The guided buggy tour company H2O Sports Lanzarote has issued a clarifying statement in which it denounces death threats against workers and tourists, acts of sabotage on the tracks, and an alleged campaign of media, technical, and police harassment. The company holds the lack of action by the Teguise City Council and the Cabildo of Lanzarote responsible for this situation, demanding that they regulate the circulation routes for these vehicles.
The company's management maintains that its activity is legal and accuses both administrations of not having established a regulatory framework for the tracks and dirt roads. According to the statement, it has been requesting measures to regulate circulation for years, including the possibility of paying an annual fee to compensate for the use of the tracks and contribute to their maintenance, without receiving a response.
H2O Sports Lanzarote states that the conflict has generated situations of violence, including threats, insults, attempted run-overs, and the placement of large stones, logs, and sharp objects on the tracks. The company assures that these obstacles are placed on curves and changes in gradient and can cause personal injury. It also points out that the situation affects more than 50 families linked to the company.
A draft ordinance without a response
The company assures that it has tried to find solutions and has even submitted a draft ordinance with restrictions to regulate the activity to the Teguise City Council and the Cabildo. It also claims to have collaborated with neighbors through painting work on houses and the supply of water for farms.
Despite these initiatives, H2O Sports Lanzarote considers that its proposals have not received a response and announces that its management is considering taking legal action against the two public administrations.
In its statement, the company also questions that the Minister of Territorial Policy of the Cabildo, Jesús Machín Tavío, has not met, according to its claims, with any of the four guided buggy tour companies operating in Lanzarote.
The company demands that Article 80.3 of Law 4/2017 on Land and Protected Natural Spaces of the Canary Islands be applied, which attributes to the island councils the elaboration, approval, and publication of the circulation network for motor vehicles in the natural environment, with the definition of its capacity and use regime.
Questions other activities' control
H2O Sports Lanzarote also criticizes what it considers differences in the control of tourist activities that take place in the natural environment. Specifically, it compares buggy excursions with Jeep Safari-type off-road vehicle routes in La Graciosa and with car rentals.
The company maintains that guided excursions allow for the control of tourist routes through the supervision of a monitor and points out that, according to its estimates, the number of buggies from all companies on the island is less than 200, compared to about 10,000 rental vehicles.
Likewise, it questions the absence of measures that, in its opinion, respond to incidents related to rental vehicles in places such as Las Grietas, Famara, and Las Cocinitas, in Órzola. The company asks that the possible limitation of these activities also be considered and demands that the control be applied with the same criteria.
The statement also includes questions about the reasons why the Cabildo has not created the official network of routes for motor vehicles in the natural environment and raises questions about possible political interests. These latter statements are part of the questioning expressed by the company, which does not provide proof in the note to accredit these alleged reasons.
The company does not sign the statement for fear of reprisals
H2O Sports Lanzarote concludes that its intention is to make public the situation it claims to be suffering and calls on public officials to lower the tension and seek solutions. The company insists that it agrees with its activity being controlled, but demands that circulation conditions, schedules, number of vehicles, and other regulatory measures be established.
The note is not signed. The company justifies this decision by the threats and violent situations that, it claims, its members suffer and by the fear of possible reprisals.
The accusations against the Teguise City Council and the Lanzarote Cabildo, as well as the complaints about threats and sabotage, correspond to the version presented by H2O Sports Lanzarote in its statement.
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