Menorca car cap plan targets island traffic

Cars arriving in Menorca could face a limit under plans being considered by the island council on Monday, 31 August. The Consell Insular de Menorca is debating a change to the island’s Biosphere Reserve law that would give it powers to control how many motor vehicles enter and stay on Menorca.

Europa Press

The council’s full assembly could set a maximum number of vehicles each year or every two years, along with the periods when restrictions would apply. Any cap would need to rest on a study of how many vehicles the island can bear, particularly in environmental and land-use terms.

The proposal also allows measures aimed at encouraging public transport and more sustainable travel. Council president Adolfo Vilafranca said the aim was to avoid pressure on Menorca’s roads, land and residents’ quality of life.

Who would be exempt

Cars owned by people registered as living on Menorca would not be covered by the entry and stay limits. Non-resident owners of a home on the island could have one vehicle for each property.

Exemptions would also cover vehicles needed for professional work, people with reduced mobility, emergency services, public and school transport, taxis, goods and commercial deliveries. Industrial, livestock and agricultural machinery and vehicles would also be excluded.

Hire cars, ferries and a possible fee

The assembly could set a number of permits for self-drive hire cars and allocate them among rental firms. It could create quotas by vehicle type and technical features, favouring electric or non-polluting models and taking a vehicle’s age into account.

Rental companies, ferry operators and intermediaries would have to help run the checks. This would include regularly supplying number plates and details of vehicles arriving on and leaving Menorca.

The legal change would also allow the council to introduce a fee linked to permission to enter or remain on the island. A later council regulation would set out how the system works before the assembly decides the periods, limits and quotas.

Menorca car cap plan targets vehicles entering island

Who would be exempt

Hire cars, ferries and a possible fee