Tenerife Slams DGT Over Gran Canaria Tow Truck Deal

Spain's traffic authority, the Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT), has signed an agreement with Gran Canaria for a fast tow truck service on motorways. This move has deeply upset the Tenerife Island Council (Cabildo de Tenerife), according to reports. The Council, led by its president Rosa Dávila, said it was surprised and unhappy because Tenerife had pushed for and developed this very idea a year ago.

About a year ago, the Tenerife Council gave the DGT a detailed plan for an express tow truck system. The goal was to clear accident scenes faster and reduce traffic jams on major roads like the TF-5 (Northern Motorway) and TF-1 (Southern Motorway). President Dávila stated that her Council doesn't understand why the agreement was signed with Gran Canaria first, especially after Tenerife had arranged meetings and written a specific plan for its own island.

Calling the situation "striking," the Tenerife Council is now demanding that the Spanish Government immediately extend the same agreement to Tenerife. Dávila stressed that while she doesn't doubt Gran Canaria's traffic needs, Tenerife was the one who first suggested the idea. She added that both islands face similar big traffic problems, needing urgent solutions for road safety and smoother traffic.

The nationalist leader avoided guessing about political reasons for the decision. However, she warned that it would be unacceptable to put one island's road safety ahead of another's, especially when the idea came from the latter. She insisted that the DGT not providing a similar service for Tenerife could be seen as harming the safety and traffic flow that the island and its drivers require. The Council repeated that it had taken all the necessary steps beforehand.

Having rapid tow trucks is vital for Tenerife. Accidents on its Northern and Southern motorways often cause huge traffic jams, badly affecting thousands of people's daily travel and costing a lot of money.