Palma works for removing cars from its city centre

Authority leaders of Palma de Mallorca have published the city's plans for reducing traffic in the city centre. According to Mayor José Hila, the main idea is to give more space to the use of pedestrians and educational entities. Plans will follow 7 measures that will be adopted over the coming months. These measures will be determined through a 'participatory process' - businesses and residents associations will be involved in the drafting of the new sustainable urban mobility plan, which is expected to be completed within six months.

The two measures that stand out for their potentially significant impact (as well as their likely bigger resistance) are restrictions for on-street parking in the city centre to the benefit of people, and the extension of ORA pay-to-park parking zones to the city’s neighbourhoods. Affected shops and restaurants can get customer parking in SMAP underground car parks. There will be restrictions for residential parking for the current paid-parking zones, and existing residential parking zones will see an extension as well. 

Other measures include extending pedestrian areas such as the Plaça de Quadrado (where residents get passes for a nearby car park) and installing a low emission zone in the central areas.