Palma town hall is considering installing an inclined travelator to connect La Rambla and the Plaça Major. There is at present a lift but it regularly breaks down and is also the target for vandals.
Rodrigo Romero, the councillor for infrastructure and accessibility, estimates that this would cost between 300,000 and 400,000 euros. It would, he says, be respectful of the look of the immediate environment.
There are different places where the travelator could be installed but any decision would have to take account of views of the commission for the historic centre and of the heritage association Arca. If there were to be agreement, Romero doesn't expect that the project would be undertaken until next year.
An additional factor is that in September 2019 the town hall will take back the management of the underground car park and shopping mall at the Plaça Major. Consideration will therefore be given to these in arriving at a decision for the travelator.
For people with reduced mobility the lift is really the only option at the moment, but its unreliability meant expenditure last year of almost 7,000 euros over and above the budgeted cost of regular maintenance.
Although the travelator would be very different, Romero says that in cities with mechanical walkways there is an enormous improvement to people's quality of life.