While the introduction of an automatic barrier in Puerto Pollensa has led to a reduction in the number of private vehicles without specific authorisation on the Formentor road, the average daily number is still quite high. Since the 10am to 10.30pm restrictions were introduced on June 1, the average - according to traffic directorate figures - is 2,021. Over the period when restrictions applied in 2022 (mid-June to mid-September), the average was 2,207.
Even so, jams are being prevented because of barrier control to access the car park for the beach and because of increased use of the shuttle buses that operate along the whole of the road to and from the lighthouse.
However, there has been an increase in the number of vehicles when the restrictions aren't in force. This is mainly due to people going to watch the sunrise. Since the first of June, the daily average between midnight and 10am is 340, 178 more than last year.
The extension of the restrictions from 7pm to 10.30pm (which was adopted in 2022) was designed to stop vehicles using the road so that people could watch the sunset; there was a great deal of "saturation" after 7pm. It was predicted that there might therefore be greater interest in watching the sunrise, and this was indeed the case last summer, even though the numbers of vehicles and of people weren't high.