A car parked on a corner over a yellow line.

A car parked on a corner over a yellow line. | Alain Carbonell

MDB DigitalPalma02/05/2024 10:32
TW
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Residents of Arenal are voicing their discontent as the onset of the tourist season floods their streets with rental cars, causing chaos. Alain Cabonell, vice-president of the neighborhood's residents' association, has expressed his dismay at the reckless parking habits of these vehicles, which frequently straddle yellow lines and block essential routes.

The municipal Traffic Ordinance mandates that rental cars must prominently display their rental contracts while parked on public roads. However, compliance is scant, with many vehicles disregarding this requirement, or worse, displaying dubious makeshift contracts. Cabonell also lamented the lack of enforcement by local authorities, noting the glaring absence of repercussions for violations like parking on yellow lines.

The situation in s'Arenal is dire, with an estimated 35 to 40 rental cars daily violating parking regulations. Cabonell has underscored the urgency for intervention, emphasising the unprecedented nature of this disregard for the law. Moreover, the problem extends beyond cars to rented motorcycles, exacerbating the strain on public parking spaces.

In a concerted effort to document these transgressions, Cabonell has tirelessly patrolled the neighborhood, capturing evidence of illegal parking practices. However, Arenal is not alone in grappling with such challenges.

In Can Pastilla, a similar outcry echoes as residents denounce the exploitation of public parking spaces by Rent a Car companies. Concerns deepen as visible contracts are absent, and the absurdity of renting out vehicles in disrepair, such as those with flat tires, compounds residents' frustrations.

As tourist numbers rise, residents of both Arenal and Can Pastilla unite in demanding decisive action to curb the unchecked influx of rental vehicles and restore order to their neighborhoods.