Traffic jam on the Formentor road in Pollensa, Mallorca

There are traffic jams on the Formentor road every day.

Andrew EdePollensa20/08/2022 08:25
TW1

Since the middle of June, some 27,000 drivers have been fined for breaching traffic restrictions on the Formentor road. Of these, 26,000 fines have been for the section from Puerto Pollensa to the beach.

These fines could have been avoided by sending the traffic directorate a copy of a parking ticket and an image of the vehicle's number plate within three days. But this has not been the case. The other one thousand fines relate to the road from the beach to the lighthouse, for which there isn't the same potential exemption from fines for private vehicles. Penalties range between 80 and 200 euros.

The restrictions - from 10am to 10.30pm and until mid-September - are meant to address traffic congestion and environmental issues. However, and despite the option of taking a shuttle bus during the hours of restrictions, the numbers of vehicles remain high. Since June 15, more than 100,000 vehicles have been registered on the section as far as the beach, and 85,000 of these have been between 10am and 10.30pm.

Pollensa town hall, which supports the restrictions, has nevertheless been critical of the lack of clear information to try and prevent drivers from using the road. The town hall has also advocated a control system of barriers in Puerto Pollensa.