Announcements are aplenty, as are plans. What remains elusive, however, is action. For motorists navigating Kanjikuzhy Junction, the result is a familiar nightmare: traffic crawling for hours, with no clear solution in sight

Authorities have repeatedly talked about possible fixes, including alternative routes, road widening, junction development and even a flyover. But with traffic continuing to choke the junction and adjoining roads, the public says Kanjikuzhy needs more than another proposal. It needs the will to act.

The congestion starts well before the junction, with vehicles from the Manarcadu side piling up soon after Vadavathur. The Onam holidays offered a taste of the chaos, as motorists found even the usual escape routes clogged. Smaller vehicles trying to bypass the junction through side roads were often caught in equally heavy traffic.

The Kanjikuzhy–Puthuppally road was no exception, with vehicles backed up to Manganam Kurishu Junction. Motorists taking the Kasturba Junction route to reach Vettur Junction on the Kanjikuzhy–Devalokam Road were also stuck for hours. The jam extended further to the Vettur Junction–Muttambalam–Eerayilkadavu stretch.

On many occasions, the problem extends beyond spillover from the national highway, with every road leading into Kanjikuzhy struggling to cope with the volume of vehicles.

“The congestion at Kanjikuzhy is choking Kalathippady too,” said Rajani Santhosh, councillor of Girideepam ward. A bus bay and flyover are needed to ease the pressure, she said, suggesting that a route from Kalathippady to MC Road be explored to divert traffic.

She also suggested a new link through Maduramcherilkadavu. A bridge and connecting road there could provide access to the other side near the Iranjal bridge, from where motorists could reach MC Road via Vattamoodu Bridge, she said.

For contractor Kurian N George, the immediate priority is to make better use of the road space that already exists. Falling trees and electric poles are narrowing the carriageway, he said, calling for the roadside to be cleared and the entire available width opened to traffic.

He also pointed to a larger coordination failure. The National Highways Authority, State Public Works Department, KSEB, municipality and elected representatives have not held a joint discussion on the problem, he said. “The practice of blaming one another must end.”