Retailers in Palma Mallorca protesting against town hall mobility measures

The protest on Wednesday. | Miquel À. Cañellas

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma14/07/2021 17:04
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On Wednesday, retailers and other businesses in the centre of Palma staged a protest against town hall restrictions on mobility. These are "ruining" business, and there was a demand that the town hall does not go ahead with the planned ACIRE restricted access system for the Sant Jaume district or with other projects under the 'Palma Walks' plan, such as limiting parking on the Avenidas to residents only.

There was also a call for the traffic restriction on Carrer Unió to be reversed, this being symptomatic of "changes that will mean the closure of hundreds of small to medium-sized businesses".

Support for the protesters came from the Pimeco retailers association and the Partido Popular opposition at the town hall. A further demand was that customers be allowed to park for at least five minutes, enough time to pick up an order or make a quick purchase. The possibility was raised of there being two hours free parking in the Plaça Major car park and as a "permanent measure", not a temporary one.

The town hall's policies, the protesters claimed, only benefit large retailers. They harm the small businesses. People from outside Palma "no longer want to come to the city". These customers are being lost because of a fear of fines, e.g. 180 euros for entering an ACIRE zone.

They demanded that the town hall listens to their complaints, "as we feel that we are not being heard".