Kollam district administration has rolled out a comprehensive traffic management plan aimed at enforcing strict road safety and tackling heavy congestion ahead of the Onam festival season.Following multiple meetings of District Road Safety Committee, people’s representatives, police officials, and transport authorities, it has been decided to combine long-term safety infrastructure upgrades with immediate seasonal traffic controls across key bottlenecks in the city.At the core of the strategy is a strict crackdown on traffic violations announced by District Collector Anie Julia Thomas, alongside structural adjustments to dangerous intersections and pedestrian zones.Key safety interventions include rearranging hazardous bus stops, setting up dedicated crossing systems for school zones like Karbala Balikamariam School, relocating power transformers causing bottlenecks, and redesigning high-risk intersections such as the Munroe Island Canara Bank junction.Additionally, authorities will take immediate steps to resolve chronic traffic congestion at the Pallimukku and Polayathodu junctions along the Mevaram National Highway.To handle the surge in holiday traffic, the authorities have decided to deploy additional trained traffic wardens at busy junctions in cooperation with local merchants, reinforced by extra police personnel from the Kollam A.R. Camp.To ease bottlenecks at Pallimukku Junction, bus stops will be relocated beyond the MyG shop, and a new stop will be established near Dhanya Supermarket for vehicles heading toward Ayathil from Eravipuram.The PWD and National Highway authorities have been instructed to complete pothole repairs on major city roads by August 15 and urgently resolve waterlogging issues in Chinnakada, Pallimukku, Kadappakada, and Madannada. Illegal parking will be strictly banned at prominent locations, including S.N. College Junction, Polayathodu, Pallimukku, Thoppilkadavu Bridge, and near R.K. Wedding Mall.Heavy vehicles will be restricted to nighttime loading and unloading, while city traffic signals will remain operational until 9.30 p.m. throughout the Onam season.A road safety awareness campaign targeting auto, taxi, and bus drivers will also be organized with the participation of Student Police Cadets, with the Traffic Station House Officer serving as the nodal officer. In collaboration with railway authorities, the entry and exit points of the railway station will be redesigned alongside improvements to pay-and-park facilities. Published - August 05, 2026 08:02 pm IST