Since the restriction on traffic going to the lighthouse in Formentor was introduced on 9 July, there has been more than a 50% decrease in traffic movement.
The Council of Majorca, responsible for main roads, calculates that there are at least a thousand fewer vehicles per day than there were at the same time last year. A radar system installed by the Council's land department is being used to count vehicles. In July there were 50,549 traffic movements. In 2017, it is estimated, there were 119,000. Previously, there weren't hard and fast figures; in 2017 a count was undertaken but it wasn't done every day.
By traffic movements, the Council means going to and from the lighthouse. The number of actual vehicles was therefore half the figure. Of these, five per cent were bikes, eleven per cent were heavy vehicles and 84% were light vehicles.
The traffic restriction this summer is a pilot project. The restriction will be lifted on 1 September, but once the Council of Majorca and other authorities have had a chance to analyse the pilot project, it could be that the restriction will be for a longer period next year. Other aspects of the restriction will also be considered - the hours when the road is closed (currently 10am to 7pm) and where the restriction should start. For now, private vehicles can go as far as the beach and hotel.
