Truck breakdown blocks Ma-20: Palma stuck in rush-hour traffic

Early morning, major disruption: Ma-20 stands

Around 7:00 a.m., nothing moved. A truck remained on the left lane of the Vía de Cintura (Ma-20) heading toward Andratx, turning the usual commuter route into a kilometer-long parking lot. I was on my way to the newsroom and saw the convoy from Inca backing up almost to Marratxí. Several access routes into Palma were behaving erratically: access from the airport, the junction toward Manacor – everything blocked.

How a single wheel stops the clock

The annoying thing is: it only takes a small problem, and the whole network starts to cough. A tire blowout, an engine failure, or a load that has shifted – and cars, buses, and motorcycles stand still. Commuters reported that planned 25 minutes had suddenly become more than an hour. A taxi driver on Plaça España cursed with a coffee in hand: Today patience is required, a lot of patience.

The stretch between Son Hugo and the Llevant highway interchange is again particularly vulnerable. In the parking lots at the exits you saw drivers on the phone, annoyed, or frowning for a moment. A young man from Marratxí said he had missed the bus and was now on his way to work – with a delay of 70 minutes. Such stories could be heard at almost every traffic light.

Consequences not measured right away

Time loss is only one side. When ambulances move more slowly, it becomes serious. Air quality worsens, trucks idle, supply chains delay. Traders in the industrial area complain that deliveries pile up and times shift. Some residents no longer believe in quick solutions: construction sites, half-finished lanes and ever-new detours do not make things better.

What the authorities say: Plans for additional lanes between the Estadi Balear and the ramp toward Inca have already been discussed. Also new accesses to business areas such as Can Valero or Son Hugo are supposed to relieve congestion. In everyday life: barely noticeable. Critics say that much is approached too hesitantly and that construction sites sometimes even create new bottlenecks.

An everyday topic, not an isolated case

The breakdown today is therefore more a symptom than a cause. As long as around 190,000 vehicles pass over Ma-20 daily, a disruption is enough to knock Palma off its rhythm. Those who travel there regularly now plan extra time. And yes: you do not get used to it, you adapt to the uncertainty. For the city, the question remains: How much risk can your road network tolerate before decision-makers act – and faster than before?