The start of the tourist season is once again producing images on the roads of Mallorca that are causing concern and, at the same time, going viral on social media. Furthermore, at a time when road traffic is compounded by the peak in cycle tourism, with events such as the Mallorca 312 or, in a few days’ time, the Ironman 70.3 in Alcudia, the difficulty of driving on some of the roads, particularly in the Serra de Tramuntana mountains, increases exponentially.
One of these roads marked in red is the Sa Calobra (Ma-2141), a winding road made more difficult by the passage of coaches and heavy goods vehicles, which every year, particularly in spring and summer, endures a high volume of traffic that is already becoming noticeable in recent weeks. A section of Mallorca’s road network that is also awaiting a renovation project by the Council of Mallorca to reinforce certain sections, given its unique topography.
A glimpse of all this chaos was captured a few days ago by the Essen Triathlon Crew, a German sports team, who posted a video on their social media showing scenes that will be repeated almost daily at the height of the summer season. This has reignited the debate on mass tourism, as well as on possible restrictions on this stretch of road in the municipality of Escorca, from the junction with the Ma-10, but particularly on the stretch between Coll dels Reis and Sa Calobra.
The video shows the difficulty some buses face when travelling uphill and encountering oncoming vehicles, mostly hire cars, on some of the most challenging sections of the Sa Calobra road, one of the most visited and well-known places in Mallorca, but also one of the most difficult to access. A situation that causes anxiety among drivers, particularly among local residents and workers, who have to endure these situations almost daily or constantly at this ‘hotspot’ on Mallorca’s road network.
There have been recent post on social media by Mallorca residents complaining about the number of cycle tourists clogging up the roads in Mallorca, in particular in the Tramuntana mountains. However, the Balearic Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, Jaume Bauzá, has argued that cycle tourism is ‘an opportunity’ to extend the season and bring benefits to inland villages, in the face of criticism from left wing MÉS per Mallorca that this form of tourism ‘brings the whole island to a standstill’.
During a recent plenary session of the Government’s question time, Bauzá emphasised that cycle tourism “is not a problem”, but rather an “opportunity”, and accused the eco-sovereignists of “having a problem with tourists and not with ‘cyclists’”. MÉS MP Marta Carrió criticised the minister, stating that this type of tourism “clogs up every corner of the island all year round”, with residents “struggling to get by” due to overcrowding, amongst other issues.
The debate over cycle tourism has been raging for years. In January, the El Pi party called for an ‘urgent’ plan to improve cycle paths and routes across the island in a motion presented during a plenary session of the Council of Mallorca. El Pi wants the council to promote the improvement of the cycle routes used by cyclists on the island, with the aim of increasing safety, organising pending actions and responding to an increasingly present reality on Mallorca’s roads.