The tunnel has been toll-free since the end of 2017. | ULTIMA HORA

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The Council of Majorca's roads department has published traffic information for 2018, and it shows what effect the lifting of the toll for the Soller Tunnel has had. The toll was dispensed with at the very end of 2017.

For the first full year, average daily traffic through the tunnel was 10,995. In 2016, it was 10,117. The increase is lower than many had predicted, but it has nevertheless created additional traffic problems in Soller and Fornalutx, especially with regard to parking.

When the tunnel became free, the Council had estimated that there would be an increase of 1,000 vehicles during the first thirty days. The figure for the whole year is therefore below this.

The tunnel's traffic had been increasing prior to the toll being lifted. In 2013, the daily average was 8,544. This went up to 9,946 in 2015. The increase in 2016 was much smaller - only 171.

More dramatic has been the increase in traffic on the bypass in Soller. The daily average on this road in 2013 was 3,488. By 2016 it was 4,229, but in 2018 there was a leap to 8,482.