Llorenç Galmés, spokesperson for the opposition Partido Popular at the Council of Mallorca, is calling for the high-occupancy vehicle lane in Palma to be eliminated "until there is a real transport alternative for all road users". "The majority of drivers who travel to Palma by car have no other option because public transport is totally deficient."
Modifications to the lane, which were announced "just a week after its launch" following a barrage of complaints, are "insufficient and reflect the improvisation with which it was introduced". Galmés believes that these modifications "will not solve the traffic chaos" that this lane has created on the motorway into Palma from the airport.
He is of the view that the lane is "a political whim" and has asked the president of the Council of Mallorca, Catalina Cladera, and the councillor for roads, Iván Sevillano, "to stop complicating the lives of Mallorcans with measures that do not solve the traffic problem".
Since the lane became operational, contents of the Mallorca Strategy 2030 document have come to light. Produced for the Council of Mallorca, it addresses the challenges of climate change, overpopulation and overexploitation of resources and argues the case for a general adoption of high-occupancy lanes exclusively for public transport.