CYCLE MADNESS

By Jason Moore THE Mayor of Palma, Aina Calvo, is coming under fire for the construction of cycle tracks next to many key city centre roads. Palma is a mass of roadworks at the moment and city residents are not too impressed to say the least. Along the Avenida Argentina in Palma the width of the road has been reduced to make way for the cycle track, so at the moment you have the track, parked cars and then the main road, not exactly a great combination! However, we should really be applauding the Mayor´s green credentials but when are the local authorities going to learn that until they end the Majorcan love affair with the car this island will continue to be a motoring paradise. It is all very well building cycle tracks at a considerable expense but if they are only used by a few and the size of the road is actually reduced then I can see Palma´s traffic problems getting worse not better. Driving in the city has become a nightmare especially at peak times. The local authorities, to their credit, have spent large sums of money on improving public transport but at the moment it is just like the cycle tracks, you can count users on a single hand. No, unless there is drastic action the car will continue to be the king of the road in Palma and elsewhere.