Santa Cruz de Tenerife Races to Implement Low Emission Zone to Secure Funding

Santa Cruz de Tenerife is under pressure to meet a strict government deadline. The city council has begun drafting regulations for its new Low Emission Zone (LEZ), a move required to avoid paying back 11 million euros in public funding. With the central government’s deadline for final approval set for June 30, this project has become a top priority for local officials.

The proposed zone covers the area between Barranco de Santos, Avenida de Anaga, and the streets of Méndez Núñez and San Isidro. Mayor José Manuel Bermúdez stated that the city is carefully designing these rules to avoid the legal challenges that have stalled similar projects in other Spanish cities. While the local Department of Mobility has expressed concerns about the state mandate requiring this for cities with over 50,000 residents, the council must comply with the national Law on Climate Change and Energy Transition.

Under the new plan, access restrictions will apply from Monday to Saturday, 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. However, the rules are flexible: bicycles, personal mobility vehicles, and cars with Zero, ECO, C, or B labels will still have free access. The restrictions will only affect older gasoline cars registered before 2001 and diesel cars registered before 2006. Additionally, there will be exemptions and a grace period, meaning full fines will not be enforced until 2029.

In other news, the council has approved a new model for the Home Help Service (SAD). This change removes previous caps on the number of users by allowing a wider range of authorized service providers. Beneficiaries will now be able to choose between receiving direct care or a financial allowance to hire their own help. However, this transition has caused concern among current staff, who fear that the change in management and bidding processes could lead to job losses.