The Costitx Town Council has taken a positive step towards resolving one of the most pressing problems for residents of the historic centers of the Pla region: the lack of parking. The Council has approved, for the first time, a tax and regulatory ordinance for driveways, introducing a system that allows owners of driveways to park their vehicles in front of them. This measure follows the path taken by other municipalities in the Pla de Mallorca region, such as Vilafranca de Bonany, which have long embraced this approach to optimize available public space. In other municipalities, like Sineu, it was the opposition that requested it. Until now, and according to general traffic regulations, a driveway prohibited parking for any vehicle without exception, including the vehicle of the permit holder. Now, Costitx is adapting to the reality of narrow streets and limited public parking spaces, transforming what was previously a mandatory empty space into an authorized parking area. In municipalities where this measure has been implemented, the main objective is to intelligently free up parking spaces on public roads. When a homeowner can park their car in front of their garage, they automatically free up a space elsewhere on the street that it previously occupied, without causing any additional inconvenience to other residents, since the driveway space should already be kept clear by law. However, city councils usually specify in their ordinances that authorization is always subject to technical safety and traffic criteria and the relevant reports. In fact, on streets where the width is so narrow that a parked car could obstruct the passage of emergency vehicles or cleaning services, the reserved parking space might not be authorized to protect the public interest.

The Palma Local Police have reported a 75-year-old driver for improperly using a parking permit for people with reduced mobility (PRM) that belonged to a deceased relative. The incident occurred during a routine check of parking spaces reserved for people with disabilities in Palma. Officers noticed a vehicle parked in one of these spaces with a permit displayed on the dashboard that showed irregularities. Upon checking the documentation, the police confirmed that the permit had expired in April 2024 and that the holder had died in June 2022. The vehicle owner admitted to the violation when located by the officers. The permit was confiscated, and the corresponding report was filed for a serious infraction of the accessibility regulations in force in the Balearic Islands. The Local Police remind the public that the misuse of these permits can result not only in administrative penalties but also in potential criminal charges, as it directly affects the right to mobility of those who genuinely need these reserved parking spaces.