The Unified Association of Civil Guards (AUGC) has reported the persistent lack of an effective tow truck service in Gran Canaria for the removal of obstructing vehicles. A recent incident on the GC-320 road, in the municipality of Santa Brígida, highlighted this issue when traffic agents and citizens had to manually remove an abandoned car «by main force».
On May 9th, a Civil Guard motorcycle patrol was dispatched to a damaged vehicle blocking the middle of the La Angostura road. Upon arrival, officers found that the driver had abandoned the car. After unsuccessful attempts to contact tow companies, as the vehicle's insurance lacked roadside assistance coverage, a second patrol and several local residents collaborated to manually move the car off the roadway and restore traffic flow.
AUGC reminds that this problem was reported six months ago without a stable solution being implemented. The organization urges the General Directorate of Traffic and the island councils to urgently contract specific tow services for these situations, covering both main highways and secondary roads. They warn that this practice, often occurring at night, of abandoning vehicles to avoid private towing costs, compromises road safety.
“"These types of incidents occur frequently, especially at night, when some drivers choose to abandon their vehicles to avoid the cost of a private tow truck, later opting to face the administrative fine for obstructing the road."
The association also warns of the potential negative impact on the archipelago's image, citing the upcoming visit of Pope León XIV on June 11th. A similar incident on the GC-1 during the pontiff's official movements could cause significant reputational damage to Canarias internationally.
