13 WTHR IndianapolisEarly Village visitors report few parking problems

Early Village visitors report few parking problems

Visitors to the Super Bowl Village say getting there wasn't as difficult as they thought.

Many were pleased with traffic flow and didn't experience extraordinarily long delays.

The glare of headlights, brake lights and those super-sized crowds on Indy's opening night had drivers fearing the worst.

"Awful. I thought it would be lots and lots of people," said Judy Thomas of Greenwood.

"We were anticipating it to be a long, really long wait to get where we wanted to go," said Travis Reed of Indianapolis.

But it turned out, traffic wasn't too bad.

"We came up 65 north and got off on Market Street and came over and parked at Market and Alabama and it was fine. It was real simple," said Nita Marshall of Greenwood.

"We got off on West Street and just came right in and you know, parked and came on down. It wasn't that much of a hassle," Reed said.

Drivers say even the combination of commuters and village visitors during rush hour didn't pose too much of a problem. There were congested lanes and slower drives, especially with the new round of road closures on Friday, but the "Super Routes" created around the city seemed to work.

Still, some drivers say they did encounter parking issues.

"We came down here, thought we could find a place to park and the traffic was crazy. So we went all the way to Mass Ave., parked way down there and walked," said John Lander of Indianapolis.

"Even on the outlying streets, we thought we'd find something, but no, there was nothing," added Bob Day of Indianapolis.

Parking is pricier now. Many lots are charging at least 20 bucks, but Nita Marshall paid only $6 at Market and Alabama.

"Not bad! Not bad at all," she said.

Traffic volume will increase on the streets this week, but when visiting the Village Friday, most people planned ahead, knowing foot traffic would take them most of the way.