SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Feb. 21 (EUROPA PRESS) –
Last night, the mayors and spokespersons of the Canarian Coalition of the North of Tenerife expressed their endorsement for the “courageous” decisions made by the president of the Cabildo, Rosa Dávila, in addressing the “traffic congestion problem on the island.” They have shown unanimous support for the measures taken by the new island government, particularly the closure of the Guamasa link during peak hours.
The island general secretary and mayor of La Orotava, Francisco Linares, emphasized during the Political Council meeting of CC de Tenerife, the leadership of the Cabildo in resolving the longstanding issue affecting the North of the island. He highlighted the decision’s potential to reduce travel time on the TF-5 for the nearly 21,000 daily travellers during peak hours, including the 20,000 people from the North and 800 from Guamasa. Linares also mentioned the planned mobility improvements for the latter group.
Linares commended the measures taken by the Cabildo in the past seven months, including the recent decision to close the Guamasa link to the TF-5 during peak hours and the allocation of one million euros to enhance alternative routes before the closure takes effect.
Referring to the support from the Provincial Traffic Headquarters of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Linares pointed out that the decision will potentially improve travel time by 20% for the 18,000 vehicles during rush hour, reduce CO2 emissions by thousands of tons annually, and eliminate over 800,000 unproductive hours each year, representing an opportunity cost exceeding 30 million euros.
He also emphasized the proactive approach of the current Cabildo of Tenerife, in contrast to the previously projected 2028 timeline for addressing the traffic congestion issue. Linares praised Rosa Dávila’s decisive action in comparison to others.
Furthermore, he highlighted other recent measures adopted, including maintaining free public transport, increasing bus numbers and drivers, shuttle bus services, agreements with educational and hotel institutions, restriction of heavy transport during peak hours, and express towing services for the North and South highways.
Linares concluded, pointing out the significant progress achieved by the current nationalist-led government, in contrast to the previous neglect, with over 30 meetings held and various measures implemented to mitigate the longstanding traffic problem on the island.
