The majority of residents of Tenerife He travels around the Island in a private vehicle and without a companion. And he prefers it that way for convenience. Furthermore, the Island has one of the lowest occupancy rates per private vehicle in all of Spain (1.3 people on average) and one of the highest vehicles per inhabitant in Europe: 792,350 for a population of 950,000, almost one per inhabitant. person. If all cars, buses, trucks, vans, caravans or motorcycles on the Island were to line up, the line would reach Austria. It would measure 3,170 kilometers.
The data provided by the Tenerife Sustainable Mobility Plana document of Council which is currently on public exhibition, are very revealing about the uses of Tenerife residents when traveling. In addition to the need for new infrastructure and means of public transport, this document, which includes all possible alternatives to decongest the Island’s mobility with a view to 2045, reveals the shortcomings of citizen awareness.
Only 11% of motorized trips on the Island are made by public transportation compared to 89% by private vehicle. In relation to the use of public transport, Tenerife residents present “relatively low values compared to the predominance of the private vehicle, which accounts for 72.9% of total trips.” The results of the Mobility Plan studies also reflect that 76.8% of the transfers made on a weekday in a private vehicle are made as a driver, followed by 20.9% that are made as a companion.
No seat sharing
It is enough to look at how many people there are in each vehicle on any island road to realize the situation. The 1.3 inhabitants per motorized unit are well below the Spanish and European averages, which are around 1.7. And the formula of taking advantage of the trip of sharing seats with other colleagues when traveling to work centers is hardly used, a formula used in many parts of the continent.
The main reason why residents opt for private vehicles is the “comfort”, as highlighted by the Tenerife Sustainable Mobility Plan. This percentage rises to 29.2%. The next reason, with a similar percentage (28.8%), is that there is no public transportation service at the origin of the trip or if there is, it is inadequate. Another aspect to highlight is that 9% of trips are made by private vehicle due to the need to attend several tasks in a row.
Data by municipalities
This long-term mobility roadmap for Tenerife also provides data by municipality. For example, it stands out how in Los Silos 60% of residents who make the trip in a private vehicle do not do so by public transport because they consider that the car is “more comfortable.” Meanwhile, in both Arico and Vilaflor more than 70% are done in private units because “there are no buses.” And more than 21% of the trips by La Matanza residents are by private vehicle because they have several activities planned in a row and the car is more comfortable.
Only one in 10 motorized trips on Tenerife’s roads is made by public transport
In five –La Guancha, La Matanza, San Juan de la Rambla, Los Silos and La Victoria, all of them in the north of the Island–, Residents who take public transportation do so entirely because they do not have a driving license. On the other hand, it stands out how more than half of the residents of the municipality of San Miguel de Abona choose to travel by public transport because it is more comfortable for them. The towns in which the difficulty of parking is a deterrent for residents, leading them to choose public transport, are Arafo (53%), Arona (16%) and Santa Cruz de Tenerife (15%).
The level of use of public buses and trams also sheds light on the problem. In general, of motorized trips on public transport, 55.6% are made by bus, 26.8% by tram and the remaining 17.6% by taxi or similar. But breaking down the data, it is observed, in the section Reason for not using the private vehicle: residents in Tenerife who take public transport (in this case considering the bus and the tram without including the taxi or similar), do so in their majority because they are “captives of public transportation”, that is, they lack a private vehicle or driving license, and they have no other choice but to take the bus or the tram.
The average occupancy rate of private vehicles on the Island (1.3) is one of the lowest in Europe
This “percentage of captivity” rises to 78%, highlights the Cabildo document to which administrations, groups and Tenerife residents in general can now send their allegations. It also reflects that the next reason that justifies the use of public transport is “the lack of parking.” Even so, and having a vehicle, few islanders prefer to take public transportation because the difficulty of parking is an impediment (10%).
Where else do you go by bus?
By municipalities, Arafo (12.6%), Garachico (11.1%), La Laguna (11.9%), El Tanque (20.3%), Tacoronte (14.5%), El Sauzal (13. 8%) and Santa Cruz de Tenerife (13.5%) have the highest proportion of trips by public transport, all above 10%. «These are relatively low values of use of public transport compared to the predominance of the private vehicle, which accounts for 72.9% of total trips. Non-motorized mobility is also low compared to the total,” highlights the Sustainable Mobility Plan.
In Tenerife there is almost one vehicle per inhabitant: 792,350 for 950,000 people
This x-ray of the Collective response to the mobility of the Island highlights another problem. Tenerife residents, in addition to traveling mostly alone in their own car, often do so to travel short distances. So, 33% of trips made on a weekday last less than 15 minutes. This is followed by trips lasting between 15 and 30 minutes, with 38%. This implies that residents of Tenerife make short-distance trips in the area close to their place of residence. On average, they last 22 minutes.
At the municipal level, residents in Garachico and El Tanque, in the North, and in Fasnia, in the South, are the ones that register the highest percentage of long-term trips (more than one hour). At the same time, in Vilaflor, more than 63% of trips last less than 15 minutes, so the mobility of its residents seems to be focused on the municipal environment.
