At a Thursday meeting between representatives of the traffic directorate, the Council of Mallorca and Soller town hall, various proposals were agreed for tackling traffic congestion heading to Soller and in Soller itself.
Residents of Soller had demanded action be taken following the congestion that was experienced a few weeks ago, scenes of which did much to prompt the Balearic government into its drive for a pact for tourism and economic sustainability.
The proposals are:
- In the event that there is congestion in the Soller Tunnel, access to the town will be closed from the roundabout that leads to the tunnel next to the Jardines de Alfabia and there will be a detour in the direction of Palma.
- If there is congestion in Soller, access to the 'Monument Roundabout' that goes to Puerto Soller and to the MA-10 for the Puig Major will be closed. There will also be a detour in the direction of Palma.
- The closures will be for as short a time as possible. It is anticipated that they would last no more than twenty or thirty minutes.
- Information panels will be installed to give real-time information on traffic conditions.
- There will be a project to improve traffic flow between Soller and the port.
- Low emission zones will be developed and additional parking facilities created.
For now, these measures are proposals, so there is as yet no date for when road closures will come into effect.
2 comments
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Stephen GrimmerI totally agree. The proposals seem to impact Soller residents as much as tourists. How can tgat be acceptable?? How do residents and businesses in Soller function normally with such road closures? So the closure needs to be selective - basically it is only tourists that should be unable to access the town. To fascilitate this rental cars need to be clearly identifiable. In peak hours a barrier system with number plate identification is needed. Or, lose the barrier and instead impose a massive automated penalty for registered rental cars who breach the restrictions. Also there need to be ways to warn the tourists a long way before the tunnel. Allowing big tailbacks to form at the tunnel entrance, or even at the Bunyola roundabout will be a disaster. They need to be diverted at the Palmanyola roundabout or earlier.
I don't think the solution is to cut Sóller off from the outside world. Rather they should consider stopping unnecessary traffic and allowing access only for residents, deliveries and public transport during critical hours. Maybe a number plate recognition and/or E-tag that allows access or diverts vehicles back to Palma at the tunnel entrance during peak demand.