masca residents protest road closure

Masca residents protest over road closure plans

Compiled with the help of artificial intelligence, based on Spanish-language information. Source below the article.

Residents up in arms over access road closure

A considerable proportion of residents in Masca are completely opposed to the closure of the access road to this famous Tenerife hamlet from neighbourhoods such as El Palmar and Las Portelas (Buenavista) or from the historic centre of Santiago del Teide, due to the economic damage such a measure causes to their businesses (especially restaurants, bars, a roadside shop and accommodation establishments). This is reflected in the various protest banners displayed in some of the stopping areas used by the many visitors to this spectacular enclave in the municipality of Buenavista, albeit on its southern side.

Indeed, so many visitors come that it is the second most visited natural space on the island, after Las Cañadas del Teide, yet it suffers from clear traffic congestion problems due to the characteristics of the road and, ultimately, the excesses of tourism, although, of course, residents with businesses see things differently.

August closure sparks fears of permanent restrictions

Last August, the Cabildo of Tenerife closed the road due to the risks of fire and excessive heat, which could hamper the manoeuvrability of emergency vehicles in the event of an emergency, such as heatstroke. Residents, however, fear that this measure is the prelude to constant closures and warn of the drastic drop in their income from catering and other businesses during those ten days.

That is why they have put up the banners (painted sheets) in which, among other messages, they warn that the Master Plan for Use and Management of the Teno Natural Park (PRUG), which covers the hamlet, as well as its heritage protection status (BIC), could end up protecting only the shell, but not the content, “that is, us, the residents (between 80 and 100) who live here and make Masca possible,” a resident who prefers not to be named told this newspaper.

“There are two Mascas: the tourist one and the residents’ one”

Speaking openly is the secretary of the Barranco de Masca residents’ association, Javier Díaz, who links the situation of the hamlet with that of Teide, Anaga and other places due to growing restrictions on visitor numbers. “There are two Mascas: the tourist one, with lies and a huge promotional and tourist impact, like the ‘Spanish Machu Picchu’ thing, and the residents’ one. The shuttle bus idea and possible closures have been going on for twenty years and now the completion of the island ring road is pending, but with this closure in August we have already seen the results and there is no control, for example, in the car parks they have created next to the cemetery in Santiago del Teide, with local traders already complaining.”

Díaz fears that there will be ever more restrictions on visits and that businesses will finally collapse, hence the banners. He also condemns the state of the hamlet: “You should see the state of the paths, the streetlights, the lighting… There is no sewage treatment system. What we residents want is to manage our own territory, because we see that everything is managed from outside and, now, to enter the ravine you have to register with the company Volcano Teide, without that business staying in Masca under the argument that it would be unprofitable.”

“But, for example, Canary Islanders are being prevented from entering the ravine; families from the Islands hardly come anymore because one thing that is not said is that, upon reaching the beach, each member has to pay 25 euros to then go on the boat excursion companies to the port of Los Gigantes (Santiago del Teide). It’s not just that fewer people go down to the ravine, but that these situations occur.”

“During those ten days in August, and although it was said it was due to the heat risks, we really noticed the reduction in people and business owners uploaded videos to social media to show it. If the road is closed, Masca dies and we believe that what they are looking for is for us to leave. There are suffocating urban regulations, the PRUG has not been reviewed since 2007; renovating a bathroom or making any small change to a house costs us a lot because the BIC status does not allow it. That protection harms us a lot.”

“Furthermore, we have gone from the cars of the 80s and 90s to the large vehicles of today, while the road has not been touched since the 90s and is not prepared for this type of vehicle, which causes tremendous congestion, especially when they coincide with Titsa buses or others. The embankments also need reinforcing, passing places need to be created and even traffic lights installed.”

“Before that closure due to the heatwave,” he adds, “we proposed all this to the Cabildo and told them to put in place deterrent measures, such as an ambulance with staff, to avoid that closure, but nothing. Masca is closed for safety, but do we not close the rest of the Teno Rural Park, Monte del Agua, Teno Alto, El Palmar? And even nearby towns are asking for permission to set off fireworks next to a large forested area,” he criticises.

Cabildo defends measures and promises talks

From the Cabildo, it is stressed to Canarias Ahora that Titsa has reinforced services of the small Masca buses (shuttles when it is closed), while it is also underlined that they have agreed with residents to hold a new meeting this September to address new stops and passing places, which is one of the residents’ demands.

Residents’ criticism is not only directed at the island administration, but also at the Buenavista Town Hall. The mayor, Eva García (PSOE), regrets that money and subsidies to improve the hamlet have been lost and places great emphasis on the residents’ determination to self-manage and run the ravine themselves. “They demand that the ravine be returned to the owners, but when people used to be rescued, nobody raised the matter. They have always made a profit from Masca; when closing the ravine and the jetty was not regulated, they charged. People used to die there and were rescued daily, as they went down the ravine in poor conditions. They think they could self-manage the neighbourhood safely. It is true that there are fewer local police officers, but we are providing security with the Civil Guard post in the town. They complain about deficiencies in services, but they receive the same as the rest of the residents. We are aware that there are deficiencies and shortcomings, but we are working and open to reaching agreements.”

According to her, and following the fire in early July, Civil Protection produced a report for the Cabildo’s security area and it was decided to take safety measures with the August heatwave, so the Town Hall cannot oppose that ten-day closure. “Measures need to be taken to access the hamlet with public transport, but the idea is not to close Masca, but to control the tourist flow. At least, the Cabildo has never contacted us to propose the shuttles all year round, but that is not our responsibility. Only for safety.”

“The Town Hall has indeed promoted public transport more and we want there to be a park-and-ride car park in El Palmar (in the market area; Los Pedregales), both for Masca and for Teno Alto. In addition, aid for residents has been proposed when there are closures. What we have asked for is that larger buses and large vehicles be reduced.”

Fears of a “dead” shell

Meanwhile, residents have decided to leave the protest banners up so that anyone coming to Masca realises that something is happening in a hamlet that is one of the most widely shared images of Tenerife around the world, but whose residents fear it will die with the road closures and that they will eventually be forced to leave due to an excess of zeal, control and protection. Leaving only the shell, but no content, no life.

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