Palma Town Hall's spokesperson Mercedes Celeste said on Friday that fines under the new civic ordinance will be issued immediately it comes into effect, which is expected to be some time next week. The town hall's view is that "there has been more than enough time" to be informed of new regulations. Much of the ordinance, she pointed out, relates to matters that are already subject to fines, such as riding electric scooters on pavements and not picking up dog waste.
There will nevertheless be an awareness-raising campaign. This will be in English as well as Castellano and Catalan. It will use the press, social media and outdoor advertising and be disseminated in some hotels in Cala Major and Playa de Palma.
An emphasis of this campaign will be on how anti-social behaviour hurts "the self-esteem" of Palma, Celeste insisting that "if prevention or raising awareness don't work, we must act, and when the ordinance comes into effect, it will do so with all its force and weight".
She contrasted the ordinance with rules for the Low Emission Zone. This came into operation at the beginning of the year as did a six-month grace period before fines start to be issued; this could yet be extended to twelve months. Information notices rather than fines are currently being sent to drivers who breach the rules. Unlike the LEZ, the civic ordinance has to do with coexistence, "very basic issues" with which everyone should be familiar.
Rules for electric scooters provide an example. Users will be required to have liability insurance with a minimum coverage of €120,000. "We have elderly people who have difficulty walking around safely. We're talking about putting someone at risk. They (the users) know this. Do we have to give them leeway?" Celeste flatly rejected the need for a grace period.
Regulation of motorhomes has been one of the most controversial aspects of the ordinance. The town hall ultimately decided against fines for spending a night in motorhomes (or similar) and fell back on existing traffic regulations.
However, Celeste didn't indicate if the town hall intends to apply these regulations more strictly from now on in order to break up the concentrations of motorhomes in certain parts of the city. She refused to describe these as "settlements". "In Palma, there are no motorhome settlements. What we have are roads and car pars, and they are to be used in the same way as any other vehicle. It's a clear rule, it's not new." She reiterated that the town hall has completely ruled out creating specific areas for motorhomes.