Coimbatore's New Park Causes Major Traffic Headache
The overwhelming public response to the recently inaugurated Semmozhi Poonga in Coimbatore led to an unprecedented traffic situation this past Sunday. City police authorities, faced with a massive influx of visitors, had to resort to converting a section of the busy Gandhipuram flyover into a temporary parking lot. This emergency measure significantly disrupted the normal flow of traffic in one of the city's most congested commercial hubs.
Record-Breaking Footfall Overwhelms Facilities
According to official sources, the park's popularity is soaring. On Saturday, more than 13,000 people visited Semmozhi Poonga. The numbers surged dramatically on Sunday, with the evening footfall recorded at a staggering 24,166 visitors. While the park is equipped with its own parking facility, its capacity is limited to approximately 1,000 two-wheelers and 450 four-wheelers.
This dedicated parking area reached full capacity very quickly on Sunday due to the sheer volume of arrivals. With no space left for incoming vehicles, the city police were left with no viable alternative. To manage the situation and prevent complete chaos, they made the decision to allow visitors to park their vehicles on one side of the Gandhipuram flyover.
Traffic Flow Disrupted in Key Commercial Zone
The decision, while necessary, had immediate and severe consequences for traffic movement. Gandhipuram is a high-density commercial area, home to major bus stands, numerous textile showrooms, and popular jewelry stores. It is perennially busy, and the loss of a lane on the flyover for parking created a bottleneck.
This was not the only event to strain the flyover's infrastructure that day. Earlier on Sunday morning, the same structure had been used for parking vehicles belonging to participants of the Walkaroo Coimbatore Marathon 2025. The back-to-back events turned the area into a traffic management challenge for the authorities throughout the day.
The incident highlights the need for enhanced urban planning and infrastructure around new public attractions. While the success of Semmozhi Poonga is a positive sign for the city's recreational spaces, it also underscores the importance of scalable support systems like parking and traffic management to handle peak visitor loads without crippling daily city life.
