The pedestrian walkway built right next to the Masca road is now completed, but the local community group reminds that the main pending measures to alleviate the traffic congestion in this picturesque area of Tenerife, one of the most photogenic on the island, need to be addressed to improve the lives of its inhabitants. The Department of Natural Environment and Safety of the Tenerife Island Council announced in a statement on Monday the completion of the works on this footpath in the hamlet of Masca, within the Teno Rural Park, belonging to the municipality of Buenavista del Norte.
The walkway connects the La Piedra and El Turrón nuclei, stretches for 600 meters, and is 1.50 meters wide. It is adapted for the passage of people with reduced mobility. This pedestrian route has been built alongside the TF-436 road (Buenavista from El Palmar-Santiago del Teide). The works have been carried out by the public company Tragsa and have involved an investment of 1.4 million Euros, funded through the Development Fund of Canary Islands.
The Insular Councilor for Natural Environment, Sustainability and Safety, Blanca Pérez, explains that it was “necessary” to provide the hamlet with a pedestrian access that guarantees the safety of residents and visitors, “avoiding exposing them to the risk of walking on the road shoulder of the TF-436 road.” “At the Council, we work decisively to improve the quality of life of the people in this important rural enclave that finds its strength in its natural surroundings,” recalls the councilor, detailing: “In fact, the descent through the Masca ravine and its surroundings has become one of the greatest natural attractions of the island.”
The announcement of the pedestrian walkway comes only a month after the agreement to regulate the uses of the ravine pier, a key infrastructure to meet the intense activity generated in the area associated with environmental, sports, and leisure tourism. The first agreed measure is the extension of the working hours of the natural space guards, who will now extend their service from 8:00 to 17:00 in the summer to 20:00, three more hours to make the most of natural light.
The rules of use will allow the embarkation or disembarkation of people, applying a fee for the regulated service. It will also allow the ecological anchorage of up to four boats at the mouth and the arrival of kayaks and canoes. Likewise, digital supports will monitor activities coming from private boats, as the cliffs of Los Gigantes are home to protected birds. The management of the pier will be included in the task entrusted by the Council to the public company Tragsa.
New Masca pier. / E. D.
The refurbishment and conditioning works of the Masca pier were completed in March of last year. The new infrastructure, which replaced one built by the residents themselves in the 1960s, consists of a 46-block concrete dam and a helipad-like walkway. The investment exceeded 1.6 million Euros.
Vehicles parked on the road. / E. D.
For the just over a hundred residents who live permanently in this bucolic and rugged corner, considered one of the most impressive in Tenerife, these actions, however, are not the top priority. This is affirmed by Javier Díaz, secretary of the Masca Neighbors’ Association. “The pier and the pedestrian path are actions more designed for tourism than for residents. We have other preferences,” he warns.
The main issue is precisely related to visitors: the Masca ravine attracts so many people –every day, not just on weekends– that traffic jams form, affecting the mobility of residents on a narrow winding road. It is a situation similar to what happens in other relevant areas of the island like Anaga. Therefore, the Masca citizen group demands organizing and limiting parking spaces, hours, and traffic directions; requiring those who purchase the entrance ticket –which is mandatory– to use public transport to explore the ravine; as well as improving signage, enlarging embankments, and widening the road.
But there is one main request: constant police presence during peak hours, not only for traffic management but also to ensure safety, as residents claim that in recent months, there has been an increase in criminals taking advantage of overcrowding to steal from tourists. “We want public actions carried out in Masca to be prioritized to improve the living conditions of the residents, many of whom can no longer even access their homes due to the lack of driveways, for which they face countless obstacles,” emphasizes Javier Díaz. “We don’t want to live enclosed as mere extras or extras. Masca is not a tourist resort, it’s a neighbourhood like any other in Tenerife,” he concludes.
The Council recalls that work is ongoing. In a statement released this Friday, the insular government assures that it is “studying the development of an action plan in the hamlet to improve the conditions of its inhabitants.” Councilor Blanca Pérez actually held a meeting with the residents’ association to learn about the aspects to be improved in the village’s environment, mainly related to mobility, the primary sector, and the Master Plan for the Use and Management of the Teno Rural Park. Pérez reminded residents that some modifications to the Plan are under study to “enhance residents’ quality of life related to mobility and communications.”
