Thiruvananthapuram: Traffic congestion in the state capital is no longer confined to its major arterial roads, with diversions during peak hours increasingly choking secondary roads and exposing the growing strain on the city’s transport infrastructure.Traffic experts say roads such as Thekkamoodu–Mulavana, Kumarapuram, Murinjapalam and Ulloor have emerged as new congestion hotspots as vehicles diverted from busy corridors, including PMG, Pattom and Kesavadasapuram, overwhelm roads that were never designed to carry such traffic volumes.The problem has intensified alongside a steady rise in vehicle ownership. Official figures show that 97,287 new vehicles were registered in Thiruvananthapuram in 2024, rising to 1,06,872 in 2025. The increasing number of vehicles has also coincided with a rise in road accidents within city limits, from 2,292 in 2024 to 2,500 in 2025.According to the Traffic Police, commuters now take nearly 50 minutes to travel the approximately four-kilometre stretch between Pattom and Government Medical College during peak hours, particularly between 10 am and 11 am and again from 3 pm to 5 pm.Kerala Road Safety Authority member and traffic expert Upendranarayan said the city’s traffic diversion strategy requires a scientific review. He pointed out that in many developed countries, traffic is diverted only to roads with comparable width and carrying capacity, preventing congestion from simply shifting from one location to another.“In Thiruvananthapuram, vehicles from wide arterial roads are often diverted to much narrower neighbourhood roads. These roads lack the capacity to handle the additional traffic, creating fresh bottlenecks instead of easing congestion,” he said.Upendranarayan also identified roadside parking by school buses as a major cause of traffic snarls along the Pattom and Kesavadasapuram corridors. He said buses waiting to pick up students should be parked within school premises instead of occupying public roads, adding that the issue has repeatedly been raised with authorities.According to traffic planners, a standard four-lane urban road is designed to carry around 55,000 Passenger Car Units (PCUs) a day, while several major roads in the capital are now handling nearly 80,000 PCUs daily, far exceeding their intended capacity.NATPAC Director R. Ashalatha said traffic congestion on roads in Thekkamoodu, Kumarapuram, Murinjapalam and Ulloor is aggravated by roadside parking, which significantly reduces the available carriageway.“Strict enforcement of no-parking rules alone will not solve the problem. The city also needs adequate parking infrastructure. Unless parking is managed scientifically, vehicles will continue to occupy valuable road space,” she said.Ashalatha added that road widening alone cannot keep pace with the rapid growth in vehicle ownership. She stressed the need for better public transport, scientific parking management, improved school traffic planning and corridor-based traffic management to provide long-term relief.
