The Council of Majorca's land department has reached agreement with the regional government and three town halls - Escorca, Pollensa and Valldemossa - on the restriction of vehicle access to and parking in places where there is particular concern about traffic congestion: Sa Calobra/Cala Tuent, Formentor and Port de Valldemossa.
With Formentor, there will not now be traffic restriction as far as the hotel and beach. It will only apply to the stretch of road from the beach to the lighthouse. Pollensa mayor, Miquel Àngel March, says that one reason for excluding restriction as far as the hotel is that there would have to be a system of authorisation for hotel staff and guests, to say nothing of residents.
There is still some uncertainty as to when a shuttle bus service from Puerto Pollensa to the lighthouse will come into operation. This shuttle will be the alternative means of access; drivers of private cars would need to therefore park in Puerto Pollensa. It has previously been reported that the shuttle service will be dependent on the new concessions for Majorca's bus network, and these aren't due to come into effect until the start of next year. Nevertheless, traffic restrictions are being contemplated for this summer, and March suggests that discussions regarding the shuttle service are "quite advanced", implying that it could after all be started this summer.
As for Escorca and Valldemossa, there are to be systems to notify drivers about the availability of parking. These will involve information being displayed on road signs and via mobile phones. In addition, from Easter the Council of Majorca is to instal sensors to track traffic going to Port de Valldemossa. This will enable a decision to made about the need for limiting traffic at specific times.