SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 19th February (EUROPA PRESS) –
The secretary of the Guamasa Neighborhood Association, Alejandro Arrate, has strongly criticized the Tenerife Council’s decision to close the neighborhood’s link with the TF-5 during peak hours and permanently by the end of the year, upon completion of conditioning works on the adjacent roads.
Expressing his concerns to Europa Press, he lamented, “We’re facing a one-hour confinement. This is the ‘toll’ we have to pay so that drivers in the North can save about twelve minutes.”
He also expressed his disappointment with the unilateral decision-making, stating that the president has consistently refused to meet with the residents, including those of Tejina or Bajamar. He emphasized, “We strongly disagree with this decision.”
Arrate acknowledged that they are not opposed to the closure “if it benefits everyone,” but questioned the justification for the supplementary works, asking, “Is it just about removing a pedestrian crossing, a yield sign, and a traffic light?”
“These are illogical things, they do not align with the needs of the people who use this route. We do not comprehend it, why us? What we fail to understand is why it’s us,” he pointed out.
He also raised the question of why the Guamasa link is being closed when Santa Úrsula has three or Tacoronte has two, and pondered whether it is fair to “punish” Taco and Ofra or inconvenience hospital workers by requiring them to leave at four in the afternoon, all to benefit drivers returning from Santa Cruz de Tenerife to the North. He emphasised, “We are looking for solutions that benefit everyone.”
The residents will be meeting with the Mobility Councillor of La Laguna, Domingo Galván, next Friday to communicate their grievances. They have already approached the Provincial Council, presented over 700 signatures, and protested outside the doors of the Insular Palace.
“We will exert our influence and advocate for an alternative that does not entail the closure of our link,” he stated.
