Tourists Taking Photos of Jacaranda Trees Cause Heavy Traffic

Tourists taking pictures of Jacaranda  / ˌdʒæk əˈræn də / trees has caused heavy traffic on the streets of Sydney, Australia.

The trees have been the center of attention of many tourists because of their beauty. Also known as Brazilian rosewood, these trees grow purple and tube-shaped flowers that grow in clusters. These flowers attract hordes of tourists annually as they only bloom once a year for just about six weeks in Australia. At times, some don’t even bloom at all.

As such, tourists take this very short opportunity to witness and take pictures of the trees. Because of the number of people who flock the area, however, many tourists stop in the middle of the road to take photos. One tourist was even spotted lying on the street just to take a picture.

This caused alarm among the locals who expressed their concern for tourists who might get hit by passing cars. The police also had a hard time managing the traffic because of the huge volume of people on the streets.

The representative of the residents, Jillian Christie, said that the popularity of the Jacaranda trees among tourists is increasing every year. In order to prevent future problems like heavy traffic, the local precinct proposed a yearly festival for Jacaranda trees wherein special traffic rules like a one-way street will be observed.

However, the proposal is still up for the approval of the North Sydney Council. In the meantime, the council asked drivers and tourists to follow traffic rules at all times.