Santa Cruz de Tenerife’s troubles with the courts continue, this time over its flagship bicycle lane scheme.
Just days after a court ruled that a street name-change was illegal because the correct procedures had not been followed, the council has now been told it cannot proceed with one of the centrepieces of its city modernisation programme.
The new bike lanes – part of measures affecting a total of 61 streets – were due to be inaugurated in the coming days but have been halted by the Canarian High Court, which has enforced a previous judgement annulling sections of the Traffic Bylaw governing the creation of bike lanes.
The action was brought by the El Perenquén Residents Association, whose lawyer Felipe Campos has a long track record of taking the authorities to court over controversial decisions that impact on the population’s rights, including parking in the city.
The association alleges among other reasons that the traffic problems caused by the reduction in space for vehicles are not justified by the expected use of the cycle lanes. It has also challenged the controversial Low Emissions Zone, arguing that this and other measures discriminate against poorer residents who cannot afford electric vehicles.
Coming a few days after the capital held its annual Bike Day at the weekend, the halting of the much-publicised cycle lanes is a major embarrassment for the town hall, which has spent considerable money on installing separation posts and painting the lane surfaces. According to media reports, it could have resolved the situation by seeking interim measures to allow the lanes and other road traffic work to continue but failed to do so at the time.
The council has filed an appeal to Spain’s Supreme Court and is awaiting news as to whether leave will be granted. However, it has already made known that, even if the bylaw is definitively annulled, it is prepared to use other local legislation giving it traffic management powers to install the bike lanes.
