The massive visits to Las Grietas and the increase in tourists who come to see the area continue to cause controversy in Lanzarote. A few days ago, La Voz echoed the filming of a commercial without municipal authorization and the presence of a man asking for money to control parking. Two and more issues that have provoked the response of the mayor of the Tías City Council, José Juan Cruz, in which the measures that the council is beginning to take in this regard are clarified.
In a recent interview this Wednesday on Radio Lanzarote-Onda Cero, Cruz made it clear that the area cannot support the large number of visits it receives every day. "It is not conditioned as a visitor center," he said during his speech. In addition, the arrival of massive tourists leads to traffic congestion. "Vehicles are concentrating on a road without parking prepared for it," he pointed out.
Social networks have been responsible for advertising Las Grietas, a place unknown to many years ago. This advertising brings with it the deterioration of the space. "It is a protected space and could have heritage values," added the mayor. "Las Grietas has become a new fashion, the elderly people of Tías do not know what it is," he said.
Among the measures announced by the mayor of Tías, the Council announced that the technical office will study the area to check its accessibility. "A study will be commissioned to see if it is safe to travel through the area," Cruz announced on the morning show Buenos días, Lanzarote. There is still no concrete data on the safety study, although the mayor recommended that "you have to be careful in the area, as it can be dangerous."
Once the area has been analyzed, the City Council plans to adapt the path to guarantee safety, if possible. "The objective is to condition the path and see if it is feasible to improve it and signpost it," said José Juan. "We want to condition a cunetón (ditch without concrete or stones)," he said about the intentions of the Council.
Stop promoting advertising as a measure
To try to reduce the influx of tourists in Las Grietas, the Tías City Council has chosen to stop advertising the area. "We have asked that the tourist information that may be being transmitted through the Tourism website be eliminated," he stressed.
In addition, the same request was also made to the Island Council. "We have suggested to the Lanzarote Island Council that the activity not be reported or advertised," the mayor announced. Consequently, it has been suggested that the information regarding access to Las Grietas through the path be eliminated.
There was only one entry record for the filming
Regarding the matter related to the filming of the advertising spot closed a few days ago in Las Grietas, the mayor informed the listeners about the action taken by the Local Police of Tías. The residents were in charge of contacting the Council so that the agents could go to the place to review the documentation. "They were asked for authorization and they did not have everything in order," revealed the mayor. In a second attempt to continue recording, the police had to act. "They went for the second time and the police forced them to dismantle everything," confirmed the mayor.
In order to carry out the filming of the "fashion report", they only had authorization from the Cabildo. "They did not have authorization from the Tías City Council, nothing more than an entry record," he revealed. Therefore, it is an "illegal activity in the municipal area," added Cruz. Regarding the measures that will be taken in the face of the incident, the mayor concluded that "I do not know the amount of the fine that may fall on them."
