Palma's balancing act: More parking — more e-bikes — can they coexist?

Palma's balancing act: More parking — more e-bikes — can they coexist?

Early in the morning, when the bakeries on Calle Sant Miquel are just opening their doors and delivery vans squeak, Palma is debating something that affects everyone: space. The city has presented a 2026 budget draft that invests both in new parking areas and in a considerably larger fleet of e-bikes. The central question is: Can Palma create more parking while credibly advancing the transport and mobility transition?

What the budget promises — and what it keeps quiet

The figures from the municipal parking company SMAP show nearly €20 million in revenue, slightly more than the previous year. Parts of this are earmarked for additional parking at Playa de Palma and Eusebi-Estada Street, others for modernizing existing garages on the Avenidas. Almost €400,000 is budgeted for security technology in underground garages — a line that sounds like peace of mind for residents like María from the Mercat de l'Olivar: “I prefer to leave my car in a secure basement, especially in summer.”

But the raw numbers are only part of the story. What rarely appears in budget drafts are the ongoing operating costs, the reserve for maintenance and a clear prioritization of revenue. Will the additional income become lasting investments in sustainable mobility? Or will it mainly be used to plug short-term gaps? And: more parking, critics fear, could attract additional car traffic into the city center — an effect that would blunt the environmental benefits of any e-bike expansion.

BiciPalma is growing — but for whom?

Alongside the parking push, the public e-bike system BiciPalma is to be expanded by around 23 stations and roughly 230 bikes, focusing on tourist hotspots like the Paseo Marítimo and Playa de Palma. On paper that sounds like a good complement. In reality, pedestrians, road cyclists and e-scooter users often share a narrow promenade — and the question is: are an average of ten bikes per station enough at peak locations?

Other often overlooked questions concern who will actually benefit from the service: is it meant for the short beach trips of tourists or the daily journeys of residents from Santa Catalina or Son Espanyolet? Are there discounted annual subscriptions for residents, or will BiciPalma remain an expensive novelty for visitors? Without clear fare policy the system risks becoming merely a tourist gimmick.

The three invisible deciding factors

Public debate usually focuses on locations and sums. Three practical aspects are rarely examined in enough detail, yet they determine success or failure:

Logistics: Who places the bikes at the right spots in the morning and prevents full or empty docking stations in the evening? Without a working redistribution system many stations will remain unusable.

Energy: What happens if everyone needs their batteries charged at night? Intelligent charging solutions, combined with solar canopies or local battery storage, could relieve the grid — but that requires investment and planning.

User profiles: Will BiciPalma be attractive enough for commuters to replace cars? Or will it only support short tourist rides? Reliable user research is still lacking.

Concrete, pragmatic proposals

A few suggestions for how Palma could make the balancing act more realistic:

1) Ring-fencing parking revenue: SMAP income should be partially and transparently directed to cycling infrastructure, maintenance and theft protection — turning parking fees into a mobility levy.

2) Dynamic parking zones: Time-limited parking in tourist areas combined with clear resident permits prevents long-term parkers from clogging the city center.

3) Logistical backbone for BiciPalma: Small electric transporter teams and local workshops ensure redistribution and quick repairs — empty stations in the morning would then be rarer.

4) EMT integration and fare policy: Combined tickets, discounted annual subscriptions for locals and coordinated routes make e-bikes a genuine complement to public transport.

5) Pilot projects for charging and prevention: Solar canopies, smart chargers and neighborhood workshops on theft prevention reduce follow-up costs and build acceptance.

A compromise with ambition — or just a lot of patchwork?

Palma’s approach sounds like a compromise: more parking where it's needed and simultaneously more alternative mobility. That is pragmatic and deeply Mallorcan — efficient, sometimes a little improvised. What will be decisive is whether the city structurally embeds the e-bike expansion: maintenance, fair prices for locals, and intelligent prioritization of parking spaces.

The upcoming city council sessions and the final budget vote will show whether Palma is making a balanced start or whether the gap between visitor interests and everyday quality of life will widen further. Those who want to learn more can attend next week’s debate — or simply go to Playa de Palma at the weekend and check whether the new stations actually have the bikes the city promised in the mornings.