Walking around Palma: an obstacle course

Walking in Palma, and in many other towns in the Balearic Islands, has become an obstacle course. Cars are encroaching on sidewalks, blocking pedestrian access. Peatones Mallorca (Pedestrians Mallorca) recently posted a video on Instagram showing the difficulties a mother with a stroller faces trying to walk her child in her neighborhood, located around Isidre Llaurador Street. With this footage, the organization denounces this "shameful" problem, which is repeated in other neighborhoods and towns, and argues that "there are too many cars and not enough planning."

The overuse of private vehicles is the main cause of this problem. "It seems that drivers have the freedom to move and park wherever they please, and there's a lack of vision regarding how streets should be designed to allow people to move around safely," says Sonia Jichi, a member of the Peatonal Mallorca platform. The Balearic Islands have approximately one vehicle for every one of their 1,231,768 inhabitants (cars, motorcycles, vans, etc.), a ratio that reaches 1.1 in Mallorca. The authorities are committed to limiting the entry of rental vehicles, but experts are calling for bolder action: without measures that affect residents and, therefore, the votes that political parties will receive in elections, there will be no real change.

In a context where public institutions often talk about achieving a sustainable mobility model, Jichi points out that, to make this change, "pedestrians must be given the utmost respect and their rights must be prioritized." Similarly, he reminds us that vehicles must not infringe upon people's right to a quality of life in public spaces, and public transport must respond to users' needs. Furthermore, he adds that there are neighborhoods and municipalities that lack the appropriate infrastructure for pedestrians to move around safely and freely. "The main street in Genoa doesn't have sidewalks, and people are risking their lives without even realizing it," he denounces. He also notes that universal accessibility is enshrined in national legislation and points out that municipalities should ensure compliance. Although the organization has not submitted a formal request to the City Council, Jichi assures that the Palma City Council is aware of the problem. "We've told them repeatedly," he affirms.

Cars grow

All of this adds up to the fact that on-street parking spaces have become too small because car sizes have increased in recent years. This reality, coupled with the lack of parking and consequently the reduced use of private vehicles, has led the Palma City Council to even paint blue zones, allowing vehicles to occupy part of the pedestrian sidewalk (see photo accompanying the news). In Santa Catalina, there are entire streets where cars can park on the sidewalk, with the blue markings typical of regulated parking zones clearly indicating this occupation.

According to data from the Zero Emissions Platform, published by IB3 TV, cars are growing one centimeter wider every two years, so they no longer fit in the parking spaces of many properties, which were marked out in the past and now encroach on other areas such as sidewalks or obstruct maneuvering. Pedestrians suffer the consequences of this problem daily, but Jichi focuses on those who are "completely excluded from these hostile streets," which, in his opinion, include people with reduced mobility and visual impairments, among others.