Palma aims to ease congestion: roundabout expansion, FAN access and 13 small roadworks

Palma plans tangible relief — but is it enough?

When the ferry hasn't arrived yet in the morning (Detours on the Paseo Marítimo: How Palma Can Ease Access to the Ferry Port) and delivery vans are reversing into the side street, you can hear the city breathe: horns, bus engines, the ticking of traffic lights. It is precisely at these critical points that the island council now wants to act — with two visible projects and a package of 13 measures. These proposals are outlined in Millions for Mallorca's Roads: Many Construction Sites, Few Guarantees. But how much traffic relief is really contained in asphalt, markings and new signal technology?

Key question: Can targeted interventions permanently slow down the daily traffic surge in Palma?

The answer is not a simple "yes" or "no". Targeted improvements help because they ease the worst congestion hotspots. But they do not replace a coordinated concept for public transport, load management and a consistent cycling and pedestrian policy. What is missing here as concrete policy is clear monitoring: Who measures success, by which indicators and for how long?

What is planned — concrete and local

First: The roundabout on the Sóller road will be enlarged. Wider approaches, different lane alignments, new signal technology to prevent lorries and buses from getting stuck in the curve. For commuters this is a rarity: the morning caravan that queues up to the next traffic light could run more smoothly. The work is to be carried out mostly at night and outside peak hours — a good idea, but it can fail because of the construction traffic itself and annoyed residents, as other projects such as the Gènova Tunnel: Palma wrestles with a solution for the daily congestion show.

Coll d’en Rabassa – FAN: Not just asphalt, but order

The stretch between the runway, Coll d’en Rabassa and the huge FAN shopping centre will be reorganised. Clearer lanes, safer entrances and exits, improved pedestrian crossings — for commuters travelling from the runway towards the city this means fewer sudden braking manoeuvres and fewer risky lane changes. Again: good lane guidance helps, but the behaviour of the many delivery vans and inner-city traffic remains an unknown. This also relates to airport measures described in Palma: Elevated connections at the airport aim to ease crowding.

13 individual measures — seven are already completed

The plan is not a big programme, but a patchwork quilt of many small interventions: new markings, additional turning lanes, changed traffic light phases. Seven of the 13 measures have already been implemented. These details add up, no question. But the downside: construction sites bring noise, detours and often lost parking spaces. In many neighbourhoods you can already hear the usual mantra at the square: "The diggers have to go away sometime."

Critical aspects that are often overlooked

First: induced traffic. More flow can attract more vehicles in the short term. Second: delivery traffic and construction logistics — if not managed, they exacerbate new bottlenecks during the day. Third: the burden on residents due to night work and construction traffic. Fourth: missing metrics. Without baseline measurements of travel times, noise and emissions, the benefits are hard to prove.

Concrete opportunities and solutions

What helps immediately: time‑scheduled delivery windows for retail, consolidated delivery zones for lorries on the city outskirts, temporary parking areas during the construction phase and clear communication plans with the neighbourhoods. Technically sensible are also dynamic traffic signs, real bus-priority lanes and simple sensors that measure travel times and air quality. And: a publicly accessible action calendar with KPIs — then it can be tracked whether the 13 measures really have an effect.

A realistic outlook

More flow means less exhaust in residential streets and fewer irritated voices behind the wheel, that is clear. But sustainable relief only arises if these interventions are part of a larger roadmap: better public transport, safe cycle connections and a sensible park-&ride system. Until then: keep an eye on diversion signs, start early or plan for more podcast time. And hope the diggers do not stay longer than announced.

Tip for commuters: Anyone affected in the first weeks should try alternative routes — and watch the times: in the evenings after 9:30 pm traffic usually flows more easily.