Ministers told not to use their official cars today

The Palma City Council will use today's European Day Without Cars to open Calle Convent de Sant Francsec as a pedestrianised street and the council said yesterday that this will not be the last street to be pedestrianised in the city centre. The council stressed the need for the general public to be given greater priority in the centre of Palma and for vehicles to be slowly moved out of the capital's heart. Last night the government called on the Balearics to participate in the European Day Without Cars and leave their vehicles at home. What is more all local councillors and members of the government have been advised not to use their official cars and “set an example” to the general public. The Environment Ministry will be manning an information bureau along the Borne today in order to promote and explain the objectives of the Day. Balearics is the European region with the highest density of vehicles with 885 per 1'000 inhabitants and an annual increase of 5.5 percent. Environment Minister Margalida Rossello said that while the present number of vehicles is too much, the rate of growth is not only unacceptable but “unsustainable.”