Semi-Pedestrianisation of the front line in PP.

[Molt de Renou]

Good evening Pinaret,

I am sure that you know PP better than I do, but I have one advantage which is that I have been here whilst the work has been ongoing and can assure you that there is PLENTY of space for a bicycle lane, moving traffic and also for parking and unloading buses every so often.

Unfortunately time moves on and it would be unreasonable for everybody to expect to park where and whenever they like in front of the beach.

Most of the people who come in cars are locals, either from Palma or from smaller towns or villages nearer Pollensa, and they are the first people to understand that car ownership, i.e. higher standards of living, has drawbacks, one of them being not being able to park where one wants or having to pay for it when you do.

Alcudia is not much better, with the added inconvenience of having to cross a busy road with two way traffic.

At the weekends, all well liked beaches have parking problems, and, unlike PP which has a lot of side roads, some of them give you no alternative than to park illegally on sand dunes or walk literally for over one kilometer.

In PP "Dad" will easliy be able to drop off Mum and the kids next to the beach before he goes and looks for somewhere to park.

In the end, it will make PP far more agreeable and friendly for the people who come and spend their holidays and money here, with the slight downside that the people who come and spend relatively little money but owe their living, directly or indirectly to their / our visitors, will have to get out of bed slightly earlier if they want to park without having to walk too far.

Regards,

Molt

 

[Molt de Renou]

This is quite interesting.

Government drafts law for managing Es Trenc nature park » Balearics » News » Majorca Daily Bulletin

Basically the authorities are saying that beaches should have LESS parking spaces as the more there are, the faster the beaches will degrade and become dirtier due to an influx of more people.

 

[pinaret86]

Hi Molt , thanks for response. Lots of points made, many very well made.

there is an However,
There are I think 5 hotels along the area which I believe will be the problem ie up to llenaire
Those visitors who are staying in the hotels will definitely think that the new road layout is a great thing.
Those who are renting /owning away from PP are definitely going to have a major problem with parking as the only reason they visit is to spend the day on the beach which they have great access to. They are not going to the pine walk or the town. (there are literally thousands of villas rented for 3/4 months & these people visit the beach big time )

Also day trippers with cars will be tempted not to stay but will just drive through.

you say time moves on & things need to be updated & I agree but the access is the vital ingredient.

you say dads will drop off their famalies & go & find somewhere to park. This is incredibly presumptious & a very high risk thing to assume.

work should have been done with the parking thing before such risks be undertaken.

I support cycling but believe that the cycle lane will prove too much of luxury , although I know it will be done. Serious cyclists will not use it.

The major issue with me is that parking will not be at 90 % this would solve a lot .

Please Keep the comments coming .

 

[Molt de Renou]

I agree about the villa people, but, as a resident here, I tend to avoid the beach ( if I happen to go ) at weekends as I know they will be full up of people who work during the week. Of course August is a bad month to go anywhere, but it´s always been like that, beach or no beach.

As I understand it, the council are actively looking to acquire land to open a public parking. Whether it will be free or not is another matter.

Let´s "dar tiempo al tiempo" ( give time to time ) as the Spanish say, and hope that 2016 will highlight any mistakes or miscalculations that can be duly rectified for the 2017 season.

Another appropiate quote could be " Time flies " !

Molt

PS A few posts back I did suggest that another solution could be that during July, and certainly August, the bicycle lane could be sacrificed to make more spaces available to park cars.

 

[pinaret86]

Hi Molt, again a lot of good points.

The acquisition of land in a resort such as PP will come at a very high price.

As many parts of "Europe & n Africa " are not as popular these days , Spain will become increasingly popular & land given for car parks will become impossible I think

 

[Sparky]

Obviously there will be less car parking space on the front line but surely the whole point of this project is to give priority to pedestrians hence the title of this thread "Semi pedestrianisation" . I honestly can't see why a few minutes walk to get to the beach is a problem .

 

[Molt de Renou]

Hi Molt, again a lot of good points.

The acquisition of land in a resort such as PP will come at a very high price.

As many parts of "Europe & n Africa " are not as popular these days , Spain will become increasingly popular & land given for car parks will become impossible I think

Not neccesarily. A council or local government can take land from its legal owner if needed for the common good by only paying the value quoted on the IBI receipt which is always a lot less than its "real" value.

They can also convert nearly valueless "rural" land into valuable "urban" land with a stroke of a pen, on the condition that the owner of the newly upgraded plot gives some of it free of charge to the council concerned. In other words you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.

 

[Tangoman]

Car Parking etc.

The only input that I would like to provide to this topic, is that over the 24 years or so that we have been coming to Puerto Pollensa, with or without family, we have only ever hired a car on one occasion, and even then that was only for one day.

We have stayed in Hobby Club, Playa Mar, Hostal Bahia, Oro Playa, Flora, La Fortalesa Apartments, etc., which are as you all know relatively close to the action, either on the square or the pinewalk, or the southern beach. I suspect that there are many like us who come to PP to enjoy PP and all that it has to offer, and who do not need to venture further afield. After all we don't book Puerto Pollensa for 2 weeks to visit Cala Bona, for example.

So for us the Semi Pedestrianisation will be a good thing, and lack of/or otherwise of parking will not really have any effect on our holiday - and as I say, I would suspect that there will be many, probably the majority of visitors, who will fall into this category. However, I do not wish to be taking one side or another, either for or against - just expressing a personal opinion.

Oh, and roll on August!!

