Images of traffic congestion this week have prompted political response. The Balearic government has referred to the possibility of vehicle limits and so has the Council of Mallorca.
Responsible for the island’s main roads, the councillor for mobility, Fernando Rubio, said on Friday: “The Council is willing to take the brave and decisive measures that are necessary; we are open to any solution.”
The scenes in the Soller area and on the Formentor peninsula demanded a response, and so Rubio explained that there is to be a study of the carrying capacity of the road network. Based on results from this study, “measures and actions that are necessary will be taken”. It will allow the Council to decide “where and how” to unclog roads. He didn’t rule out there being limits to the number of vehicles entering Mallorca.
Regretting that the previous administration had not commissioned a study, “which would now allow us to apply measures immediately”, Rubio pointed out that decisions aren’t solely those of the Council. The traffic directorate (DGT) has to be involved, and there have apparently already been meetings on this subject.
Meanwhile, Soller town hall has requested an urgent meeting with the Council and the DGT to find solutions to the serious congestion on access roads. “This is affecting residents’ quality of life.” The queues of traffic this week, the town hall says, have been “unprecedented” for April and May.
Soller councillor Carlos Darder insists: “We cannot sit idly by. We must remind other institutions that their obligation is to know and control the carrying capacity of roads and, if necessary, limit the number of vehicles arriving from outside the island.”