The capital of Tenerife is preparing for a radical transformation of its urban mobility ahead of the imminent official visit of Pope Leo XIV, scheduled for Friday, June 12th. The Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council has designed an unprecedented traffic contingency plan aimed at mitigating predictable congestion on main arteries and prioritizing public transport use.

This extraordinary protocol will affect the daily commutes of thousands of citizens who access the city center daily. Local authorities have decreed the implementation of preferential lanes, the perimeter closure of strategic access points, and severe parking limitations. The council has warned that the strictness of these measures aligns with international criteria required by state security forces for the pontifical delegation's movement.

The internal road network of the municipality will be the backbone of the new plan. To ensure the smooth flow of public buses and pilgrims' shuttle transport, the right lane of Avenida Tres de Mayo will be converted into an exclusive public transport lane, from Glorieta Manuel Bethencourt del Río to Turboglorieta del Rotary Club. Complementarily, Calle Fomento, near the Transport Interchange, will also feature a reserved platform. Both lanes will remain operational and monitored 24 hours on June 12th, prohibiting access for private vehicles.

The most severe restrictions will affect traffic flows connecting the highways to the city's coastline. The police will implement a total closure of access to Santa Cruz via the TF-4 access road starting at 03:00 AM, allowing passage only to vehicles with express official authorization. From 09:00 AM, the lane will be strictly reserved for convoys with security escorts.

To manage the massive influx of buses and collective vehicles from other islands and towns, the Citizen Security area has reconfigured the city's parking map. Common parking areas at Parque Marítimo and Palmetum, as well as the entirety of Calle Víctor Zurita Soler, will be disabled and reserved exclusively for authorized shuttle transport fleets. Authorities remind the public that the operation will be under constant real-time evaluation, meaning traffic cut schemes may be subject to sudden modifications.