The introduction of a tow truck service for the swift removal of vehicles involved in accidents or breakdowns on the southern highway (GC-1) will not commence this summer, contrary to earlier announcements by the inter-institutional commission established to reduce traffic jams on Gran Canaria's busiest road. In the most optimistic scenario, the service will not be operational before the final quarter of the year.
To shorten the duration and intensity of traffic congestion caused by disabled or crashed vehicles on the GC-1 roadway, the proposed solution is for the service to be directly provided by tow trucks from the public company Sagulpa, affiliated with the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria City Council. This approach aims to circumvent the extended delays associated with a public tender process.
To facilitate this arrangement, the Mobility and Sustainability Department of the Cabildo is processing the necessary steps to designate Sagulpa as an in-house entity of the island corporation. This procedure, which requires approval from the Island Governing Council, is not anticipated to conclude before September.
Furthermore, according to Teodoro Sosa, the head of that department within the Cabildo, the chosen method for deploying rapid vehicle removal tow trucks on the GC-1 must still gain approval from the General Directorate of Traffic, expected after September 8th, the feast day of El Pino. Additionally, the agreement of the towing industry sector is sought to ensure they will not oppose Sagulpa providing the service directly.
Specific details of the service, such as the exact operating hours for the tow trucks, the section of the GC-1 they will cover, and the number of trucks available, are still undetermined. Nevertheless, the intention is for the service to operate during peak hours on weekdays.
The rapid removal of vehicles from the GC-1 highway, independent of the insurance companies of the involved vehicles, would be a pioneering project, as no similar service exists on other state roads. The necessity for such a system was underscored on October 13th, when an accident involving five vehicles on the GC-1 northbound near Telde resulted in a traffic queue extending over nine kilometers. Four tow trucks were deployed, and the affected lane remained closed for three hours and nine minutes, until 11:42 AM.
