Initiation of the construction of roadways and traffic before 1920

Events

 

1860 First general plan for the construction of three roads. One from Santa Cruz de La Palma via Breña Alta to Fuencaliente, the second from Fuencaliente via Los Llanos to Tazacorte and the third from Santa Cruz de La Palma via Puntallana to San Andrés

1874: Start of construction of the road between Santa Cruz and Los Llanos

1877: Closeup of a road back to the island from Santa Cruz to the north and from there to Los Llanos

1879: Completion of the first 7 km from Santa Cruz de La Palma to the intersection of Cruce de la Concépcion (Buenavista).

1897: Completion of 18 kilometers of road between Santa Cruz de La Palma and Mazo

1900: September 17: Introduction of the mandatory registration and driving license by Queen María Cristina, it costs 15 pesetas for a stamp franked with 2 pesetas

1905: 11.26.: First "Coche de Hora" between Santa Cruz de La Palma and Las Manchas (Tuesday and Friday, 6 a.m.) and return (Wednesday and Saturday, 8 a.m.)

1906, June 13: First regular bus service between Santa Cruz de La Palma and Mazo with a Commer bus, 35 hp and 24 seats

1910: Completion of the highway between Santa Cruz and Los Llanos, official inauguration on August 13. for the first car from La Palma with Juan Cutillas Rosa at the wheel, next to the second Palmer car with his nephew Benito Cutillas at the wheel

1910, August 7: Bus service begins between Santa Cruz and Los Llanos

July: regular bus service between Santa Cruz de la Palma and Los Llanos

August: Postbus between Santa Cruz de la Palma and Los Llanos

1912, February 24: First sale by a dealer in Santa Cruz de La Palma of a Ford T, which can also travel on roads in poor condition and with steep slopes.

1913, April 26: The first advertisement for a Ford Landaulet Torpedo T appears in the newspaper El Nudo

1915: The first advertisement for automobile accessories (Motorol - Motor Oil) appears in the newspaper El Cinchorro, First traffic rules, First truck registered in Argual

1917, September 5: First special offer for a Ford T; Price 3850 pesetas instead of 4300 pesetas in 1912. In addition: spare parts in stock and thanks to Ford's modular system a guaranteed cheap repair cost.

First car registered in La Palma (Sotomayor family in Argual, Los Llanos)

1918: First fuel rationing during the First World War at 900 liters between Santa Cruz and Los Llanos.

1919, July 31: First fatal traffic accident on La Palma in the municipality of San Pedro

Road construction on La Palma

These four pictures show the profiles of the three most important streets on La Palma. In addition to the extreme differences in height, the cars are also stressed by poor road surfaces. On the steepest island in the world there is extreme solar radiation during the day with the associated warming of the asphlat. At night, however, the surface cools down quickly. Salty, moist air penetrates the resulting cracks and slowly but surely dissolves the asphlate.

In 1910, the Red de Carreteras de La Palma confirmed the actual LP 2 between Santa Cruz de La Palma via Fuencaliente and Los Llanos. The construction period was 36 years.

The plan of La Palma as the site of plantations by parts of English companies such as Fyffes is responsible for the main expansion of the red roads. As the decade of the 1920s progressed, boats began to move faster through the use of trucks and individual palm trees driven by businessmen who could purchase automobiles.


Matriculated cars in Tenerife province, 1900 - 1920

History of automotive and infrastructure between 1920 and 1940

1922: Brands like Renault, Chandler, Cleveland, Maxwell y Ford colocan regularmente anuncios en los periodicos Palmerianos.

1922: The number of vehicle registrations exceeds the number of cars and cars.

First mobil filling-station (Texaco) at the harbor of Santa Cruz de la Palma

 

1926: Overland and Citroën (with 10 CV) were originally priced at around 4300 pesetas, for a long period of time that worked for two years.

 

1927: Foundation of the Automóvil Club de La Palma

 

1930: Initiation of the construction of the northern circuit in Puntallana

 

1932: Initiation of the road pavement

 

1933: Foundation of "Transportes de La Palma" by Maria Santos Pérez

 

1935: Anuncio de Goodyear, who received garajes vigilados for repairs and repairs in a lugar centrico de Santa Cruz de la Palma.

matriculated cars in Tenerife province, 1920 - 1940

road network la palma 1940


History of automotive and infrastructure between 1940 and 1970

1941: La Palma's road network includes 60 km of paved roads, 42 km of ordinary roads (unpaved) and 25 km of local and neighborhood roads

 

1947: Paving of the route from Buenavista to El Paso

 

1948 Founding of the company Talleres Cutillas in Los Llanos and Breña Baja by Roberto Cutillas Sosvilla

 

1951: Paving of the route from Santa Cruz to Garafía through the Roque de los Muchachos

 

1956: Inauguration of the mobile gas station, today BP, in Los Llanos

 

1959: Inauguration of the DISA gas stations in Garafía, Tijarafe and Fuencaliente

 

1962: Inauguration of the DISA gas station in Santa Cruz de La Palma

 

1965: Completion of the route from Santa Cruz de La Palma to Puntagorda, via Fuencaliente, Los Llanos, Tijarafe

 

1966: Inauguration of the DISA gas station in Los Llanos

 

1968: Inauguration of the Texaco gas station in Breña Alta, Avenida Marítima

 

1970: Completion of the northern bypass to Puntagorda, Inauguration of the mobile gas station, today BP, in Santa Cruz de La Palma and Inauguration of the DISA gas station in El Paso

matriculated cars in Tenerife province 1941 - 1967

ROAD NETWORK LA PALMA 1950


Evolution of traffic on La Palma

1960                                            1965                                             1970

History of automotive and infrastructure on La Palma 1970 - 1991

1972: Completion of the Buenavista to El Paso line, including the old tunnel through Cumbre Nueva

 

1973: Inauguration of the Shell gas station in Los Llanos

 

1974: Inauguration of the DISA gas station in San Andrés y Sauces

 

1976: Inauguration of the DISA gas station in La Laguna, meanwhile also Cespa gas station and

1976: Inauguration of the DISA gas station in San Pedro

 

1980: Paving of the Buenavista to El Paso route

 

1980: Completion of the route from Santa Cruz to Garafía through Roque de los Muchachos, Inauguration of the Shell gas station in Tazacorte and Inauguration of the Shell gas station in La Grama (Breña Alta)

 

1988: Inauguration of the DISA gas station in Mazo (airport)

  

Notes and references:

José Ángel Hernandez Luis: Transporte y red viaria en la isla de La Palma, 1993

 

José Ángel Hernandez Luis: Transportes y communicaciones den La Palma- una imagen desde la prensa (1850 – 1936)