Forget the railway

Since then the more observant amongst us would notice slight changes occurring in the island - one of the major ones and most important for tourists to the north of the island was the eventual arrival of the motorway in Inca. How Sr Antich could possibly dump the proposed continuation of the motorway to Alcudia in favour of the railway beggars belief. I would assume that the average tourist (of immense economical importance to the Majorcan economy) goes from the north of the island in the direction of Palma for one of three reasons, being: journeys to and from the airport (where there is no train station), sightseeing to other areas in the south (where there will be no stations), and finally sightseeing in Palma itself. I would argue that the advantage to the average tourist will be, if any, minimal. My final point is my somewhat reluctant admission that although I admire and like the native Majorcans a great deal - one of their less admirable qualities is their patience and ability behind the wheel of the motorised vehicle. How often does one see the average native, full of bravado start to overtake a line of twenty-odd vehicles, on the road between Alcudia and Inca, in his 1.3 litre hatchback, managing at the last minute to dig himself back into the queue before another head-on is reported in the newspapers.

Alister M. Bottomley
Port de Pollenca