It's cheaper and quicker by bike round Palma

PALMA
PALMA is currently celebrating European Sustainable Transport Week and yesterday the council held a race between the metro, public bus, private car, moped and bicycle along the seven kilometre route from the main Plaza D'España station and the Balearic University.

The aim of the race was to discover and prove which is the cheapest and quickest way of moving around Palma and, with all criteria considered, the winner was the bicycle.

According to the results of the challenge organised by the Association for the Promotion of Public Transport, it took 24 minutes to cover the route by bicycle.

Only was it faster, by three minutes, on a moped but the cost of fuel had to be taken into account.
It also took 24 minutes by car, but again, fuel costs, wear and tear and contamination were also taken into account.
It took longest on the new metro but the reason for the journey taking 27 minutes because of the stops the metro makes and the fact that the metro does not follow the same route as the traffic.

According to the association, the cost of travelling by bicycle is 11 cents per kilometre, seven times cheaper than public transport and 27 times cheaper than by moped.

Travelling by car is 57 times more expensive than going by bicycle.
All this week, a host of events and activities are being organised to highlight the benefits of using public and sustainable transport.
The association also used yesterday's race to draw the public's attention to the environmental advantages and disadvantages of the various modes of transport used in Palma.

Palma City Council proclaimed last week that it wants to transform the capital into one of the greenest cities in Europe, especially with regards to its public transport system and by creating extra room for cyclists and pedestrians.

This Sunday, the entire city centre, for example, is going to be closed to traffic with right of way only to be given to cyclists and pedestrians.