03/04/2005 00:00
TW
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Staff Reporter NOBODY can deny the fact that any construction works carried out in a town or city cause some kind of inconvenience for those living there or simply for those visiting. However the reforms to the car park in Parc de la Mar are causing so many problems due to the bad planning of the project.

Before undertaking a major or minor project it is vital to plan, plan and plan some more, so that the inconveniences will be minimal. The case for the underground car park construction work under calle Antoni Maura and its connection to the existing Parc de la Mar car park is a clear example of bad planning. Not bad planning on part of the construction works but bad planning for the consequences that this work has caused for not only the residents but also tourists.

It seems that those managing the project, as well as the technical experts and politicians have forgotten that Palma and especially the area around Parc de la Mar, is “the capital of Mediterranean tourism”. The once beautiful view of the Cathedral, the old part of Palma and the bay of Palma have been spoiled by the incessant lorries and building materials that frequently come and go, which ultimately must give the tourists a bad perception of Majorca.

Many of the tourists come to Palma by coaches which are parked at the dock wall opposite the Cathedral. From here they have to go by foot and cross the busy ringroad. Then they are forced to walk on the road that borders the construction works, without any type of barrier that separates the pedestrians from the vehicles, and over a ramp that enters the new car park.

One of the worst and dangerous consequences of these works is when pedestrians have to cross the ringroad between the Commander's Headquarters building and the Customs Office. Once the traffic lights turn red they have to cross over and then wait on a very narrow and inadequate central reservation.

Those that brave this, find themselves trapped between two sides of a very busy road, where the fast cars are literally inches away from then. If those responsible for the car park construction works had been aware of the importance of this touristic capital, they would have surely included adequate safety and convenience measures in the planning to have prevented the chaos that is occurring currently.