Redaccion
The Cabildo de Tenerife and the Federation of Entrepreneurs of Transport of the Canary Islands (FET) signed an agreement on Monday to implement improvements in the circulation of passenger discretionary bus transportation in the Rural Parks of Anaga and Teno, which will come into effect on May 15.
The signing, led by the president of the Cabildo, Rosa Dávila, and the president of FET, José Agustín Espino Flores, took place during the VI Mobility Meeting, attended by representatives from the business, economic, and social sectors of the island.
The agreement establishes specific measures to organize the circulation of discretionary bus transportation, limiting the length of vehicles and setting one-way access routes.
In the Rural Park of Teno, buses—with a maximum length of 10 meters—will only access Masca from Buenavista del Norte (TF-42) and exit towards Santiago del Teide (TF-436 and TF-82).
On the other hand, in the Rural Park of Anaga, buses—up to 12.2 meters in length—will travel from San Andrés (TF-11) to Taganana, Abicor, and Cruz del Carmen (TF-12), finally exiting through Las Mercedes towards La Laguna.
These measures aim to reduce road congestion, improve road safety on narrow and vulnerable roads, and ensure orderly and respectful access to the environment. Additionally, an active management of parking areas will be implemented on the main access roads (TF-11, TF-12, TF-123, and TF-134 in Anaga, and TF-42, TF-82, and TF-436 in Teno), in coordination with the Provincial Traffic Department, as reported by a note from the island’s corporation.
The implementation of these measures on May 15 will allow both transportation companies and users to prepare for the adaptation to the new routes and limitations, with informational campaigns that will be rolled out in the coming days. After the event, stickers were provided to the transport vehicles to highlight the collaboration of the companies in the development of sustainable mobility.
«Today is a very important day for Tenerife,» said Rosa Dávila during the signing, attended by the vice president of the Cabildo and Tourism councilor, Lope Afonso; the Mobility councilor, Eulalia García; the Roads councilor, Dámaso Arteaga; the vice minister of Infrastructure of the Government of the Canary Islands, Francis González; and the president of the Federation of Transport Entrepreneurs (FET), José Agustín Espino.
According to Rosa Dávila, «this agreement reflects our firm commitment to sustainable mobility and the protection of our natural treasures. Regulating access to Anaga and Teno was an urgent need, and we have achieved a responsible consensus with the transportation sector.»
Added Dávila, «with this agreement, we respond to a historical demand from residents, visitors, and tour operators, as the regulation not only improves mobility but also protects the environmental and scenic value of two gems in Tenerife.»
The vice president of the Cabildo de Tenerife and Tourism councilor, Lope Afonso, emphasized the importance of the agreement and highlighted the meeting held with social and economic agents of the island.
«Our protected natural spaces are one of the fundamental elements in the tourism success. The truth is that over time, this success has also led to congestion in mobility; therefore, this agreement with the transportation sector is a decisive step towards a strategy of balance that involves maintaining continuous tourism activity but respectful of the environment and the needs of the local population settled in natural areas,» he stated.
On the other hand, José Agustín Espino highlighted that the transportation subsector «assumes with responsibility the challenge of adapting their operations to this new framework, knowing that not only the quality of service is at stake, but also the future of emblematic natural spaces on the island.»
INTELLIGENT TRAFFIC LIGHTS ON TF-5
The VI Mobility Meeting, promoted by the Cabildo de Tenerife, brought together professional associations, CEOE-Tenerife, Ashotel, Fepeco, Femete, the Regional Taxi Federation, the Directorate General of Traffic, the Civil Guard, the University of La Laguna, municipal representatives, and the transportation sector, with the aim of coordinating actions to decongest the island’s roads through the promotion of public transportation, infrastructure development, progress on railway projects, and the implementation of initiatives to improve mobility and strengthen sustainability.
The president of Tenerife informed attendees of the progress made in recent months and highlighted the work to implement an intelligent traffic light system on the TF-5, between Guamasa and El Sauzal. This system, based on ramp metering technology, will regulate the entry of vehicles onto the highway in a staggered manner through intelligent traffic lights, preventing all cars from entering at once and saturating the main lanes.
Additionally, Dávila mentioned significant measures such as the reinforcement of public transportation with the addition of 320 new buses to the Titsa fleet, thanks to a total investment of 113.4 million euros, and the agreement to stagger entry times on campus starting in the 2025-2026 school year, which is estimated to reduce up to 500 vehicles daily during peak hours.
On his part, the vice minister of Infrastructure of the Government of the Canary Islands, Francisco González, highlighted the efforts to promote the expansion of the TF-1 highway, incorporating a third lane between San Isidro and Las Américas, one of the sections with the highest traffic density on the island. With a planned investment of 23.3 million euros, the road platform will be expanded, junctions remodeled, and access improved to benefit over 64,000 vehicles daily, reducing congestion and improving flow in this strategic area of southern Tenerife.
