ROAD RAGE

By Jason Moore IS anyone really surprised at the fact that a growing number of people over the age of sixty are “retiring from driving” because they no longer feel safe on the road? Well, I'm certainly not. What with gridlock in Palma, the endless road building programme with their diversions, the scooter rider and your usual “Sunday” driver I am amazed that it is only the over-60s who are leaving the wheel. I saw a classic example last Sunday. The Pollensa council have built a rather impressive new cycle track along the “bay” road linking Alcudia and Pollensa. It is just for cyclists. But last Sunday one motorist decided to go for a leisurely drive along the cycle lane even though there was little traffic on the main road. Why? Yesterday morning on the Avenida Argentina I saw one desperate motorist reverse across a “zebra” crossing narrowly missing a pedestrian because he had spotted a parking space. The building work on the new Palma to Alcudia motorway has made driving a nightmare. So what can the local authorities do about the standard of driving? The points system has already been introduced on driving licences and police spot-checks increased. Perhaps the greater police presence on roads and motorways will make a difference in the future but in the short-term I can't see any improvement. The simple answer is that there are far too many cars on the road and the island can no longer cope. Quite rightly, the local government is spending heavily on a new road building programme but as I have said before in this space, this is just a short-term fix. It would be almost impossible to legislate further against car owners but perhaps this is the only answer. For many years Majorca was proud of the fact that it had the biggest car fleet in Europe, unfortunately it is now turning into a nightmare scenario.