The Santa Cruz City Council has plans to establish a new Guaguas interchange known as the Anaga Puerta Intermodal Node in this part of the municipality, which serves as an entrance to the Rural Park. To facilitate this, a study will be conducted to explore different location options, including San Andrés, Cueva Bermeja, María Jiménez, or Valseco. The aim of this facility is to allow visitors to park their vehicles and access the Anaga massif via public transport or bicycle.
The Councillor for Mobility, Evelyn Alonso, noted that this initiative will be funded through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) under local integrated development strategies projects.
However, she clarified, “as this funding opportunity is anticipated for the latter half of 2025, €15,000 will be allocated from the City Council’s funds to undertake a feasibility study for this project. The eligible percentage for funding would be 85%, with the remaining 15% coming from this year’s municipal budget,” she explained.
The mayor emphasised that “the intention is for this report to present various alternatives for the location of the interchange, as it needs to be a space with safe access that ensures the movement of pedestrians, buses, and electric mobility vehicles. Subsequently, the Urban Planning Management will assess the optimal site for its construction,” she stated.
In this context, Alonso reiterated that the purpose of this new interchange area for Santa Cruz is to diminish the volume of private vehicles within the biosphere reserve, particularly in regions of significant natural value and high visitor concentration. This future facility will also incorporate a comprehensive public transport system through parking areas that facilitate access to the various trails or points of interest in Anaga.
Moreover, as part of this new Feder Fund initiative, the Mobility Area will allocate an additional budget of €15,000 towards creating safe school routes in the La Alegría neighbourhood, aiming to address the natural divide caused by the Tahodio ravine between this area, which houses several educational institutions, and Residential Anaga.
Guaguas Traffic Light
Conversely, regarding the measures proposed by the Mobility Area to enhance public transport, the councillor stated that €200,000 will be earmarked for the implementation of a signal priority system for the most heavily utilised guaguas lines, with the testing phase set to commence this year. “It will resemble what occurs when trams pass through streets, where traffic lights will give preference to public transport with the objective of reducing travel times and increasing efficiency,” she elaborated.
Additionally, another allocation of €200,000 will be established for the marking of new guagua lanes across the city, with an evaluation of priority areas to alleviate congestion, alongside improvements on San Sebastián Avenue, where cars often encroach upon the lane for turning movements.
Concerning the contract with the public guaguas operator, Alonso confirmed that it will continue with titsa, and regarding the 2024-2028 fleet renewal plan, the budget will total €3.729 million.
Assistance for Taxi Rescue and Adaptation of PMR Vehicles
The Councillor for Mobility, Evelyn Alonso, emphasised that this year the taxi licensing scheme will persist, which commenced in 2023 and is set to conclude in 2026. To this end, the City Council will allocate €768,213 with an additional €628,538 from the Cabildo.
“The goal is for 100% of taxi drivers to operate without mandatory stop days, as, since January 1, they have been required to take one day off, which will ultimately result in increased service availability in the city.”
Furthermore, she added that the adaptation of taxis for the transport of individuals with reduced mobility (PMR) will be subsidised, as the municipality should have 60 PMR taxis, yet there are currently only eleven operational.”
