Palma City Council is preparing to introduce a new “red light camera” in the coming days to fine drivers who drive through red lights near Avenida Gabriel Alomar, on the route towards Palma Airport. The move is part of a wider effort to tighten traffic enforcement and improve safety on one of the city’s most congested roads.
Once the new equipment is in place, a short 500-metre stretch will host four separate speed control systems, in addition to the long-standing camera positioned near the Balearic Port Authority (APB) headquarters. Council officials have defended the dense cluster of monitoring devices, citing the high number of accidents recorded on this six-lane thoroughfare, which carries a constant stream of heavy traffic.
Two of the new speed cameras will operate in each direction, following approval by the Mallorca Council last June. For drivers heading towards the airport, one radar will be located on the central reservation next to the pedestrian crossing at Parc de la Mar. For those travelling in the Andratx direction, another will be installed on the central reservation near El Baluard. The Council says it will also put up clear signage to alert drivers to the presence of these systems, as required under traffic regulations.
A separate red light camera will be fitted to the traffic lights on the seaward side of Avenida Felix Pons, just before the exit towards Portitxol. The system will automatically detect vehicles that pass through on red, issuing fines to offenders. Officials argue the measure is necessary to tackle persistent breaches at a junction that has long been considered an accident hotspot.
Avenida Adolfo Suárez, a key route for thousands of vehicles entering Palma or heading to the airport each day, has one of the city’s highest collision rates. While the Council maintains that the new cameras will help curb speeding and improve safety, the decision has sparked some criticism from drivers who view the concentration of enforcement systems within such a short distance as excessive.