Menorca car limits move closer after law change
The island of Menorca has taken the first step towards limiting cars arriving and staying there, but no numerical cap has been set. The Island Council of Menorca approved the law change on Wednesday, 2 September, after the PP and PSOE reached an agreement. Més per Menorca and an unaffiliated councillor voted against it.
The revised Biosphere Reserve law gives the council the power to set a ceiling for vehicles and decide when restrictions apply. That ceiling must be based on a study of how many motor vehicles Menorca can handle, particularly in environmental and land-use terms.
Caps will be decided later
The council’s full assembly will set the maximum number of vehicles either every year or every two years. It will also decide the periods when drivers need permission to enter or keep a vehicle on the island.
Approved vehicles may receive a badge to make checks easier. The new rules also allow for a charge linked to permission to enter or remain on Menorca, while the Island Council will lead inspections and can now treat some breaches as very serious offences.
Shipping companies and intermediaries will have to help with checks by regularly supplying number plates and details of vehicles arriving and leaving.
Who stays outside the limit
People registered as living on Menorca will not face the entry and stay restrictions for their own vehicles. Owners of a home on the island who do not live there can also bring one vehicle for each property.
Vehicles needed for professional work, and vehicles used by people with reduced mobility, are also exempt. The same applies to official and public-service vehicles, emergency services, public and school transport, taxis, goods and commercial distribution vehicles, and industrial, livestock and agricultural machinery and vehicles.
For self-drive hire cars, the council may set a number of permits and divide them between companies. It may also create quotas by vehicle type or technical features, with preference possible for electric or non-polluting vehicles.
Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com