The endless queues around the shopping centers during the Christmas campaign in Santa Cruz already made it clear that the increase in the influx of vehicles to the capital was considerable. The data from the Citizen Security and Emergency Service of the Santa Cruz City Council, compiled through the Road Safety and Traffic Management section, confirm this reality. Thus, it is calculated that the daily average number of vehicles that entered the city on weekdays was 259,532 vehicles. A figure that contrasts with the usual daily average, which in a pandemic is around 125,000 cars on the days of greatest influx.
Overall, the increase in the volume of traffic in the capital of Tenerife grew by 11.21% more than in the same period of the previous year. This comparative study has focused on the period between December 14, 2021 and January 7, 2022, the usual dates of greatest traffic in the urban environment of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. In quantitative terms, the records indicate that during the last Christmas campaign there were 5,191,688 vehicle movements, of which 2,577,620 were in the direction of entering the city and 2,614,068 leaving. The percentage increase for the entire analyzed period, translated into the vehicle movement parameter, means that traffic density increased by 523,163 vehicles during those dates.
Detailed data
In the 25 days analyzed, 16 working days and 9 holidays, it is found that the greatest increase was recorded during working days, when traffic density increased by 17.17%, so that of the 3,543,863 vehicle movements of the 2020/2021 campaign went to 4,152,516 of the one that just ended. However, on holidays and weekends this intensity fell by 7.60%, some 85,490 fewer vehicles. The daily average of vehicles that entered the capital during the working days of Christmas reached almost 260,000 vehicles.
According to data from the City Council, the day on which the most vehicles entered the capital of Tenerife was December 18; while the one with the least traffic density was on January 1. All this data is collected by the system of electronic loops that Santa Cruz has installed at the main entrances and exits of the city.
The study also confirms that the most used route in this period to enter the capital was the access from the North highway (TF-5), followed by the entrance, from the same area, but in this case using the viaduct next to the municipal swimming pool to access Reyes Católicos, Asuntistas and Ramblas de Santa Cruz avenues. The third in this category due to its traffic density were the accesses from the Anaga enclaves. However, in the outbound direction, Tres de Mayo Avenue, whether using the tunnel or the surface lanes, brought together 1,026,080 trips on those Christmas dates.
The Delegate Councilor for Citizen Security and Mobility, Evelyn Alonso, has taken advantage of these figures to highlight that “it is clear that Santa Cruz continues to be the main economic and commercial center of the island of Tenerife, which is very positive for our entire business fabric, but it also confirms that we are on the right path to face an important challenge regarding mobility and improvement of public transport, already initiated in the Consistory”.
Alonso also added that now “with the calm analysis of the data we can articulate some immediate measures in order to adopt special actions before the next Christmas campaign, surely modifications and improvements that facilitate access to the capital and promote public transport in front of the vehicle private”. Records of traffic flows will also be important given the possible creation of new parking pockets in the city.
