Otherwise, the first 100 days have been characterised by, for example, urgent intervention in street cleaning and citizen security. His first meeting was with the police. "I wanted to show support for the police force, which needs it so much". Without stating this, Martínez is alluding to corruption charges surrounding the Cursach case. The trial of the BCM owner, Bartolomé Cursach, and others collapsed in November last year.
The mayor explains that his administration has drawn up a map of hot spots for noise, illegal street selling, scooters, squatting, crime and street drinking. The intention has been the application of immediate measures. There have been special operations in Camp Redó, Pere Garau and Santa Catalina. "We hope to have 300 more officers, of whom 100 will join at the end of the year." There are more security cameras as well as drones to support police actions.
Cleaning, he says, has involved the most rapid and most intense activity - washing down the streets and emptying litter bins up to four times a day. The urgent cleaning plan is for all 84 Palma neighbourhoods and will take three months. "The aim is for Palma to cease being the dirtiest city in the country."
As for mobility, Martínez explains that his team discovered that eighty out of 240 buses were off the road. This has needed to be addressed. Another issue is to see how the Paseo Marítimo project can be improved so as to include underground parking and improved park and ride facilities. There is to be a meeting with the Balearic Ports Authority to discuss this.
Housing was a major issue at the election in May. The mayor insists that it will not be reliant on the general urban plan drafted by the previous administration. "It was half-baked." A new manager of Palma's housing trust is about to be appointed, and the mayor is committed to establishing an office to promote investment in accordance with the government's housing decree as well as the use of empty properties. There will also be a holiday rentals office to encourage owners through tax incentives and guarantees to switch to long-term residential renting.
3 comments
To be able to write a comment, you have to be registered and logged in
Also need to rid the city centre of graffiti especially in the run up to Christmas as the last few years it’s been appalling and most local people seem oblivious to it. It was only when some Majorcan friends visited us in London and found it graffiti free that they realised how bad Palma was and how seedy the Paseo Maratimo had become.
Our street has been cleaned once since they took over! It used to be most Mondays. Walking back to the old town round Sindicat it smells of urine everywhere! It's disgusting.
Seems to be making progress. Keep it up. Personal crime needs urgent attention. People are tiring of looking over their shoulders, checking those around them and generally feeling under threat. It's no way to be. Many of the criminal "faces" known to the police fly in and out of the island to steal in much the same way as an office worker commutes between office and home. Why these thieves can't be turned around at Customs when they try to enter Mallorca I don't understand.