Lanzarote Begins Banning Cars in the Fire Mountains

The Cabildo bets on shuttle buses to avoid car queues and tighten regulation in natural and rural areas

The Timanfaya Master Plan could prohibit private cars from accessing the Montañas del Fuego. Jesús Machín Tavío, Territorial Policy Councillor of the Lanzarote Cabildo, is pushing for the rapid implementation of shuttle buses to reduce traffic jams in the National Park, which receives close to one million visitors each year.

“The National Park is drafting its master plan for use and management. If I were the National Park, I would say that no car should be allowed inside. In the end, they are the ones who decide; their planning instrument is the one that rules. I hope they do it,” Machín said regarding the future regulation of the protected area.

Machín added that the new Use and Management Master Plan includes the creation of deterrent parking lots in Mancha Blanca and Yaiza, from which the shuttles would depart toward the island’s main tourist hub.

“At the current price, with the increase and the traffic that Montañas del Fuego experiences, there is no problem if people travel by shuttle bus,” the councillor noted about the shift in the access model.

The Coalición Canaria councillor also announced that new shuttle services will start operating this summer to the areas around Volcán del Cuervo and Caldera Blanca.

“When we drive the Tinguatón road toward that zone, there are usually three or four parking lots that are quite full. Those will be removed, and shuttles will leave from the Mancha Blanca square every half hour, based on the capacity study we carried out in the pilot test and always with a guide to keep the route on track,” Machín explained.

Machín also confirmed that in the coming weeks a public exhibition will showcase the progress of the Special Plan for La Geria, aimed at strengthening landscape protection and providing legal certainty for vineyards and homes in the area.

“Yes, absolutely. Nothing more can be done in La Geria. What exists, stays, and that’s it. We need to protect what is already there. The law says that when planning, you must regulate what already exists. There are three phases: a restricted zone where nothing can be done; a central core where only hole‑harvesting is allowed; and then the other cores,” the councillor detailed about the forthcoming regulations.

The island’s authority also expressed satisfaction with the advances of the upcoming Lanzarote Island Plan and reaffirmed the commitment to approve its progress before the end of the mandate in 2027.