Menorca moves to cap cars entering the island
Cars entering Menorca could face a limit under plans going before the Menorca Island Council on Monday. The council will debate a change to the Menorca Biosphere Reserve Law that would allow it to restrict the entry and stay of motor vehicles during set periods. It could also set a maximum number of vehicles covered by the rules.
The full council would decide the limit each year or every two years, as well as when it applies. Any decision would have to rest on a study of how many motor vehicles the island’s environment and territory can handle. The proposal also allows for a fee linked to permission to enter and/or remain on Menorca.
Who would be exempt
Vehicles owned by people registered on Menorca would not be subject to the limits. Non-resident owners of a home on the island could have one vehicle for each home.
The exemptions would also cover vehicles used by people travelling to the island for proven professional reasons, people with reduced mobility, emergency services, public and school transport, taxis, goods and delivery vehicles. Industrial, livestock and agricultural machinery and vehicles would also be excluded.
Rental cars and ferries in the system
The council could set the number of permits for self-drive rental vehicles and divide them among rental firms. It could use quotas based on vehicle type and technical features, favouring electric or non-polluting vehicles and taking their age into account.
Rental firms would have information-sharing duties. Shipping companies and intermediaries would also have to help police the system by regularly sending number plates for vehicles embarking and disembarking on Menorca, along with their entry and exit details.
The law would set the overall framework, with a later council regulation spelling out how the system works. The full council would then decide the periods, vehicle ceiling and quotas.
More on this topic: Traffic on Mallorca
Topics: Housing · Traffic · Politics
Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com