Kochi police launch action plan to tackle city’s traffic gridlock

Kochi: With the city experiencing acute traffic congestion, police launched a coordinated initiative alongside key state stakeholders to ease traffic movement.

City police commissioner S Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar, IPS, convened an emergency high-level meeting on Wednesday in wake of rising road accidents, reopening of schools and extensive ongoing infrastructure projects, including Kochi Metro and National Highway expansions.

The meeting, attended by top police officials and representatives of agencies like PWD, NHAI, Kochi Metro, Kochi corporation, and KWA, focused on major bottleneck zones.

14 of the city’s most notorious traffic hotspots, including Edappally, Vyttila, Palarivattom, Kaloor, Cheranallur and High Court Junction, were discussed.

“Our immediate priority is to clear these critical choke points. We’ve directed all participating departments to formulate actionable solutions categorised into short-term, medium-term, and long-term strategies,” Kumar said.

Short-term measures will likely include strategic traffic diversions, optimised signal timings and enhanced police deployment during peak hours. Medium and long term plans will address structural challenges, such as scientific road remodelling and the shifting of underground utilities by KWA, which frequently disrupts traffic flow.

The interdepartmental task force will meet monthly. These routine reviews will monitor the implementation progress of the decided measures and adapt strategies in real time.