24/07/2013 00:00
TW
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By Jason Moore THE new Palma city council has taken the wise decision of moving the cycle track from the Avenidas to smaller inner city streets. The track was the star project of former Mayor Aina Calvo, and even her supporters would admit that the track has not been a success. According to council figures the track along one of Palma´s main busy roads was used by an average of 800 bicycles per 18'000 cars! However, the move is not going to come cheap, with estimates suggesting the final bill could be in excess of 200'000 euros. This is a high cost in these times of recession, but it will mean that conjestion will be eased on the Avenidas.

However, I would call on the council to abandon the idea all together. I think the Mayor should just scrap the idea and save the money. The car and not the bicycle is king in Palma. Just infront of our offices in Palma there is a cycle track which appears to be used by a handful of cyclists everyday. At the same time it occupies about 30 percent of the pavement. This is a real luxury for cyclists and it is pedestrians who suffer. Now, I do support attempts to try and persuade motorists to leave their car at home and take their cycles. Unfortunately,. I am in a minority. This summer there have been many cases of gridlock in the city centre not helped by the large cycle track along the Avenidas. The Balearics prides itself on having one of the largest car fleets in Spain. It is a shame that it doesn't have a similar number of bicycles.