The City Council of Santa Cruz de Tenerife has put forward a proposal this Friday to conduct a trial run with a dedicated bus lane from the Fishing Dock to Las Teresitas beach. The aim is to alleviate the traffic congestion experienced in the area during weekends and holidays. These trials, scheduled for four days during the week of June 20 to 23, will assess improvements in vehicle circulation and aim to promote the use of public transport as the primary mode of transportation to the beach, as stated by the council in a press release.
The municipal authorities have highlighted that Las Teresitas beach sees an average of 7,000 daily bus users compared to 12,000 vehicles heading from the Fishing Dock towards the beach, often with only one occupant in the vehicle.
Regarding the trial run, the City Council clarified that if it proves to be ineffective, alternative solutions will be explored. However, the existing infrastructure limits the availability of technical alternatives to prevent the chaos that typically occurs on weekends, holidays, and sunny days.
“The Mobility Department plans to implement this bus lane test from Thursday to Sunday, which will involve restricting the section of the highway between the Fishing Dock roundabout and the coloured bridge of the town,” highlighted Gladis de León, the mayor of the Anaga district.
Furthermore, the proposed solution includes establishing an exclusive lane for buses (including TITSA, school buses, and other public transportation), taxis, and motorcycles, with provisions for emergency vehicle access when necessary.
The lane would commence at the Fishing Dock roundabout and merge with the San Andrés highway (TF-11), with the lane demarcation taking place well in advance near the San Andrés roundabout using cones (Cabildo area).
From that point onwards (Town Hall area), the Maritime de San Andrés Avenue lane would continue to be marked by cones, and parking spaces would be eliminated.
The City Council intends to conduct the test during the week of June 20 to 23, operating daily from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The closure will be lifted once the queues have dissipated, ensuring no parking is allowed.
The plan is to provide buses with a smooth flow until the end of the avenue, where the lane terminates, granting them right of way as regulated by a give-way point situated at the lane’s end.
A specific area will be designated at the roundabout at the end of TF-11, as buses on line 946 (Intercambiador-Almáciga) and line 947 (Intercambiador-Chamorga) will need to exit the bus lane at the roundabout to join Taganana highway (TF-12).
The council also highlighted the necessity for assistance from the Local Police during this manoeuvre.
The proposal for the bus lane to Las Teresitas beach has been shared with the residents of San Andrés, who have offered their feedback and suggestions. The City Council has collected these inputs for the technical team to evaluate the proposal’s viability.
Additionally, this proposal has been communicated to the Tenerife Island Council and Tenerife Ports, key stakeholders in this pilot initiative.
