The Average Daily Vehicle makes a proportion of journeys made every day throughout the year on the roads of Mallorca. According to data from the Consell, analyzing the main road arteries, Majorcan roads support almost 1,2 million car journeys, motorcycles or trucks in a day
The roads of Mallorca support an average of 1.147.651 journeys by car, trucks and motorcycles. These are data from the Average Daily Intensity of Vehicles (IMDV) measured by the Consell de Mallorca on the main roads of the island and correspond to the year 2018 and in the sections of more traffic. This data gives a dimension of the circulatory collapse suffered by the island, especially in summer. all of it, taking into account that these figures do not include the journeys that are made within the urban centers of towns and cities.
The Consell de Mallorca plans to make public the figures of 2019, that if they follow the usual tonic of the previous exercises, the number of journeys on the highways around the 30.000 every year. Bearing in mind that the fleet of the islands barely exceeds one million vehicles, motorized journeys on highways and within cities can approach a whopping three million daily. These are figures from studies that the Government has carried out in the Mobility Plan and that point in this direction. One fact to take into account is the large number of rental cars that circulate on Majorcan roads during the summer, is calculated in about 100.000, which helps to dramatically increase the Daily Measured Intensity of Vehicles that support the roads and highways of our island.
The Vía de Cintura is, undoubtedly, the most crowded highway. In fact, from the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) They consider it one of the most saturated highways in Spain, along the lines of those in Madrid or Barcelona. A daily average of 189.775 vehicles on the busiest stretches. The Vía de Cintura experiences annual increases of 10.000 daily cars, which has led the Consell to study different measures to avoid circulatory collapses that originate at peak hours and, especially, in summer.
Among the measures proposed by the insular Department of Infrastructures directed by Iván Sevillano is the reduction of speed on the Vía de Cintura. The technicians point out that lowering some 10 kilometers per hour in all sections would be a good solution. Sevillano explained that the speed reduction “has two goals: sustainability and air improvement and reduction of traffic jams”.
the inca highway, in its initial section that connects precisely with the Vía de Cintura, It is the second most saturated Majorcan road artery. Approaches the 47.000 daily vehicles. It is true that this intensity reaches the vicinity of Marratxí, then drops from the order of 50%. The Consell also projects improvements in the connections between the Inca highway and the Vía de Cintura to space out circulation. One of the projects is a new access with a roundabout on the Sóller road that would absorb a lot of traffic that must now pass through the Valldemossa road and that goes to the Son Castelló industrial estate via the Inca highway.
The entrance road to Santa Ponça, which absorbs all the traffic on the Andratx motorway, as well as the Son Bugadelles and Galatzó industrial estate, It is another of the points with the largest number of vehicles on the island.
Back roads
Another saturated route attracts attention, the one known as the Cap Blanc road, widely used to reach the urbanizations of Llucmajor. In this case we are talking about 23.660 average daily intensity vehicles, a very high figure if we take into account that it is a secondary road with only two lanes. The traffic that supports this road is similar to that of the road from Llucmajor to Campos, that now the Consell is unfolding and converting it into a highway to be able to support the high number of cars that use it. The technicians advise to double the highways that surpass the 22.000 daily vehicles. The one from Llucmajor to Campos is currently hosting, according to figures from the Consell de Mallorca, 23.753 average daily intensity vehicles.
Soller tunnel, that connects Palma with the valley, some use it 19.000 daily vehicles. Contrary to what many might think, the elimination of the toll in the tunnel has not caused an excessive increase in vehicles on this road. According to Consell Infrastructures, the increase has not exceeded 1.000 vehicles per year since the tunnel was opened in 2017.
The highway that has practically maintained the same numbers in recent years is the one from Palma to Manacor. The Council of Mallorca accounts 32.828 vehicles a day on this road, which would be in line with the Andratx motorway or the second ring road, which, despite the fact that it is still being built, already houses around the 30.000 daily vehicles.
The road that connects Manacor with Sant Llorenç is one of the roads in the East of Mallorca with the most traffic, 22.483 vehicles per day is a more than considerable figure for a road with only two lanes. It must be taken into account that the vast majority of vehicles that go to important coastal towns, as is the case of Cala Rajada or Cala Millor, use this way. Likewise, it is the main connection with the municipalities of Artà and Capdepera.
mobile park
The fleet of the Balearic Islands exceeds one million registered cars, most in Majorca. This means that there is almost one car for every inhabitant on our island, when counting some 900.000 residents. However, these results can be misleading, since to the number of private vehicles we must add the most 100.000 Rental vehicles that are sold and circulate on Mallorcan roads during the summer.
Likewise, we must add to these figures the high number of trucks and vans that arrive by boat for the distribution of goods. despite this, the mobile fleet per inhabitant on our island is one of the highest in Spain.
