Parking Woes Puncture Holiday Mood on Sunday
KOCHI: Marine Drive, on a sunny Sunday evening, is one among the hangouts for residents of the city who had no time to chill out during the hectic weekdays.
But those who came with vehicles to the spot this Sunday did not have an amusing time, for the search of a parking space was not an easy task. “It took around half an hour to park my car. Since it was Sunday evening, the parking area near Marine Drive was crowded and vehicles parked near Menaka bridge made the movement vehicles tougher,” said Bineesh K, a resident of Chullikkal, near Thoppumpady, who had come with his family for an outing.
Absence of strict guidelines on where to park vehicles in the area, one of the busiest outing and shopping centres in the city, made people confused, which in turn, caused traffic congestion. More than two bus stops on both the sides of the road made matters worse, with buses passing every second to almost all directions of the city. “Sometimes, I feel afraid waiting here for bus, whether it is a working day or a holiday,” said Leena, who works as a cleaning staff in one of the shopping complexes in the region. Pedestrians also shared the same feeling.
The motorists also need to go to the Broadway market or to the nearby shopping complex to park vehicles when the roadsides are occupied, which makes the task more difficult.