Yesterday, the Santa Cruz City Council declared the completion of the test phase for the bus lane to Las Teresitas, even though the experimental period for this measure was originally scheduled to end at the close of the month. Mobility Councillor Evelyn Alonso defended the decision to discontinue it, stating that there is already sufficient data to assess the effectiveness of the initiative implemented on weekends during the summer months. The main aim was to ensure accessibility for the residents of San Andrés and the inhabitants of the villages and settlements in the Anaga massif.
The bus lane, which commenced its trial run at the end of June, has faced criticism from locals and business owners in the vicinity. In a recent survey conducted by DIARIO DE AVISOS, they expressed grievances, claiming that the council’s action has led to longer queues, reduced parking spaces, and a decline in customer traffic, causing distress among them. Residents’ groups in the fishing neighbourhood have also shown opposition to its introduction and are planning to gather signatures against the lane leading to Las Teresitas.
Although the council has decided to suspend the bus lane now, stating that traffic studies will persist in the area. These studies will focus on the parking areas along the San Andrés seafront promenade, the newly established space at the beach’s entrance, and the beach car parks themselves.
Alonso stressed that they will continue to formulate strategies and implement measures, along with exploring alternative solutions that enhance mobility in this area of the capital’s shoreline. The aim is to improve public transport flow and alleviate traffic congestion and related delays.
According to the council, the data accumulated following the launch of this experimental initiative has shown that the buses operating on the days when the lane was in use during weekends catered to over 22,000 passengers on line 910 (Interchange-Las Teresitas). It was highlighted that due to the implementation of this specific measure, the travel times for each journey were approximately 30 minutes or even less. In contrast, on weekends when the lane was not in operation, the journey durations from Dársena Pesquera de Los Llanos to the beach entrance exceeded 40 minutes.
On June 21, the city council introduced the bus lane on a trial basis to alleviate the traffic congestion at the entrance to San Andrés caused by the large number of visitors to Las Teresitas beach, particularly on weekends. However, locals and business proprietors voiced discontent to DIARIO DE AVISOS, indicating that the measure is turning into a burden for them. They argue that the queues have grown longer than before, parking spaces have decreased, deterring customer footfall.
