Tourists call Formentor restrictions a “trap” after receiving fine

“A tourist trap”, “a joke” or “is this legal? These are the comments of dozens of tourists who visited Mallorca this summer and who now, on their return, receive a souvenir in the form of a fine. The reason: having driven around the Formentor peninsula when it was restricted to traffic.

Throughout the month of October, numerous tourists have contacted this newspaper to ask if the fine they had received was a joke or not. “I just got a fine for this,” says Sebastian, who adds, “I was trying to understand how it is possible that I can’t drive on the main road. I don’t remember any signs or traffic lights. I was visiting a viewpoint, as were many other vehicles. It’s a tourist trap,” he says. Mikkel agrees: “You don’t know from where they start fining. There are no signs and you see hundreds of cars driving around.

Most of those fined are shocked when they receive a fine. “Is it really legal?” asks Vadym, who says, “I didn’t see any signs or information anywhere. Em declares that he has just received the fine. “Has anyone paid? I can’t remember there being any signs at all,” he criticises, wondering about the repercussions of not paying the fine.

“I’m not going to pay the fine”

“This is a joke! I certainly don’t intend to pay the fine,” Adrian explains. Michael, for his part, regrets that there are no visible signs in several languages if there is a traffic ban. “There were literally hundreds of cars on the road. If they don’t want people to drive there, it makes sense to put up a barrier. Otherwise, it looks like yet another way of extracting money from tourists.

The road that runs along the Formentor peninsula -Ma-2210- remained restricted to traffic from 15 June to 15 September from 10:00 to 22:30 during the 2022 season, extending the restrictions imposed in 2021 that ended at 19:00. During the ban, a bus is provided to transport visitors to the main points in the area. This is line 334 of the TIB, which leaves from Alcúdia and stops at Port de Pollença, Es Colomer viewpoint, Formentor beach, Cala Figuera and the Formentor lighthouse. It is estimated that 16,000 cars have been fined during this season.