The approval of the Environmental Impact Statement of the penultimate stretch of the Island RingCome in San Juan de la Rambla and Icod de los Vinosand the announcement of Council of Tenerife about what could be tendered and start construction this year they generate division of opinions among the mayors of the northwest of the island. San Juan de la Rambla maintains its opposition to a route that they understand harms the town; the guancha applauds it because it solves some of its historical deficiencies; Icod of the Wines waiting for the response to the more than 60 allegations presented, and The Realejos awaits progress on the last pending section, the one that separates the end of the North highway from the Las Aguas ramblero nucleus.
All the leaders agree that the improvement of the roads in this part of the island is an urgent need, but some show doubts and warn of possible problems such as the collapse of the Good Step link. Among those who do not see buts to this project, the tank leader, Esther Morales (PSOE), which considers that “this news is a great advance for the definitive closure of the Insular Ring, since with this new layout there will be more fluidity, more security and greater territorial cohesion.” In his opinion, “the island needs to rebalance demographically speaking and for this it is necessary to decentralize infrastructures, investments and initiatives in mobility. The Daute Isla Baja region has traditionally been isolated from the main poles of economic development, and yet, as communications between North and South have improved, many citizens are returning to their towns.
The leaders of Icod and Garachico warn that Buen Paso could be a funnel
Antonio Hernandez (PP), the guancho mayor, also finds no fault with the project and is excited: «I hope and wish that all the procedures are expedited so that the work begins soon. We trust that it will not take too long and will not encounter many obstacles. For La Guancha this is great news and I hope that the demands that the San Juan de la Rambla City Council had raised have also been resolved. We trust that it can be for us the beginning of a better economic, social and industrial development. Hopefully it will go ahead and we will see it as soon as possible », although he doubts that the works can begin in this mandate.
the rambler mayor, Ezequiel Dominguez (PSOE), recalls that «the Plenary unanimously agreed to agree to the closure of the Island Ring due to the serious mobility problems in this area of the island, but also rejected the proposed route since, among other issues, it seriously conditions the development of the ramblera coast». He also wonders “why the continuation of the project to San Vicente, in Los Realejos, is not approved, given that the current exit can cause monumental traffic jams on La Rambla.” Domínguez also warns that “since the impact statement is published, we will analyze it in case the proposed actions may affect our protected natural spaces.”
The mayor of Icodense, Francis Gonzalez (CC), is one of the most critical and points out that “it seems like an announcement from the pre-election period, since to date they have not responded to the more than 60 allegations presented in Icod.” He adds that “before bidding, these allegations will have to be answered, such as the one we raised regarding the Buen Paso link. We are also critical because this part cannot be executed without knowing what will be done in the last stretch”.
ULL survey on mobility
The University of La Laguna (ULL) has launched a mobility survey aimed at its entire community to find out behavior patterns related to trips to campus, schedules, mode of travel and other matters related to daily habits of mobility. The ultimate goal is to develop a plan that allows mobility to be managed through different measures that try to guarantee sustainable behavior when traveling to study and work centers. The questionnaire, supervised by the CajaCanarias University of La Laguna Chair in Economics and Mobility, directed by Rosa Marina González Marrero, addresses what type of journey is made and whether it is by shared car, individual, public transport or on foot. It also requests information about the type of vehicle used, consumption, arrival and departure times or the distance to home.
To Jose Heriberto Gonzalez (CC), mayor of Garachico, is “a necessary action that should go in parallel with the last pending section.” He defines it as “a key section for the citizens of the Northwest, which will be even more necessary when the section between El Tanque and Santiago del Teide begins to work because that road will absorb more traffic and the blockage that could form in Buen Paso would be brutal” .
The president of Buenavista del Norte, Antonio González (SSP), appreciates that the process of the project “continues its course”, but highlights that “there are important discrepancies, such as those of the Plenary of San Juan de la Rambla, so it is not good news that work continues on a project that has been rejected by a municipality. Furthermore, it would still be an incomplete solution.”
The royal mayor, Adolfo González (PP)believes that it is “good news”, but also remembers that the project between Los Realejos and Las Aguas, the last and most complicated of the sections of the Insular Ring, is still missing.
Fepeco celebrates the announcement
The president of the provincial construction employers’ association Fepeco, Óscar Izquierdo, shows the satisfaction of the business sector for the approval of the Environmental Impact Statement for the road between San Juan de la Rambla and Buen Paso, in Icod, which he considers an “alternative relevant to decongest the TF-5». In his opinion, “with the work already started, and at a good pace, between El Tanque and Santiago del Teide and the expected tender for the La Laguna bypass, “it is closer to achieving, once and for all, the structure of the island, with a mobility according to citizen demand and the insular productive system. We have been waiting for 40 years, which is too long, for what is now being done and already real projects and approved environmental declarations. We await the next tenders so that throughout this year the works can begin, if the demonstrated efficiency is maintained and, above all, compliance with the announced deadlines”.
