Santa Cruz Drops Appeal, To Remove Bike Lanes and Draft New Mobility Ordinance
Santa Cruz City Council has dropped its appeal against the cancellation of its Mobility Ordinance, clearing the way for a new one and the removal of specific bike lanes after Christmas.
On Monday, the Santa Cruz City Council's Governing Board, led by Mayor José Manuel Bermúdez, decided to drop its appeal to the Supreme Court. This appeal was against a ruling by the High Court of Justice of the Canary Islands (TSJC) that had cancelled the city's Mobility and Road Safety Ordinance.
This decision clears the way to start creating and approving a new ordinance. It also makes it easier to remove parts of the bicycle lanes on Villalba Hervás, El Pilar, and Méndez Núñez streets.
Mayor Bermúdez explained that the City Council is choosing to begin work on new rules. He noted that, for now, the 1985 ordinance, which was in place for many years before the cancelled one, will be used.
The mayor stated that the City Council will not wait for more court decisions about the bike lane and has already decided to remove it from the streets mentioned.
He added that the city is looking into other ways to use these spaces. Ideas include creating areas for loading and unloading, parking for motorcycles and scooters, and new spots for people with disabilities.
This work will happen after the Christmas shopping season, as agreed with local businesses. The goal is to decide on the new uses for these spaces between the end of the Christmas period and Carnival.
Evelyn Alonso, the Mobility Councilor, said the Governing Board approved moving forward with a new Mobility Ordinance, hoping to have a first draft ready next month.
After that, the document will be open for public feedback for one month. Then, a full draft will be prepared, including a report on its impact. The TSJC had found this impact analysis lacking in the previous, cancelled ordinance.
Once that's done, the proposed rules will go to the full City Council for initial approval. This will start another one-month period for public review. Any important suggestions received during this time will be added before the final version of the rules is approved.