The Council of Tenerife proposes to the University of La Laguna (ULL) provide twenty million euros, ten for each academic year from the next, to those faculties that agree to delay the start of classes at ten in the morning. The measure is proposed as a way to alleviate the collapses in vehicle traffic that occur daily on the TF-5 motorway, near the municipality of Aguere. This was already communicated by the insular president, Pedro Martín, to the rector, Rosa Aguilar, who is already a candidate for re-election against the other candidate, Francisco García.
The acting rector of the ULL, Néstor Torres, informed the deans and directors of centers yesterday about the possibility of assessing this proposal of the Cabildo so that classes begin at 10:00 a.m., avoid the collapse of traffic and promote the entry staggered to campuses. The idea was already pursued without success in the past term, under the presidency of the nationalist Carlos Alonso, although this time the novelty is that it is linked to additional financing.
“It is not intended to blame the University of La Laguna for the problem of traffic jams, far from it,” says the president of the Cabildo de Tenerife, Pedro Martín. He considers that “the solution to the problem is the highway from Guamasa to Lora and Tamayo, in the lower part of the municipality of La Laguna, which the Government of the Canary Islands It’s already started.” But he does understand that “there may be measures that help to decongest and this may be an interesting possibility.” Martín points out that “as long as the faculties can do it, because there will be where it is not possible.”
He understands that “it is time to reconsider and analyze it, when the ULL already plans the next course.” In addition, he values ”the economic difficulties that the university is going through, which the Cabildo can help to alleviate.”
He insists that this idea does not diminish “at all” what the insular Institution currently contributes to the academic one. Martín points out that “it is not easy for us either, because we will have to look for funds, but they will be very well destined if they reach the ULL”.
The Cabildo de Tenerife often collaborates and maintains very solid historical ties with the ULL. Pedro Martín points out that “we have always been by his side.” He stresses that “this is a proposal.” And he recalls that “probably, in June the work from Guamasa to Lora and Tamayo will go out for tender, which is key, along with others, to alleviate the situation of the TF-5.”
Current money is kept
Pedro Martín has transferred the possibility of reaching an agreement to contribute, in a supplementary way “without withdrawing a euro from the current financial support”, this injection of 20 million euros in two courses, to ten per year. He would help cover the needs of some ULL faculties, specifically those that accept the delay in the start of classes at ten in the morning.
The president of the Cabildo appreciates that «It is not necessary for a faculty to change all the teaching hours, it would be enough for it to do so in two or three courses in a significant number of higher education centers. That could alleviate the problems of the TF-5 and ease traffic congestion at a time with fewer vehicles.”
Pedro Martín concluded with the reasoning why now: «For two reasons: One, we already have works planned on the TF-5 and, two, the ULL is already planning the schedules for the next course».
