The Councilor for Security and Mobility of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council, Evelyn Alonso, appeared yesterday in the control committee to clarify, at the request of the socialist municipal group, the date on which the City Council plans to put into circulation the six hybrid buses acquired three years ago with European DUSI funds. Electric charging vehicles that cost 1.6 million euros to the previous Government led by Patricia Hernández and that are inoperative due to breakdowns.
Alonso reproached the socialist spokesperson for saying that “I am solving her problem,” and announced that they are currently considering “relocating this fleet, once the breakdowns are resolved, to other more suitable routes or returning the vehicles, because they do not work.”
In this sense, the councilor explained that “a technician has come to check these buses and, while they are trying to fix the breakdowns, line 910 (Intercambiador-Las Teresitas) has been reinforced with other vehicles so that citizens are not affected.” .
In this regard, the PSOE spokesperson, Patricia Hernández, questioned the councilor about “why none of these six buses are circulating nor have they been plugged in since Las Teresitas does not have the pantograph – power outlet that is located on top of the vehicle – installed. , similar to the catenary of a train – to administer electricity -”.
Alonso indicated that “you bought the buses (referring to Hernández) and you never consulted the needs of the routes to be covered by this fleet, since at the urban planning level the pantograph cannot be installed in Las Teresitas, although it has been placed in the Exchanger. Despite this, the reality is that they cannot function 100%.” Finally, the councilor stressed that “in the next renewal of the agreement with Titsa, currently under negotiation, five million euros will be allocated to comply with sustainable mobility and we will count on the urban transport works council to avoid making the same mistakes as you. ”.
In yesterday’s control commission, which even included a fire drill that forced the town hall building to be evacuated, other issues were debated at the request of opposition groups. Thus, the Vox spokesperson, Alejandro Gómez, asked the Councilor for Social Policies, Rosario González, to know the actions carried out in the III Santa Cruz Addictions Plan. “A plan that began in 2019 and is about to end and of which we do not know what effects it has had or if it has been adapted to new situations that are occurring among young people, among whom mental health problems and the introduction of new narcotic substances,” he pointed out.
Video game
In this regard, the councilor announced that “the idea is to extend the action to video games and screens in the IV Addictions Plan, after an increase in problems among the younger population has been detected.” She explained that “the current plan has four fundamental lines, which derive from health promotion and addiction prevention, as well as one of joint work with the Canarian Health Service.”
For her part, the socialist Alana Chinea asked about the prevention actions against tobacco, alcohol and narcotics contemplated in the current plan, alluding to the fact that “much control has not been carried out by allowing incidents such as the one that occurred at the Pisaca Fest, where five “Minors were left with an alcohol coma for allowing the sale of alcohol on the premises.”
González evaded the answer, focusing on assessing “the involvement of the current municipal government with public health, when the PSOE, in the regional Executive, eliminated the General Directorate of Addictions”, a fact that the socialists denied.
Carnival
Carnival 2024 was also the subject of debate in the commission, where the Festival Councilor, Javier Caraballero, recalled that “they will be the earliest festivals, starting next January 12.”
Likewise, he noted that his intention is to develop new bases for participation between the groups and the organization, after complaints from eleven carnival groups that were exempt from the City Council’s invitation to contract performances.
Caraballero also responded to the socialist Patricia Hernández about the hiring of the stage, which since last Monday was deserted. The mayor said that “next week the negotiation process will begin without publicity.”