Traffic on main roads into Palma and roads in the centre is said to have been at its limit for some weeks and to be like high season. An earlier and busier season has brought with it increased levels of traffic.
The town hall and the Council of Majorca don't have figures as yet for this year, but it has previously been reported that traffic has increased notably over the past couple of years. However, Joan Ferrer, the councillor for transport, says that the traffic control room recorded levels last month for cloudy days which were similar to those in July or August when the weather deters people from going to the beach and motivates them to go to the city.
It was evident earlier in the season last year that there was increased traffic, and the trend is more evident this year. Although he doesn't have exact numbers, Ferrer explains that there are some 100,000 hire cars available in high season. These have to be added to the more than 600,000 cars on the island. The number of vehicles has grown since the years of crisis.
He denies that there is a failure in town hall mobility policies. "The real failure has nothing to do with us. Steps we are taking are limited because we don't have a large budget, while we are up against a very powerful opponent. Cars are now being sold at more competitive prices and the cost to hire a car is also low."
The Council of Majorca's figures for May and June 2015 showed that the average daily figure for vehicles on the island's main roads had gone up by 12% by comparison with 2012. Marc López, the technical secretary of the Council's land department says that the figure will have risen more in 2016 and will rise more this year. The problem with traffic on roads coming into Palma is a general one, though he points to the Puigpunyent and Valldemossa roads as being particularly problematic.