Businesses warn that traffic gridlock is hurting the economy in the south of Tenerife
Business owners in southern Tenerife have warned that constant traffic congestion on the TF-1 motorway is beginning to damage the area’s economy, mobility and quality of life.
According to local business groups, some sections of the TF-1 motorway now carry up to 100,000 vehicles a day, while access routes to major tourist areas regularly suffer long traffic jams.
The worst congestion is reported between San Isidro and Adeje, where traffic jams can stretch for kilometres throughout the day, affecting businesses, people using the airport, and parents on the school run.
Businesses say mobility is collapsing
Javier Cabrera, head of the Circle of Entrepreneurs and Professionals of South Tenerife (CEST), says the problem is increasingly isolating communities in the south of the island.
He argues that residents and businesses are beginning to avoid travelling between areas such as Las Chafiras and Adeje because of the delays.
“People living on the Adeje side no longer go to consume or provide services on the Las Galletas side, and vice versa,” Cabrera said. “We are becoming isolated from our own communities, which affects competitiveness and economic activity.”
Companies limiting services
According to Cabrera, traffic congestion has become a “huge burden” for businesses in southern Tenerife. Some companies are already refusing to provide services at certain times of the day because staff risk spending hours stuck in traffic.
He gave the example of sending an employee to carry out a site visit or measurement for a quote. “If a worker spends three hours stuck in traffic, that’s almost half their working day. It’s simply unsustainable,” he said.
Infrastructure lagging behind population growth
Business representatives also reject the idea that the problem is purely due to population growth.
They point out that the southern part of Tenerife has experienced an average population increase of around 9% per year since the early 2000s, three to four times what is considered normal growth, yet road infrastructure has barely changed in more than two decades.
Calls to expand the TF-1 motorway
José Fernando Cabrera, president of the Friends of South Tenerife Forum (FAST), believes the island is now at a “key moment” to address its long-standing road infrastructure deficit.
He notes that several road projects are now fully planned and ready to be put out to tender before the end of the current political term.
Among the proposals are widening parts of the TF-1 to three lanes between:
- San Isidro (Granadilla de Abona) and Las Chafiras
- Las Chafiras and Playa de Las Américas
- Playa de Las Américas and Fañabé
Supporters say these projects are designed specifically to reduce congestion in southern and western Tenerife.
For business leaders, the situation presents what they describe as a “unique opportunity” to finally tackle the island’s traffic crisis.
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