La Laguna Installs Smart Pedestrian Crossings to Boost Road Safety

La Laguna has taken a major step toward modernizing its urban infrastructure with the launch of two new "smart" pedestrian crossings on César Manrique and La Unión avenues. According to the local council, these crossings are designed to improve safety in high-traffic areas, following similar successful upgrades near the Canary Islands University Hospital.

The Guajara area was chosen for this project due to its heavy foot traffic, which includes students, commuters using the tram and bus lines, and local residents. To better protect pedestrians, Mayor Luis Yeray Gutiérrez and Citizen Security head Badel Albelo have introduced a system that uses motion sensors, backlit signs, and road-embedded lights. These features make pedestrians much more visible to drivers than standard road markings.

This initiative is a direct response to residents’ requests for safer streets. The City Council plans to expand the project, with technical teams already preparing to install similar technology on Avenida de Los Menceyes. Future locations will be selected based on traffic data and incident reports from the local police.

These smart crossings are part of a wider trend across Spain to use technology to combat common road hazards, such as driver and pedestrian distraction from mobile phones. The council will monitor the effectiveness of these new systems in La Laguna to determine how they can best be used to improve road safety in the future.