Soller town hall has introduced approximately 700 parking spaces reserved solely for residents within the newly established Low Emission Zone (Zona de Bajas Emisiones, ZBE), which came into effect on February 27th. These spaces are found inside the LEZ and some adjacent streets, aiming to prioritise local residents' parking while encouraging visitors to use park-and-ride facilities located on the outskirts of the town.
The majority of these resident-only parking spots have been allocated in areas previously regulated by the ORA system. Meanwhile, blue zone parking now applies in the park-and-ride car parks and certain other parts of the urban nucleus.
The local council plans to expand green zones limiting parking across the streets encompassed by the LEZ. Councillor Carlos Darder highlighted that "the implementation of the LEZ also seeks to make parking easier for residents, who will largely be the ones able to drive within the town centre now."
There are concerns as many drivers are avoiding the paid park-and-ride facilities, opting instead to park on roads, which may cause congestion. Opposition party Més per Sóller has called for an extension of the ZAR resident parking zones to all peripheral streets within the LEZ.
Laura Celià, representing Més, stated, "otherwise, residents of border streets such as Sa Mar or Cetre, among others, will face unfair treatment and be at a clear disadvantage as they will still have to compete with tourists and visitors for parking near their homes."