Noise: The Pending Issue for Our Town Halls

Yesterday, members of the Coliseo Balear Neighborhood Association visited the Ombudsman to express their concern about the noise in our city, particularly the noise and disturbances caused by non-bullfighting leisure activities organized at the Coliseo Balear, also known as the Bullring.

The reality faced by residents in this neighborhood reveals serious NON-COMPLIANCES with noise regulations, as well as mobility and safety issues, all resulting from the events held at the Bullring. To give you an idea, we could refer to the statements made by motorcyclist Edgar Torrontegui, who over the years and in different editions has brought his motorcycle show to Palma and boasted in the DdM that, in the 2024 edition, they had broken all state records, reaching a noise level of 120.1 decibels (dB), equivalent to the noise produced by a Boeing 737 taking off at less than 25 meters. Keep in mind that the Bullring is surrounded by residential buildings.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned us on many occasions that prolonged exposure to noise levels above 85 dB could cause irreversible damage to our hearing ability and, at higher levels, it has been shown to affect life expectancy and quality of life.

This is not a minor issue; in fact, it is a problem experienced in many parts of the city, and the Palma City Council cannot turn a blind eye. In the case of the Coliseo Balear, it is true that some improvements have been made regarding performance schedules and the number of events, but there is no guarantee that this will continue in the future.

During the meeting with the Ombudsman, residents made several proposals, and from the Office, we encouraged them to keep working.

There is still much to be done regarding noise, and proof of this is the work that the Forum of Ombudsmen of Catalonia, to which the Ombudsman of Palma belongs, has dedicated in its latest article on the RECOMMENDED website to the issue of Noise.