The Executive Council of the Cabildo of Tenerife (Canary Coalition and PP) has approved on Wednesday the initial approval document of the Sustainable Mobility Plan of Tenerife, a strategy that considers an investment of over 5,000 million euros between 2025 and 2035, with the participation of the Government of the Canary Islands and the State, according to the island corporation.
The plan combines strategic actions that include large road infrastructures, the reorganisation of public transport, active mobility management policies and the incorporation of the northern and southern railway corridors, according to the Cabildo.
With this initial approval, it states, the plan enters its final stage and a new period of public exhibition will now open to, once the objections have been resolved, proceed to its final approval along with the strategic environmental declaration.
“For the first time, we have a clear, realistic and agreed roadmap, which allows us to act on a reality that affects the daily life of thousands of people. We act with planning, investment and with the firm commitment of all administrations,” said island president Rosa Dávila, who promised during the election campaign to end the queues on the island’s motorways in 90 days.
This plan does not include any measures to limit the number of rental vehicles on the island, as is already happening, for example, in the Balearic Islands. Across the Canary Islands, the number of these vehicles is close to 100,000, and has far exceeded those existing before the pandemic. Places like Teide National Park, Teno, Masca, or Anaga are congested by vehicles, the majority rented, without the Cabildo having so far adopted any measures regarding this type of mobility.
Roadmap
The Cabildo highlights that the plan has an “ambitious, realistic and structured” roadmap, which charts the path towards a “fairer, more efficient and sustainable” mobility model. It thus includes works, reorganisation of services, technological innovation, coordination tasks and a new island governance.
Among the actions, it contemplates the creation of an Island Mobility Office that will coordinate, plan and supervise the execution of all planned actions.
Infrastructures
One of the main strands of the plan is the actions on road infrastructures. Progress is being made, for example, on closing the high-capacity insular ring with three key sections: San Juan to Icod, Los Realejos to San Juan, and El Tanque to Santiago del Teide, aiming to ensure a north-south connection without relying exclusively on the TF-5.
Significant works are also included on the TF-1 and TF-5. Specifically, from Erques to Santiago del Teide, an improvement of the route is planned, and in Adeje, the motorway will be buried to reduce its impact in a densely populated area.
In the south, work continues on the link between Chafiras and Oroteanda, and two key extensions of the third lane on the TF-1 are contemplated: between San Isidro and Los Cristianos, and between Güímar and San Isidro. A new direct access to the Port of Los Cristianos is added, crucial for port and tourist traffic.
Metropolitan area and north
In the metropolitan area and the north of the island, specific actions will be developed such as the BUS-HOV lane with ITS technology between Guamasa and Los Rodeos Airport, the TF-5 bypass to improve airport access, and the reactivation of the connection between the TF-13 and Mesa Mota through the Gorgorana tunnel, which will ease traffic in La Laguna.
The west bypass, connecting Guamasa with Añaza, will also be executed to divert much of the traffic currently passing through the metropolitan area.
Furthermore, a BUS-HOV section with intelligent management will be built, connecting Santa Cruz with Güímar via the TF-1, designed to facilitate public transport use in daily commutes.
Public transport
The plan includes the restructuring of the bus network to better adapt to the real schedules and needs of the population, with more frequency, greater coordination between lines, and better connections with interchanges and other modes of transport.
The tram network will also be expanded. Line 1 will reach Los Rodeos airport and Line 2 will extend to Muñeco de Nieve, aiming to bring the service closer to key areas of the population, according to the Cabildo.
In addition to infrastructures and public transport, the plan incorporates mobility management measures, including parking regulation to discourage excessive use of private vehicles, promoting demand-responsive transport in low-density areas, and designing specific mobility plans for key centres such as the University, hospitals, ports and airports.
