This Friday marks the commencement of the Carnival in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, taking to the streets of the capital with the opening parade, which signifies “substantial alterations to traffic.” This includes street closures for vehicles and restrictions on parking as detailed by the City Council on Thursday.
Although the parade is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. from Belgium Avenue, various parking restrictions will commence from 07:00 in the morning. It is essential to note that the route will proceed from that point through Plaza República Dominicana, Avenida de la Asunción, Ramón y Cajal, Galcerán, Plaza Weyler, Méndez Núñez, El Pilar, Villalba Hervás, La Marina, and Maritime Avenue.
With regard to traffic restrictions, it is crucial to highlight that from 4:00 p.m., Reyes Católicos Avenue will be closed off, starting from its intersection with Gilberto Cayol street, including access to Plaza de la Paz, to facilitate prior preparations for the parade. Gradually, the flow of traffic on other routes within the parade’s path will be restricted; however, while allowing for public access, officers will permit movement through certain cross streets ahead of the parade.
Parking Restrictions
The organisation of the Rachagata announcer will necessitate the prior implementation of parking restrictions on several streets in the city centre. These restrictions will follow diverse timings, which will be marked clearly on the affected thoroughfares, and it is imperative that these instructions are adhered to in order to prevent the removal of vehicles by the Local Police.
The initial restrictions will commence from 07:00 tomorrow, affecting the section of Madrid Avenue from Unamuno to the Avenue of Belgium. In addition, restrictions will apply to Ramón y Cajal street, between Castro and Benavides streets, and Duggi Street, from the access to the square to Benavides Street. A second set of parking prohibitions will be implemented at 12:00 noon, limiting parking on Belgium Avenue from Comodoro Rolín Street to the Dominican Republic, and also affecting Luis de la Cruz and Velázquez streets. By 3:00 p.m., this mandate will extend to Ramón y Cajal Street, from the junction with assumptions to Alfaro Street.
An hour later, from 4:00 p.m., parking will be prohibited on Miraflores Street, spanning from La X Street to Galcerán Street, on La Marina Street from Plaza de España to the junction with Bouza alley; a section of Emilio Calzadilla; Cabildo Square; Gutiérrez General Street; a section of Cruz Verde; and on Maritime Avenue from the Alameda of the Duke of Santa Elena to the intersection with San Sebastián Avenue.
In the final phase, these prohibitions will come into effect at 5:00 p.m., extending to Francisco La Roche Avenue until it joins the Ramblas de Santa Cruz; Bravo Murillo Street, except for the stretch from the direction of the city of San Sebastián to José Manuel Guimerá Gurrea street; as well as on the section of San Sebastián Street from Bravo Murillo to Marítima Avenue and in the vicinity of Chaco La Casona.
Closure of the Carnival Quadrilateral
As an added safety and traffic management measure, during all key dates of the Carnival, access to the so-called Carnival quadrilateral will be prohibited from 6:00 p.m. on Friday until 06:00 hours the following Wednesday. A partial opening will occur for a few hours on Monday to accommodate the work of municipal services and suppliers for the various venues. A similar approach will be implemented over the Piñata weekend from Friday to the following Monday.
Once the carnival quadrilateral is closed, access to the localities and areas of Anaga will be possible via the dock, entering through Constitution Avenue and exiting via the fishing port. This route will remain open for traffic.
Traffic Restrictions
In general, until 10:00 p.m., and afterwards, only the internal road for the residents of Anaga will be permitted. The Local Police have set up various alternative routes for other parts of the city that will be impacted by the necessary closures during the Carnival celebrations.
Public Transport
All these changes will also influence public transport. Notably, on Friday, the Tenerife Metropolitan service will only operate in the direction of the capital until the Plaza de la Paz stop from 6:00 p.m. Additionally, the Titsa buses heading towards the Anaga region will utilise the inner route of the Port Authority, establishing several temporary stops to carry out their service.
With regard to taxis, the closest stops to the quadrilateral will be found on Víctor Zurita Soler Street (right lane, exit direction), San Sebastián Street (parking area between IES Bernabé Rodríguez and Bravo Murillo Street), Miraflores Street (between Alfaro and Galcerán streets), Calle de El Pilar (between Callao de Lima and San Clemente), Valentín Sanz Street (between Ángel Guimerá and Miraflores), and waiting will be on Marcos Redondo Street once the tram service is halted. The tram will only run between Plaza de la Paz and Trinidad de la Laguna Avenue, which is expected to end by around 6:00 p.m.
The City Council’s Councillor for Citizen Security and Emergencies, Gladis de León, urged “everyone to act responsibly, aiming to ensure that the carnival commences with enjoyment at the forefront while cooperating with the security forces.” She encouraged “citizens attending the festivities or the inaugural night of carnival dances to primarily utilise public transport, honouring the limitations on parking and the use of affected roads.”
