A popular town in Majorca renowned for its rich history and has banned hired cars in its centre, providing a brutal blow for British tourists.
Soller, one of the most beautiful towns in Majorca, has decided to safeguard a large part of its urban area against non-resident traffic.
The council is experimenting with a low emission zone (ZBE) which covers 12 key streets. This means only locals’ vehicles will be allowed on the roads.
Registered vehicles will be able to circulate freely within the zone however, drivers and passengers of other non-registered vehicles such as hire cars will have to park-up and walk.
The initiative is aimed to ensure that tourists arriving in Soller by car “leave them parked in the car parks which will soon be set up next to the Desvío road”, according to councillor for Mobility, Pep Porcel.
Soller residents have grown increasingly frustrated and angry at the town’s congestion problem. Often roads in and around the centre are jammed due to visitors heading to the beach or port.
Locals often complain that many non-resident vehicles fail to comply with the restriction on entry into the centre via C. Isabel II, where there were queues.
Last year, the Government said it was extremely concerned about the volume of traffic and said it’s having an “unacceptable” impact on the local population.
However, the controversial zone has already provoked complaints from non-residents who are calling the initiative a “nightmare”.
One regular visitor said: “Providing that there is parking I don’t think that there will be a problem, but if there is no parking then it could be a nightmare.”
Many of the affected streets will have to change the current direction of traffic. Calle Cetre will be the main entrance of vehicles and the exit along Calle Isabel II.