sector claims that “during the winter season, when it snows, the use of the tracks is limited to properly prepared vehicles. And in relation to the problem of the Mesa Mota, “seek a solution in which all groups benefit.”
On the one hand, active participation in social and solidarity events; awareness-raising work for the promotion of environmental values and the conservation of natural spaces, as well as collaboration with the public administration. On the other hand, “prohibitions that generate poaching and cause security problems.” From the 4×4 collective they point out as a balance: «New technologies can generate mechanisms to monitor accesses and track activity. These applications would help to control possible offenders and generate an activity that would allow the maintenance of the tracks and, in addition, would serve for a public use that is currently on the rise ”.
The last agreement of the Cabildo
One example is enough to demonstrate the love for these vehicles in Tenerife. In 2003, the island, specifically the municipality of Güímar, welcomed the concentration of more than 1,300 which meant achieving a Guinness record that is still in force. The recent institutional agreement of the Cabildo values that roots. In the first place, it establishes “to create a working table with clubs and users, in parallel to stimulating their participation in environmental volunteering, to study the rational use of forest trails.” In this sense, in addition, “analyze security conditions and gauges to re-evaluate the tracks that can be used by these vehicles.” Second, “install new gauges that reinforce the reserve system and reduce poaching.” Finally, “to promote information and awareness campaigns that promote responsible driving along forest trails and protected natural areas.”
