The Urban Jungle – eldia.es

If Humboldt were to come back to life and approach the viewpoint that bears his name in the municipality of La Orotava, he would probably be risking his life. For nearly 26 years, I lived very close to there, in the Las Cuevas urbanization. A privileged place for the magnificent view that I could enjoy from my house. I still remember and miss the sunsets that painted the blue sky orange from that unique balcony in the Valley of La Orotava. It’s been quite a few years since that time, but there are situations that, despite the time that has passed, seem to be practically in the same place where I left them when I lived there.

A few days ago, I was sent some videos of illegal races that have been taking place on that entrance road to the municipality for several months. The passion of some people to risk their lives at full speed in a reckless and premeditated way, putting at risk the integrity of anyone who crosses their path, is amazing. As I am told, these are races that are organized through social media and take place any day of the week and at any time. The continuous complaints posted on the profiles of the Vecinal Humboldt Platform and the echo that these events are having in the media have led the local and island authorities to take action so that the Guardia Civil also takes action. Traffic controls are already visible, which will probably have an effect, but only in the short term and in a specific way.

 

According to Lucas García, one of the promoters of this platform, “the issue of the races is only the tip of the iceberg of a serious road safety problem that we, the residents, have been suffering for many years”. Lucas tells me that these races arose after the road resurfacing works carried out by the Cabildo in the previous term, which left “a circuit” in perfect conditions for this use. But beyond asphalting the potholes and covering the gaps in one of the main entrances to the municipality, perhaps the most beautiful, what this road really needs is comprehensive conditioning that has been demanded for far too many years.

Mario’s Odyssey

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Trying to access the heart of La Orotava from Las Cuevas, through the Quiquirá area and the avenue of the Araucarias, is a very risky mission. In many stretches, there are neither sidewalks nor areas adapted for walking. And even worse for people with some type of disability. Mario suffers from a degenerative disease but does not want to depend on anyone to go to the pharmacy, just 420 meters from his house. Getting there is a whole adventure that starts as soon as the wheels of his wheelchair touch the street. He travels parallel to the vehicles that circulate at quite a speed in that area and finally reaches his destination. The way back seems even more complicated as he does not dare to return by the same route with the vehicles, in this case, moving in the opposite direction. He then decides to cross at a pedestrian crossing without speed reduction measures and when he reaches the other side, he is met with a step on a curb without accessibility. And back home.

 

When I lived there, there was a complete dependence on private vehicles or public transport to reach the heart of the town. Furthermore, I always considered that for the La Orotava City Council, the municipality ended at the Charca. Years have passed, and I realize that the situation is practically the same. Those of us who grew up there could never walk there. It was a recommendation from our parents that turned into a prohibition when a girl died after falling into the Charca while climbing a wall to allow a bus to pass. I think this tragic event occurred in the early nineties, and unfortunately, it has not been the only one. Years have passed, and apart from minor interventions, there hasn’t been a comprehensive intervention to provide this area with a safe avenue for vehicles and pedestrians, as exists in any other place.

We cannot advocate for the promotion of healthy lifestyles, like leaving the car in the garage, when the minimum conditions to do so are not provided, as in this case. Although most of the inhabitants of this area were originally foreigners looking for a peaceful retirement in the Valley, today Las Cuevas is an important residential area where many families live, with people working in the city centre or children attending municipal schools.

For the platform, the administration’s response is somewhat contradictory. “We cannot become the children of discordant parents,” Lucas tells us when referring to the competence responsibility that the different administrations, in this case the Cabildo and the City Council, have in the improvement of this road. “As it is an island road, it is the responsibility of the Cabildo, but when it encompasses the urban area, it is the responsibility of the City Council. In between is the citizen who lives with the problem without seeing the solution.”

 

And we have a clear example. “The resurfacing work carried out by theThe Council two years ago included the removal of some garden trees that have no environmental protection, to widen the passage for people. However, the island spokesperson for Yes We Can in that stage, Maria José Belda, almost came here to stop the work by formalizing a complaint in which the imposition of very precautionary measures was requested not to touch any tree. Finally, the court dismissed the complaint, but the initial project was never resumed. Moreover, they decided to place a fence around each tree, making it even more difficult to walk. Of course, the environment and biodiversity must be respected, but we should not go to such extremes where the safety of people is put first.

The Platform now sees another threat in the form of an institutional motion, approved in January 2023 by all the parties that make up the City Council, requesting the Council to carry out a study on the possibility of converting the road into a single lane and bike lane. For the Platform, “when making these types of decisions, a citizen participation process should be carried out at least so that those who are really affected could give their opinion on its convenience as it would greatly complicate the traffic at this entrance to La Orotava.”

Another resident, Eva Marichal, emphasizes the need for “urgent action before another tragedy occurs.” Beyond undertaking a large project that is certainly necessary, it is urgent to take deterrent measures to limit speed because we cannot continue waiting. Eva also points out that “it is a very busy road not only for the residents of the area.” “A lot of people pass through here every day from both this and other neighboring municipalities. It is the most beautiful entrance road to La Orotava and there is not even a sign announcing the entrance to the municipality,” says Eva Marichal.

Reassuring Message

The councilor of La Orotava Town Hall, Narciso Pérez, in view of the commotion that the issue has stirred in the media and social networks, has made statements in which he sends a reassuring message as they work with the Council on short, medium, and long-term measures to provide a solution to this problem. On one hand, he announces the installation of deterrent elements for vehicles to reduce speed while in the long term they are working on an ambitious project to design a pedestrian route that provides road safety with minimal environmental impact. “We will be attentive. We leave the situation of the Humboldt viewpoint for another day of keeping the north.”

“Here a pedestrian will die. Sidewalks now!”. This sign placed at the entrance to La Orotava by Las Cuevas is the way that residents have chosen to demand urgent measures to improve safety in this area, where the lack of sidewalks and pedestrian areas makes it extremely dangerous. This is compounded by the illegal races organized at this point.