All vehicles on road: Lack of parking around GCC-run parks crowds roads, streets

CHENNAI: Across Chennai, parks maintained by the Greater Chennai Corporation share a common problem that plays out daily outside their gates – the absence of designated parking.

Whether located on interior residential streets, arterial roads or even along State highways, many parks draw steady footfall but these green spaces have no provision for parking around them, leading to traffic congestion, inconvenience and friction with local residents.

Gill Nagar Park on Vada Agaram Road in Choolaimedu is one such example. With no earmarked parking space, visitors leave their vehicles wherever there is room, often along narrow residential stretches. Residents say this has been a long-standing issue.

Vasantha Kumar, who lives opposite the park, lamented vehicles being routinely parked right in front of her house and other residences. “People park near our gate and go inside the park. If we question them, it turns into an argument. It has led to quarrels many times,” she added.

The situation is not limited to smaller interior roads. At May Day Park on Deputy Mayor Kabalamoorthy Salai in Chintadripet, visitors frequently leave two-wheelers along the road, narrowing an already busy stretch. A similar pattern is seen at Bougainvillea Park on Sixth Avenue in Anna Nagar, despite the comparatively wider road, and at Nehru Park on EVR Periyar Salai, where vehicles are parked on the road during peak hours.

Chennai has at least 900 parks under the GCC, many of which attract regular crowds. With facilities such as walking tracks, play equipment, badminton courts and open gyms being added as part of recent upgrades, parks have become preferred leisure spaces. But, the rising demand has not met adequate needs for parking facilities.

At Thiru Vi Ka Park in Shenoy Nagar, visitors say the lack of parking forces them to circle surrounding streets repeatedly, especially on weekends. At many parks, the road edge is also lined with vendors and food stalls, drawing additional crowds whose vehicles add further pressure on the available road space.

Park users acknowledge the impact on both sides. “We come here to walk or bring our children, but parking becomes stressful. I understand residents’ complaints because vehicles are left everywhere,” said a visitor.

Vetri, who frequents the park in the evenings, said clearer arrangements could ease tensions, and pointed out. “Even a small designated area or proper markings would reduce confusion. Right now, everyone just manages on their own.”

A GCC engineer noted that neighbourhood parks were planned as walk-in public spaces. However, with rising vehicle usage and changing dependency patterns, the absence of uniform parking arrangements has shifted the burden onto surrounding streets.

Inside the parks, visitors find space to unwind. Outside, congestion and competing demands on limited road space continue to define a daily civic challenge, with no clear solution in sight.