 

[pinaret86]

as you can imagine I disagree with a lot of what is being written. I have made my points & respect all of yours. However, I arrive for the month of April & look foreward to every minute.

 

[pinaret86]

Just read tangoman & must respond.

I feel that I am attempting to express what I feel will have a negative impact on the resort as a whole.

Whilst as you say, you appear to have stayed exclusively on the west side of the marina the biggest impact will be for the thousands who use the beach up to llenaire.

 

[clinkham]

Obviously there will be less car parking space on the front line but surely the whole point of this project is to give priority to pedestrians hence the title of this thread "Semi pedestrianisation" . I honestly can't see why a few minutes walk to get to the beach is a problem .

No problem - assuming you have a decent pair of flip flops.

 

[Molt de Renou]

Interesting article written by Andrew Ede

alcudiapollensa: Mallorca's Car Parking Crisis

 

[hoopy]

I dont really see the issue re parking on the front line. As Sparky says it is "semi-pedestrianisation" so the intent is to get cars off the road.

Anyway, there is plenty of free parking on Ave Paris, which at the moment is only used up to say 100 metres from the beach. There is also plenty of free parking on the streets off of Paris and there is plenty of parking on the road up to the PP and in the streets around there. Similarly there is plenty of parking beside La Gola including a free car park.

OK, people might have to walk a wee bit further than they would like or get out their beds a wee bit earlier but the benefits far outweigh any slight negative. I cant wait to be able to ride along the front with my son and not constantly worry about buses, cars and delivery trucks.

 

[copper]

We never hire a car nowadays Have over the years visited every part of the island and sometimes do a seperate holiday to Palma

Obviously we will be pleased to have better pavements and we always walk up towards the wider beaches towards Tamerells Would be very pleased to hear that something has been done to the pavements near the Supermarkets towards the Pollensa Park !

There does seem to be lots of rough land behind the Pollensa Park have no idea who it belongs to or what it is intended for but would be good for a car park ?

Am looking forward to having room to walk on the pavements near the Los Faroles Brisa etc rather than diving into the road to avoid people

Our nearest large beach would be Bournemouth and in the summer people are down there by 8am to get a parking spot which wont be cheap so dont imagine it will be that bad !

 

[Nick]

The project is after all about, in the main, pedestrians and I agree wholeheartedly with that.
IMO a cycle lane is a must as believe you me cyclists and pedestrians don't mix.

If there are no buses along the front that will be a massive bonus too.

 

[Sparky]

Re- the position of the main bus stop, below is a rough translation of a report from the UH.

Complaints about the new location of the bus stop Port de Pollença.


Platform ridership has denounced the shortcomings of the new location of the bus stop Port de Pollença, because of the works of pedestrianization of the first line of this coastal village.

They claim that the area has not been conditioned to house the bus stop. " There is neither banks nor ceiling or anything, wait for the bus at the mercy of the weather will. We continue to give a poor impression and bad service "reported.

Besides the lack of infrastructure in the area neighbors they have also warned of circulation problems that can occur in the area during the tourist season.

The City Council of Pollença decided to move in coordination with the consortium of transport, bus stop on the first line of Moll to being incompatible with the pedestrianization. During the presentation of the new circulatory model Port de Pollença the Consistory indicated that "observe the pros and cons of location this season.

.

The original article can be read here :- Quejas por la nueva ubicación de la parada de autobuses del Port de Pollença » Part Forana » Noticias » Ultima Hora Mallorca

 

[Sparky]

Here is a rough translation of a UMP post on FB :-

COMPLAINTS BY BUS STOP NEW PORT. Faced with the denunciation of the Platform for Users on the shortcomings of the new bus stop Port must distinguish various aspects. On the one hand there are obvious shortcomings of the current stop, temporarily installed in front of the post office because of the works of the first line, and, according to sources of the City Council, they will be remedied with immediate effect by installing pergolas and banks expected since, according to the plan of the consistory, will be as final stop of the new public transport route. Furthermore we must talk about the desirability of such stop at first seems to be correct, given its location in the hub of the Port (Piazza Miguel Capllonch, medical center, sports area, municipal services, etc.). Obviously we must be alert to the impact that buses will cause in the area during the summer before giving closed the issue.

 

[pinaret86]

Any idea what the translation really means ?

 

[Sparky]

I read it as meaning there have been complaints that there is no shade or raised ramp for easy disabled access at the new bus stops but the council have promised to install pergolas and raised ramps asap. Also they are waiting for feedback through this summer before making a final decision on a permanent place for the stops.

 

[debz1]

I dont really see the issue re parking on the front line. As Sparky says it is "semi-pedestrianisation" so the intent is to get cars off the road.

Anyway, there is plenty of free parking on Ave Paris, which at the moment is only used up to say 100 metres from the beach. There is also plenty of free parking on the streets off of Paris and there is plenty of parking on the road up to the PP and in the streets around there. Similarly there is plenty of parking beside La Gola including a free car park.

OK, people might have to walk a wee bit further than they would like or get out their beds a wee bit earlier but the benefits far outweigh any slight negative. I cant wait to be able to ride along the front with my son and not constantly worry about buses, cars and delivery trucks.

I agree hoopy there will still be loads of parking space up Ave Paris and the car park by La Gola is right by the beach. Not sure why everyone is getting in a state about not being able to park next to the beach. It will look so much better with no cars and also be a lot safer. Do what we did when our kids were little...make them carry their own buckets and spades etc!