Next August 12, at eight o’clock in the afternoon, a random town on the Mallorcan coast will have two eclipses ahead of it at the same time: that of the Sun and that of its own mobility model.
Work intrusion. That is the concept that is echoing through the streets of municipalities such as Calvià, Marratxí, Puigpunyent, Esporles, Valldemossa or Deià. From Palma airport to the nightlife corners, the city’s various taxi drivers’ associations complain about transport pirate to which not enough blockages are being put in place. While some neighbors promise not to take their car out of the parking lot so as not to get into the mess, others set up improvised businesses to take tourists to the best viewpoint.
An ideal destination. Mallorca is literally located at the end of the totality band of the solar eclipse. It is the last point in Spain to see the day go out for just over a minute, with the sun setting over the Mediterranean. Precious. In Palma, the National Geographic Institute estimates that the eclipse will begin around 19:38 and will reach its maximum around 8:32 p.m., with the Sun just 2 degrees above the horizon. That is, so low that any building, hill or mass of pine trees can blur the postcard.
And of course, if the Astronomy and Astronautics Foundation of Mallorca has been explaining for months that not all areas of the island will see it the same, part of tourism will be at the mercy of this dynamic. The Government and the UIB have even organized “visibility exercises” so that people go to their supposed viewpoint and check whether, in practice, the sunset can be seen or not: a general rehearsal of what the battle for a piece of clean horizon will be like.
The best view. Which is the best balcony, the best stone house with an open view to the west or the natural viewpoint most privileged? We already anticipated it: the coast of the Serra de Tramuntana and some sections of the southwest and southeast will be the ones that will start with an advantage.
And the social networks They have been echoing this for some time: rural hotels like Cas Facebook groups specialists, climbing colleagues and interactive maps: it is not difficult to find even technical discussions about whether or not in such a town the Sun will be hidden by a ridge of pine trees at the decisive minute.
The price of the eclipse. But while agencies and local businesses They take boat trips to see the eclipse from the open sea, with guides, a sunset glass and approved glasses included. Irregularities in transportation are a problem that no inspection seems to solve.
Pirate transportation beyond the airport, with unauthorized cars and VTCs that attract clientele directly on the street, upsets the bosses of the foreign part. We are not just talking about Magaluf or Santa Ponça: private cars offer to make transfers even in minibuses, posting advertisements on WhatsApp. On paper, sanctions ranging from 15,000 up to 25,000 euros They fly over any vehicle that does not have a pre-contract, according to Law 4/2014 on Land Transport of the Balearic Islands.
As stated the BOEany vehicle that picks up clients without this pre-contracting – especially VTC or discretionary – is, legally, in the field of illegally attracting clients and is classified as a serious or very serious infraction. The Formentera Council, for example, has already imposed sanctions of 6,001 euros for offering taxi services without authorization.
Supply and demand. If on a normal Tuesday in August there is already work intrusion on the road, what happens when thousands of people choose the same minute to go to the same place? The influx of tourism is such – there is talk of prices ranging between 30-50 euros per hour – that it seems to compensate for some.
PIMEM-Taxi (the Mallorcan Association of Self-Employed Taxi Workers Federated in Pimem) carries years denouncing that, as soon as the season starts, the “pirate taxis” advance their return to Son Sant Joan, operating with half a dozen illegal companies that take advantage of the gaps in the official service. This is the reason why Palma City Council limited 25% of the fleet to operate at the airport one week a month to guarantee service and prevent excess demand from being covered by individuals.
More inspectors, less pirates. In the face of a conflict that has been existing for five yearsthe Government has reacted by reinforcing inspectors. Already in June it activated the ‘Table against intrusion‘ in transport and illegal tourist offer, coordinated by the general director of Mobility, Lorena del Valle. Taxi drivers do not believe that it is enough and that only strict police control will be able to stop all those improvised private plazas carrying tourists from here to there.
The astronomical event of the century, which in the Balearic Islands is sold as a unique observation opportunity, is becoming an open-air laboratory of how this conflict is managed between the traditional approved taxi, the VTC and everyone who gets in the car and earns a few euros without going through the exit flag.
Glasses and anxiety. The other main protagonist of the eclipse are the glasses: the Majorcan Astronomical Foundation has warned that they will be needed at least 100,000 units to meet citizen and tourist demand. And be careful, neither ordinary sunglasses, nor x-rays, nor homemade inventions are useful.
Pharmacies, opticians and souvenir shops are being the distribution points, more or less improvised, with specific campaigns to prevent eye damage. In this mix of cosmological enthusiasm and logistical anxiety—reservations months in advance, neighbors who plan to “not go up to the viewpoint that day” for fear of collapse, and mayors who look askance at their summer mobility plans—the road is the boss.
Not everything is rosy on the good side of the story, of course: rates skyrocket and waiting lines, on the key day, can ruin the moment. The only logical conclusion is to be careful and try to anticipate mobility as much as possible. So the show is on: at the moment of the eclipse, if everything goes well, there will be thousands of people attentive. The rest of the day will be pure politics: inspectors, patrols, licenses, apps, tourist packages and cars that are where they shouldn’t be.
Image | Flickr (antoskabar)
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