Public opinion

Traffic problems are Palma's number one concern

Jams in Palma are not uncommon. | Archive

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma16/07/2018 00:00

An opinion survey finds that traffic jams and access to Palma are the main concern for the city. In the survey by the Balearics Institute of Social Studies, traffic problems attracted a 71% rating, seven points higher than "massification" (overcrowding by people) in the summer.

Of other concerns, cleanliness and rubbish ranked third (57%); lack of street and pavement maintenance was fourth (48%); and badly planned traffic systems, including bike lanes and an absence of parking was fifth with 41%.

The concern about traffic has pushed this to the number one spot, meaning that massification and cleanliness have both slipped a position. Where the latter is concerned, investment of twenty million euros by the Emaya municipal services agency may be making a difference. For massification, the percentage figure was down compared with previous surveys.

The town hall, reacting to complaints about street and pavement maintenance, announced last week that it will be spending some ten million euros over the next two years.

As for the town hall itself, the approval rating of its management has dropped from 37% when José Hila was mayor to 33% now that Antoni Noguera is mayor. Noguera himself has a lower approval rating - 4.1 out of ten - than Hila had (4.4).

The survey was conducted among residents of Palma; the sample size was 900, and the results are said to have a margin of error of plus or minus three per cent.