After the traffic restriction on the road to Formentor was introduced on 9 July, there was a daily average of twenty unauthorised vehicles which ignored the restriction over the following three weeks. This number, say Pollensa town hall and the Council of Majorca, has fallen this month to five.
Following the "communication problem" with the Guardia Civil which resulted in the barrier being removed on one day - 30 July - the signage informing drivers of the restrictions has been reinforced. This is in English, Catalan and Castellano. As well as being visible in Puerto Pollensa along the Formentor bypass road, there are information panels on motorways and the Via Cintura in Palma.
Fines for ignoring the restriction are now being sent out. In addition, Guardia Civil Trafico officers went to the lighthouse on Friday and fined some drivers. The maximum is 200 euros which can be reduced to 80 if the fine is paid on the spot.
The pilot scheme will end on 31 August. The Council, Pollensa town hall, the Majorca Transport Consortium and Trafico will then get together and analyse it. Modifications for next year are quite likely.
As for the bus service from Puerto Pollensa to the lighthouse, Pollensa councillor Miquel Àngel Sureda says that at times of peak demand (midday to four in the afternoon), the fifty seats have not been sufficient. There have been complaints from passengers who have had to wait at both the bus station in Puerto Pollensa and at the lighthouse. The bus runs twelve times a day, there and back.
