“Saturated” roads spark war of words in parliament

Majorca's once quiet and tranquil villages could be invaded by streams of cars this summer in accordance with the Balearic government's “emergency plan”, unveiled yesterday, in an attempt to avoid the “collapse” of the region's road network this summer. The Balearic Minister for Public Works and Transport, Josep Antoni Ferrer, said yesterday that his department is currently working on the emergency plan and its application. Some of the key elements of the plan include the rapid construction and improvement of more roundabouts, the posting of better sign posts, a ceiling to introduce limiting the number of hire cars and measures to inform tourists of the region's secondary road network in order to ease the traffic flow on the main roads. Ferrer made yesterday's announcement in response to questions from the Partido Popular about what the government is planning to do in order to ease the traffic problem. He told Parliament that before the summer, “and the arrival of thousands of tourists” a total of 68 roads are to be improved and repaired. However, he laid the blame at the feet of the previous PP government, which according to Ferrer, only managed to realise one of the 14 projects approved under the road plan signed with central government in 1997, with a budget of 57'000 million pesetas.