The president of the Consell de Mallorca, Llorenç Galmés, announced this Monday during the General Policy Debate that next June the draft bill that will regulate for the first time the entry of vehicles on the island will be presented. This measure, long awaited by various social and environmental sectors, will include a set of restrictions among which stands out the limitation for non-resident owners in Mallorca: only one vehicle per owner will be allowed to circulate, provided it is fiscally registered at that residence.
Traffic jams on Palma’s Vía de Cintura. Photo: Raúl Beltrán.
In Galmés’s own words: “It will be the plenary of the Consell who establishes, on an annual or biennial basis, the vehicle cap, giving preference to electric and non-polluting vehicles”. Furthermore, the president explained that the new regulation will establish a tax for vehicles that do not pay taxes in the Balearic Islands and will set a maximum number of rental cars.
The bill will include exemptions for certain groups: residents on the island, people with reduced mobility, emergency and security vehicles, as well as freight transport and commercial distribution vehicles.
Combatting traffic jams
The president has defended that this initiative aims to tackle one of the island’s main problems: traffic jams. “Brave decisions will be taken to face one of the main challenges: putting an end to traffic congestion on the roads”, he declared, emphasising that the regulation will be debated and agreed upon with the sectors involved and all political groups with institutional representation.
Galmés closed his speech with a call for consensus: “We want to approve the vehicle cap in the coming months in the plenary and for the bill to be passed in the Parliament within this legislature”, ensuring that this initiative seeks to secure a “broad majority and be maintained across legislatures”.
Leave A Comment