Northern Spotlight: Ensuring vehicles don’t get onto Pollensa’s Calvari steps

A 4x4 caused damages to the Calvari steps. | E.B.

Andrew EdePalma16/04/2022 09:45

Unless a driver decides to deliberately go onto the Calvari steps, you would have thought it unlikely that a vehicle might end up there by accident. But it does happen, while there was recently the case of a 4x4 that wasn’t on the steps by accident. Damage was caused to the steps as a result.

The steps vary in age. Some are from the late eighteenth century. The final ones were put in place in 1907. Given their age and their heritage importance, there are official protection measures regarding the maintenance and characteristics of the steps. They don’t have town hall listed status but will have once the town hall finally gets round to approving its catalogue of heritage sites and buildings.

However, these measures are irrelevant if vehicles get onto the steps and cause damage. With the recent incident in mind, the main opposition group at the town hall, Junts Avançam, has drawn up a list of proposals to prevent vehicles. There are streets which cross the steps, which is how vehicles ever come to be on the steps (accidentally or otherwise). The proposals include, therefore, retractable bollards to prevent vehicles except those of residents and the installation of cameras. Junts always want an information campaign to remind people of the heritage value of the steps and of the prohibited use. You wouldn’t have thought that this was necessary, but it obviously is.