Traffic and parking could kill off Palma

Palma's small shopkeepers have launched a fresh assault on their larger city centre competitors, pointing out to the Mayor of Palma Joan Fageda that the traffic diversions and restrictions around the Plaza de España are having a negative affect on trade. The Plaza España is in the process of being re-developed into a large park area and the building work has resulted in traffic restrictions being introduced. The Majorcan Association of Small Shopkeepers (PIMECO) has complained that shops in San Miguel, Olmos, the Plaza del Olivar and their adjacent streets (all in the Plaza España area) have all reported a drop in sales over the past three weeks because of the traffic diversions and restrictions. PIMECO claims that, based on information from shopkeepers, the whole of the city centre has suffered at the hands of traffic diversions over Christmas and the only establishments to have benefited have been the capital's super and department stores which offer their own parking facilities.