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Dear Sir, We live in the village of Ullaro, close to Campanet. Ullaro was founded in the mid-thirteenth century and we believe that it has been designated a protected village. The proposed motorway from Inca to Sa Pobla would slice through a part of our village: 3 houses, we assume from looking at the plans, would have to be demolished. One of them belongs to a close friend, a widowed Majorcan, who is unlikely to be offered enough compensation for her to buy another house. Apart from the personal, tragic loss, this village, an important part of Majorca's heritage, would suffer. Everyone agrees that the road from Sa Pobla is dangerous. Everytime I drive to Inca, almost every day, and reach there safely, I am thankful to arrive, and that some macho idiot has not met me head-on in a reckless overtake. The road needs to be improved, for sure. But a motorway as an upgrade? It is smashing a fly with a sledgehammer. For many years the local population has advocated a dual carriageway. This is NOT the same as a widening (Bulletin, page 3, 30.11.03), a 3-lane, which would be even more dangerous. That is the reason why there has been such a comprehensive local protest against a motorway, and in favour of a dual carriageway, which would be less harmful to the environment. This local view has been ignored by your paper. I say STOP the motorway. Create a dual carriageway that will be safe for all road users, but will preserve the local communities. But I fear that the new government, with its financial connections to the construction industry, will push the proposals through, disregarding local feeling and the disastrous effect on the environment. Is there any way that they can be halted?
Yours sincerely
Bryan Barnes
Ullaro
Dear Editor, CAN you find the people responsible for looking after Majorca's road network? I doubt there is a reader who doesn't agree, Majorca's roads and motorways are, in fact, dangerous. I'm not saying there aren't a lot of drivers who actually make the roads dangerous because there are. e.g those that don't use the overtaking lane for specifically that purpose – they just tootle along in it, oblivious to other road users and the Highway code. That's an issue for education and awareness and I would like to see a scheme imposed to rectify this situation. Still, I have digressed without highlighting the more important need for action. We are let down completely by Majorca's road maintenance team. Am I the only one that has noticed that the tarmac becomes as slippy as an ice rink after the first rains that follow a long hot summer? Has no–one put two and two together? There is a massive accumulation of oil and grease on the road surface during our dry summers, the rain falls on it and hey presto! Stopping distances have just doubled or even trippled.
Why weren't the roads degreased in time? Why have the roads NEVER been degreased at all EVER? Would the cost of the necessary solvents outweigh that of the Taxpayers Life?–Of course not, and then the relief to the emergency services and knock–on effect to hospital beds etc. I don't think they actually care about our lives at all. Or what about this one? In accordance with the Highway code, What is the correct speed to enter a motorway? I guess your readers are all calling out different answers but to be correct, there is only one answer...... – The same speed as the traffic already on the motorway! Obvious really isn't it. So can you find out why some motorway slip roads have been built with such tight corners that only the world's supercars and sports cars could possibly accelerate in time?