New Mobility Rules for Teide National Park
The future master plan for the use and management of Teide National Park will introduce timed restrictions on car access, requiring visitors to use public buses during specific hours. This was confirmed by José Miguel Ruano, Minister of the Presidency for the Tenerife Island Council (Cabildo de Tenerife), who clarified that the measures are “limitations on the use of private vehicles, but not an outright ban.”
Balancing Access and Conservation
Ruano elaborated, “There will be specific time slots where all mobility within the park will be conducted by bus, and other time slots where this will not be the case.” This approach aims to create a more sustainable transport system for Spain’s most visited national park. The new plan also respects traditional land uses, such as apiculture (beekeeping), albeit with certain conditions, and enhances provisions for other activities, including cycling on designated tracks.
A Collaborative Effort for a Sustainable Future
The document, which has been developed collaboratively by the island corporation and the Canary Islands Government for over a year and a half, is scheduled for debate on September 29th in the park’s board of trustees. The current administrations are in disagreement with the original draft plan created during the tenure of José Antonio Valbuena as Minister for Ecological Transition. Ruano emphasized that the new text is “a clear improvement over the previous one, which in every way hindered access to Teide and the enjoyment of the national park.”
What the New Plan Entails
Instead of blanket restrictions, the revised plan establishes “an island-wide sustainable mobility plan.” Some of its determinations are transitional, while others will be finalized in a future plan to be established by the Cabildo. Ruano believes the new document represents a “significant step forward.” Final approval rests with the Canary Islands Government and is expected, presumably, before December.
