“The local authorities should really consider a car sharing scheme...”

“The local authorities should really consider a car sharing scheme...” | JOAN TORRES

Jason MoorePalma25/03/2022 09:36
TW
3

From next year vehicles of a certain age will not be allowed into Palma in the latest battle by the local authorities to save the planet. Older vehicles do not have the same “green” credentials as their younger counterparts. Perhaps, the council could also consider a car sharing scheme.

Yesterday, there was an enormous traffic jam on the airport motorway leading to the main Palma ringroad (as usual). Just out of interest I looked along at all the vehicles; one person one car. Most of the vehicles appeared to be going to the same place the Son Castello industrial estate. Yep, you know what I am going to say...! Four people to a vehicle and the congestion on the roads would fall by three quarters and the planet would be a better place for it.

Surely, a car share scheme makes more sense than banning older vehicles? The problem with all these schemes is that the council is not really tackling the problem head-on. If they are so concerned about saving the planet encourage car-sharing schemes, underline the advantages of public transport and if they want even more radical action then ban certain vehicles on certain days from the city centre.

At the moment their traffic schemes are going nowhere. Also, before people start saying that hired vehicles driven by tourists are to blame I would say that at this time of the year there are few tourists about and I would say that all vehicles on the road yesterday were driven by local residents. Imagine what it will be like in the summer.