Lanzarote's PSOE denounced this Monday that the Timanfaya National Park is once again experiencing "a situation of traffic collapse", with long queues of vehicles and a "lack of control" in the accesses that has forced, once again, the intervention of the Nature Protection Service (Seprona) to demand compliance with current regulations.
The socialists point out that it is not an isolated incident, but rather "a repeated situation over time", in which the Civil Guard has had to act on several occasions to "limit the number of parked vehicles, set at a maximum of 90, given the evident non-compliance with environmental and safety regulations".
Denounces the "inaction" of the governing group
In this context, the socialist councilor and former head of the Art, Culture and Tourism Centers of the Cabildo de Lanzarote, Benjamín Perdomo, has been emphatic in pointing out that “what is happening in Timanfaya is not a coincidence, it is the direct consequence of the inaction and lack of management of the current government of Oswaldo Betancort”.
“SEPRONA is having to do the work that corresponds to the Cabildo. It cannot be that, again and again, we have images of endless queues, cars invading protected spaces and a total absence of control. It is an absolute irresponsibility,” he/she has denounced.
The PSOE recalled that during the last legislature it left designed a specific protocol to regulate access to the park, which contemplated the enabling of two parking areas in Tinajo and Yaiza and the implementation of a shuttle bus system to reduce the pressure of private vehicles in the protected environment.
“That plan is done, it is worked on and it is ready to be put into motion. What is missing is political will. One cannot continue looking the other way while one of Lanzarote's main natural spaces deteriorates,” affirmed the socialist councilor.
From the PSOE they stressed that the current situation not only affects the conservation of the National Park, but also the image of the island as a sustainable tourist destination, also generating inconveniences and unnecessary waits for residents and visitors.
“Timanfaya cannot continue to be synonymous with collapse,” he/she added.
Shuttle buses and park-and-ride car parks
For all this, the PSOE of Lanzarote demanded of the governing group formed by Coalición Canaria and Partido Popular that it immediately activate the mobility plan designed in the last legislature, implementing the shuttle bus system and the dissuasive car parks as an urgent measure to guarantee compliance with the law, protect the environment and improve the experience of those who visit Timanfaya.
“What is at stake is the sustainability and the credibility of Lanzarote as an island that boasts of protecting its territory. And today, unfortunately, that credibility is in question due to the neglect of the Cabildo”, he concluded.