Majorca car hire boss savages locals who blame traffic jams on tourist | World | News

A car hire manager has put the breaks on claims tourists are behind traffic congestion on a Balearic island visited by more than three million Brits last year. 

Majorca is one of the favourite destinations for sun-seekers from the UK, either during the traditional summer holiday getaway or for those looking for some warmer weather in winter. 

But in recent years pressure on housing available for locals from holiday lets, and concerns over the environment, have led to a series of large demonstrations against ‘over-tourism’ in Majorca, and elsewhere across Spain.

Speaking to local news site, The Majorca Daily Bulletin, one worker in the tourism sector was keen to scotch new growing perceptions that tourists were to blame for traffic jams as well.

Julio Nieto, an area manager for Record Go car hire firm, told the publication: “We know what the roads are like right now on the islands, especially in Mallorca.

“Traffic jams early in the morning, at midday and in the afternoon when leaving work; traffic jams entering Palma and on the ring road. Can you see any hire cars? There are very few.

“If there are traffic jams right at the moment, these are not because of the car-hire firms. They are because we have roads that are not adequate. We are not the problem, but we can be part of the solution.”

And new survey by the Council of Mallorca has revealed that the real culprits behind Majorca’s traffic woes are not the tourists but the locals.

The study found that a whopping 81% of journeys on local roads are made by residents. Even in winter, when most tourists have returned to their colder home countries, the roads remain congested, further supporting the claim that it’s the locals causing the traffic problems.

Despite the study results, one town in Majorca has taken the drastic step of banning hire cars entirely from the streets.

Authorities in Soller, a town in the north east of the island home to around 14,000 residents, has ordered hire cars to keep away from the town centre, with only registered vehicles allowed entry. 

Those vehicles will be able to circulate freely within the zone but drivers and passengers of other non-registered vehicles will have to park-up and walk.

Visitors are also encouraged to use public transport to visit the pretty seaside town, with a direct service available running from the island’s capital, Palma.