A highly anticipated traffic overhaul introduced by the Kannur Municipal Corporation and local police to handle the heavy festive rush for Onam fell apart on its very first day of implementation on Wednesday. Commuters faced severe delays on Bank Road and surrounding areas as the new rules failed to prevent widespread gridlock.

The new traffic regulations were meant to streamline movement, but by Wednesday afternoon, Bank Road was choked with vehicles. Even emergency services were affected, with ambulances spotted stuck in the bumper-to-bumper traffic. Despite the Corporation's Traffic Regulatory Committee announcing strict seasonal guidelines, the plan was practically non-existent on the ground. For over 30 minutes from 3.45 pm, the usually smooth New Bus Stand to Bank Road Junction was in total chaos, with no traffic police visible to manage the vehicles.

Frustrated by the delay, local residents eventually stepped in to direct the flow of vehicles before the police finally arrived. Although authorities had declared one-way restrictions on routes including SBI Junction to Bank Road, SBI to Thavakkara Bus Stand, Pamban Madhavan Road, and from Plaza Junction to the Thavakkara Bus Stand entrance via the Railway Muthappan Temple, no signage was put up. Similarly, the ban on vehicles entering from the New Bus Stand via the railway station went entirely unenforced.

The proposed single-side parking system between the SBI area and the New Bus Stand on Pamban Madhavan Road was also a complete failure. Plans to clear heavy vehicles like buses and lorries from Pamban Madhavan Road, particularly near Jubilee Hall, were ignored. Instead, JCBs and private buses remained parked in rows, alongside piles of construction materials that further narrowed the road.

Ironically, while streets were choked with illegally parked cars, official parking spaces remained empty. Despite the Kannur Corporation offering free parking at the Jawahar Stadium multilevel facility until August 31, only six cars were parked there on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the long-delayed multilevel parking project at Bank Road lies abandoned, serving as a stark reminder of the city's struggle to resolve its urban planning woes.