Commuters stick to cars despite government efforts

EFFORTS by the local government to encourage people to use public transport do not seem to be meeting with much success, judging from figures released from the census, which show that 84 per cent of the population who work in a different municipality to where they live use their car or van and eight per cent travel as a passenger. Only four per cent go by bus and one per cent by train. The report said that 55 per cent of those who live and work in the same municipality travel by car or van, 22 per cent go on foot, 19 per cent use the bus and a similar number go by motorbike or as a car passenger. Most people take between ten and 30 minutes to get to their work place, the report said.
In presenting the figures, deputy leader Pere Sampol underlined the fact that the government had put its faith in public transport, especially the train service, which is being expanded, and improving the bus service. Twenty-one per cent of the population works in a different municipality to where they live, a figure which rises to 26 per cent in Ibiza, but drops to 18.7 per cent in Minorca. The report on the 2001 census shows that about 80'000 people a day travel to another municipality to work. This does not include students, or people who have to travel to another municipality to deal with paper work. The chief municipalities which receive workers from outside are Palma, Calvia, Ibiza capital and Marratxi, Sampol said.
Areas where more than 70 per cent of the population live and work in the same municipality include Formentera, Ciutadella, Palma, Capdepera, Manacor, Pollensa, Santanyi, Sant Llorenç and Mahon. Six out of ten workers from Marratxi, Bunyola, Santa María, Esporles, Puigpunyent, Costitx, Vilafranca, Fornalutx, Santa Eugenia, Campanet, Alaró, Sant Joan, Lloret, Algaida, Valldemossa and Es Castell (Minorca) have to work in other municipalities.