Traffic jams in Palma, especially on the Via Cintura and access roads to the capitals, are getting worse than ever. This is the view of Palma Police and the Guardia Civil, who point out there are more accidents as a consequence.
A veteran officer from the Guardia Civil's Tráfico division says: "Nothing indicates that the situation will improve. On the contrary, there are more and more cars, and this means greater congestion of a road network that has become outdated. Without a swift and decisive response, this situation can only get worse." He predicts a summer of "record road congestion".
A Council of Mallorca study indicates that on the section of the Via Cintura by the Son Hugo sports centre there was a peak of 183,317 vehicles per day in 2023. "It's truly ridiculous. These roads can't withstand such a heavy traffic load. It's obvious that there will be jams in the morning and evening rush hours. That was a year and a half ago. The number has since increased by up to six per cent." The current peak is therefore getting on for 200,000.
The number of accidents is on the rise. Most of these are rear-end collisions that usually result in minor damage, but they contribute to clogging up already congested roads. "But previously when you saw long queues and traffic jams, you knew an accident had occurred. Now, in many cases, nothing at all has happened."
The police and mobility experts are clear as to the reasons for all the traffic. Topping the list is private vehicle ownership. Families of four or five can now have up to three or four cars, something which never used to be the case. According to the Balearic Statistics Institute, there were 837,240 vehicles registered in Mallorca in 2023. The number of cars was 584,042.
Relocation away from Palma is another reason. People have moved to municipalities such as Llucmajor, Marratxi and Santa Maria partly because property is less expensive than in Palma, but they travel into Palma by car.
In addition, there are cars that have been brought onto the island by foreign property owners and by car-hire operators. An officer at the Palma Police HQ says that phone apps can give an accurate indication. "These new technologies never fail. It's easy to check daily on your phone that the Via Cintura is almost always red. The online map shows that it has collapsed."