The cycling season has once again strained relations on the roads of the Serra de Tramuntana.
Tourism reports show that Mallorca, in general, earns around 150 million euros a year from this type of tourism which attracts some 200,000 cyclists per year to the island from all over the world.
But a video shared on social media by the Mallorca Viral account shows the frustration of several drivers faced with the large number of cyclists on the road leading to Banyalbufar. In the footage, filmed from inside a car, a group of vehicles can be seen travelling at a very slow speed due to the cyclists who were occupying the carriageway on a winding stretch.
“It’s normally a 40-minute journey, but yesterday it took 1 hour and 30 minutes”, complained one of the drivers who witnessed the scene. Beyond the delay, the motorist highlights the difficulties they encountered when trying to overtake, which at times had to be carried out under tricky conditions due to the presence of cyclists on the road.
Situations of this kind, which recur at various times of the year, once again highlight the traffic difficulties that can arise on narrow roads with heavy traffic, particularly at certain points on the island. Last October, the Council of Mallorca announced, as part of the activities for European Sustainable Mobility Week, the reinstatement of the road safety commission for cyclists, after a five-year hiatus.
The council explained the aim is to promote sustainable mobility among the general public, raise awareness of alternatives to conventional transport, and improve safety and coexistence among different road users.
The cyclists’ road safety commission is a forum where the council meets with the islands’ Cycling Federation, users and other associations and institutions related to cycling to listen to and discuss the problems and improvements that have been made with regard to this means of transport. The aim is to talk directly with users to improve road safety and coexistence between cyclists, pedestrians and vehicles in order to promote policies and actions that encourage sustainable and safe mobility.