The PSOE socialists in Menorca criticised the centre right Partido Popular government’s handling of transport in the Council of Menorca on Wednesday, describing it as an “utter failure” after three years “without having been able to implement effective measures to control the entry of vehicles onto the island”.
The Socialists pointed out that during the previous term of office, plans had already been drawn up to limit vehicle entry, a measure they consider ‘key’ to reducing traffic congestion during the summer months. ‘Three years on, not only has the PP failed to implement this measure, but it has also demonstrated a total lack of planning,’ they stated.
They have criticised that “following pressure from the public, this winter the Council has attempted to react by announcing the installation of cameras at ports to count vehicles”. “This announcement has led to car shipments being brought forward before the cameras are installed,” they criticised.
Furthermore, the Socialists pointed out that ‘the PP went so far as to claim that it was not necessary to legally restrict vehicle entry’. ‘They even said that, if there were too many cars, they would call the shipping companies to ask them not to bring any more. We assume that now the President of the Council will make those calls. We shall see what the outcome is,’ they remarked ironically.
The PSOE have insisted that ‘neither cameras nor phone calls are needed; we know what needs to be done: studies show that we should reduce the number of cars on our roads by 30 per cent during July and August’. They also added that enforcing the law to limit vehicle access is only part of the solution, and that it is also necessary to transform the public transport network – a measure on which, they claimed, the Menorca Regional Government is making no progress either.
‘The result of all this is clear: this summer will be chaos on the roads and in the towns, with as many or more vehicles than in previous years and, moreover, with infrastructure works underway,’ they warned. In this regard, they hold the President of the Menorca Council, Adolfo Vilafranca, directly responsible for the ‘inaction’ over the past three years.
Finally, the PSOE has announced that it will continue to press for effective measures. “We will table motions in all municipalities, because local councils are the first to suffer the consequences of this chaos, both in terms of traffic and parking,” they explained. The Socialists are convinced that many mayors, including those from the PP, “would have liked the Council to have acted much sooner”.