COIMBATORE: The newly inaugurated Semmozhi Poonga at Gandhipuram attracts massive crowds, resulting in significant traffic jams on Dr Nanjappa Road and surrounding areas.
Due to the shortage of parking spaces at the park, many visitors use the nearby Gandhipuram flyover and nearby roads as a parking area especially on weekends.
The heavy footfall at the 45-acre botanical garden is attributed to public excitement over this new recreational spot, which features 23 themed gardens and various amenities.
From Sunday morning, the park was bustling with visitors, and by evening, attendance exceeded the limit. The available parking lots filled before 5 PM, prompting many to park on the down ramp of the flyover. The large crowd caused considerable traffic congestion and long queues for tickets.
In response to the chaos at the park gate junction, where the flyover begins, traffic police permitted the temporary use of one lane on the flyover's down ramp for parking. The line of parked vehicles extended for about a kilometre on the flyover on Sunday evening.
"Over 50,000 people visited in the first few days after the park's opening on December 11, with around 27,450 visitors on the first Sunday alone. The park has parking facilities for 450 cars and 1,000 two-wheelers, which quickly filled up, leading to vehicles parked haphazardly on the road. This resulted in near gridlock on Dr Nanjappa Road due to illegal parking outside the park and at the flyover approach. While it was expected that crowds would decrease after the initial excitement, footfall has remained high. We have advised temporarily using a lane for parking to manage the situation," said a police officer.
The officer also said that they have instructed the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation to plan for additional measures, such as temporary extra parking, to accommodate the large number of visitors immediately.
The same flyover was used for vehicle parking on Sunday morning for participants of a marathon event conducted by a private firm, leading to traffic disruptions. Later that evening, it was again utilised for parking, leading to concerns among commuters that the flyover, intended to ease traffic flow on Sathyamangalam Road, has become a makeshift parking area instead.