La Rambla Residents to Protest for Safe Road Access
Frustrated by a lack of action, residents of La Rambla, a coastal neighborhood in the municipality of San Juan de la Rambla, are once again preparing to protest. They are demanding a safe road access from the main TF-5 highway in northern Tenerife. The citizen platform ‘Todos con La Rambla’ is reviving its demonstrations, similar to those held in 2022 when they gathered every Sunday at the problematic intersection that serves as the entrance to their community.
A Decision Forced by Official Inaction
The decision to return to public protests was made after the Tenerife Island Council failed to include sufficient funding in its 2025 budget for a project designed to solve the dangerous crossing. To make matters worse, the group claims they have received no communication from the island authority throughout this entire year. “The silence has been absolute,” state representatives from the citizen collective.
Protest Date Set Amidst Frustration
Adela Abreu, spokesperson for the local collective, has confirmed that a protest will take place on the main northern highway on Sunday, October 26th. “In light of this neglect, we have set a date to begin demonstrating on the TF-5, unless there is significant progress towards a solution for the serious situation in which the neighborhood of La Rambla finds itself,” the group announced. For now, they have not decided to demonstrate periodically as they did three years ago.
Broken Promises and Budgetary Shortfalls
The neighborhood representatives met with the Mayor of San Juan de La Rambla, Juan Ramos, on Monday, September 29th, to explain the situation. “We know that the 2026 budgets are already being drafted, and we fear the same thing that happened in 2025 will occur again,” states the platform’s spokesperson. “We were promised that the budget document would include four million euros, which is the total cost of the project that has already been drafted. They only allocated 75,000 euros. We don’t know what has been done with that paltry sum, and that is one of the questions we want to ask.”
Unfulfilled Commitments from Island Officials
According to La Rambla residents, the Councilor for Roads of the Island Corporation, Dámaso Arteaga, committed to meeting with them last March. “On his part, there have only been words and broken promises, which are backed up by his statements in various media outlets. He claimed his commitment was clear and that the tender process and construction would begin in 2025,” Abreu notes. The island councilor has not responded to inquiries made by the newspaper El Día.
A Community’s Exhaustion
The community’s patience has run out. “We are tired of having to add six extra kilometers to our journey to Santa Cruz. We are tired of risking our lives by having to wait in the middle of the TF-5 to enter the neighborhood. We are tired of seeing how visitors and locals cross the highway to reach a bus stop or the neighborhood without any safety measures. We are very tired of the neglect regarding road safety in La Rambla,” they conclude.
The Proposed Solution
The project to provide a solution for the intersection accessing La Rambla from the TF-5 carries a cost of over five million euros. The plan considers four possible alternatives, and the nearly 1,000-page document explains why a combination of options one and three was chosen. This “multi-criteria analysis” proposes an oval-shaped, lower roundabout, shifted to the northeast under the TF-5, to minimize the impact on the existing Archaeological Zone, which is a Site of Cultural Interest on the hillside.
Improvements for Pedestrians
On the surface, the grade of the TF-5 will be elevated to create greater clearance under the bridge deck, reducing excavations in the area. The document also addresses one of the main demands of the citizen group: pedestrian access. According to the project, “with the new link design, pedestrian routes to the bus stops and the recreational area from the La Rambla neighborhood are guaranteed at all times.” It assures that people will be able to cross safely thanks to pedestrian crossings “at all branch intersections.”
