The Minister of Public Works, Mobility and Housing of the Government of the Canary Islands, Pablo Rodríguez, stressed this Tuesday that roads alone will not solve the mobility problem. It was an idea that other speakers also considered during the closing session of the MOV Forum. Canary Islands-Sustainable Mobility and Connectivity. The nationalist politician highlighted that the title of the Forum “is a clear declaration of intentions”, he advocated for a «paradigm change in mobility» and he placed in the same area the decision to modify the name that the regional department of which he is the head underwent in July, which included mobility along with public works.
«The works are not the total solution to the mobility problem; “We have to do works, but also sustainable mobility actions.” That was one of the central statements of his speech, in which he asserted that it is not just about “removing vehicles from the road”, but about “using infrastructure more efficiently.” Rodríguez said he was surprised with some of the data that is contained in the Sustainable Mobility Plan of Tenerifewhile stating that it is a “quite accurate” document.
In another sense, but without leaving the same ground, the regional head of Public Works, Mobility and Housing recalled that the Government of the Canary Islands plans to carry out a sustainable mobility bill to the Parliament of the Canary Islands during 2024. This initiative had been announced last week by the counselor, who said then that the “purpose is to include all the measures and initiatives that are being developed in this matter.”
Regarding public works, he highlighted that about 400 million euros have been awarded on the island of Tenerife. The largest percentage is destined for the Erjos tunnel, a fundamental work for the closure of the Island Ring. These funds are part of the Canary Islands-State Highway Agreement. Pablo Rodríguez advanced that the autonomous government and Tenerife Council will work over the next few months around the Northern Highway (TF-5), on measures such as the section between the Tenerife North Airport-Ciudad de La Laguna and Guamasa, which is intended to be resumed, and also on the “expansion of one of “the sections” of the TF-1, the Southern Highway. “There are many efforts we make to improve infrastructure,” said the nationalist, who elaborated on the need to change habits and the commitment to sustainable mobility. Not in vain, he announced that the Sustainable Mobility and Connectivity Forum will continue next year, in the month of February.
