The Santa Cruz City Council has introduced a new measure through its Mobility department. This initiative, unveiled by councilor Evelyn Alonso and Anaga district mayor Gladis de León, along with technical experts and a representative from Titsa, the urban transportation service provider, aims to inform San Andrés residents about a pilot project involving a dedicated bus lane stretching from the Fishing Dock to the Las Teresitas beach. The purpose is to encourage beach visitors to utilise public transport, alleviating congestion during weekends and holidays.
Speaking on behalf of the Mobility Department, the councilor stated that the objective of the pilot tests is to assess whether the traffic flow improves and to promote public transport as the primary means of accessing Las Teresitas. She added that should the initiative prove ineffective, alternative solutions would be explored, given the limited technical options to address the chaos experienced on busy days.
The Mobility Director, Ofelia Manjón, explained that the four-day experimental project aims to gather data and validate existing information in cooperation with Titsa. The focus is on reducing traffic to Las Teresitas beach, which currently sees 7,000 daily bus users compared to 12,000 vehicles heading towards the beach from the Fishing Dock, often with just one occupant.
Announced by Gladis de León, the goal of this trial is to ease congestion in San Andrés, especially during peak periods when good weather attracts crowds to Las Teresitas beach. To address this, the Mobility Department plans to test a bus lane from Thursday to Sunday, restricting a section of the highway from the Fishing Dock roundabout to the town’s colourful bridge.
According to the Titsa representative, the current public transport option to Las Teresitas is unappealing due to long waiting times at the San Andrés entrance. By testing this initiative, the aim is to make bus travel more convenient than using private vehicles, encouraging beachgoers to leave their cars behind and access the coast via bus lines such as 910, 946, and 947, which will see increased frequency.
At an information session with residents, suggestions were gathered to refine the bus lane concept for evaluation by technical experts and officials. These proposals will also be shared with Tenerife’s Cabildo and Ports authorities involved in the pilot scheme.
The test is scheduled for June 20-23, running from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily to observe traffic patterns and assess its impact. Delays in bus routes are expected, with parking restrictions remaining in place during this period.
The implemented solution introduces an exclusive bus lane for Titsa, school transport, and other buses, alongside provisions for taxis, motorcycles, and emergency vehicles when needed. The lane begins at the Dock roundabout, merging onto the TF-11 highway towards San Andrés, with clear signage and cone demarcations along the route. Parking has been eliminated to enhance bus flow along the Maritime de San Andrés Avenue.
To ensure bus priority and smooth traffic flow, buses will have the right of way along the avenue. At the roundabout, additional assistance will be provided to bus lines 946 and 947 as they exit the bus lane to transition to the Taganana highway TF-12, requiring assistance from the Local Police for this manoeuvre.
