51% have a concern about tourist overcrowding on the streets of Palma. | Archive
Palma16/10/2022 07:44
A survey of overcrowding in the summer by the Balearic Institute of Social Studies reveals that excessive numbers of cars is the public's main concern. This refers specifically to vehicles in urban areas as opposed to main roads. For the Balearics as a whole, 56% say that this is the biggest problem, while in Mallorca's 'part forana' (everywhere but Palma), 55% identify this. In Palma, the percentage drops to 43%.
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Investing in more public transport routes, particularly train routes from the airport directly to the resorts would certainly minimise any congestion from tourism, which I seriously doubt is the bulk of the problem. Ulla is right. An awful lot of locals have 2 or more cars and use them daily. Not that I'm suggesting that people should only have one car (admittedly, we have 3), but again, if public transport offered a better solution, we'd certainly use it more often. We do use public transport for certain things, but for most things, it's just too inconvenient. The buses are pretty good, but routes and schedules aren't as convenient as they could/should be. Still, if you're going to spend the day in Palma, the busses are really good for that, because that's where most routes go to and from. And you don't have to fight Palma traffic or park. The trains are great, but only to/from limited service areas. They need to extend rail back to the way it was 60 years ago. Almost the entire island had rail service. But then cars became the norm and killed it. In any case, minimising auto traffic will only happen if public transport offers a better way. I see there's some good progress planned, but it will require more.
How about looking at the number of cars the locals have. Two, three cars in a family. Maybe that would help too, and not always blame the tourists for creating havoc. Considering what the car hire prizes were in the summer I doubt it was the Main problem. In the afternoons the roads are jampacked in Palma and it's sure not tourists.
Did those interviewed prefer lockdown and furlough? There are a lot of hungry mouths on these islands and no tourists is no income. Retired expats do not "splash out", whether German, French or British. It is the search for the sun, cheap hotels and booze that bring the tourists, price them out, nada. No income. Disaster. QED.
why complain too many tourists NO TOURIST NO MALLORCA
People have in the past disliked my comments on too many Hire Cars during the Season. I wonder how much revenue to Mallorca is generated from Hire Car Company's. The cars are the main cause of pollution on the Island. Along with lots of dust. If the regulation to use Hydrogen Fuelled Vehicles is introduced to the Island there will be much less pollution.