The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has prohibited smaller vehicles such as motorcycles, auto-rickshaws, and tractors from entering the recently built six-lane portion of Kerala’s NH 66.

The motive behind this decision is to reduce the risks that come with fast-moving vehicles on the main highway. Signboards have now been installed to indicate the change in rules.

The first of these boards is located at the entrance from the service road to the three lanes that go to Thrissur, close to the Chelari GVHSS area, as per Onmanorama. All highway entry and exit points will gradually have similar boards installed. The six-lane highway is also off-limits to pedestrians.

Although the highway is used by all kinds of vehicles, this will no longer be allowed once the roadway is formally opened. Furthermore, important locations will have CCTV cameras placed to keep an eye on compliance and infractions will result in fines. Reportedly, authorities stress that there are serious safety dangers when smaller vehicles enter the high-speed zone.

How Will Service Roads Be Under Additional Pressure?

Cars and pedestrians will be forced to use the service roads exclusively once the restriction is in place, which is expected to result in more traffic. Due to their one-way design and insufficient width, the service roads often experience traffic jams at various locations.

Even though the six-lane highway was built following the guidelines, the service roads are still smaller. According to the National Highways Authority, their capacity to extend the service roads was restricted because the land they purchased was just 45 meters wide.

Due to the numerous points of entry and exit along the stretch, a large number of big vehicles still utilise service roads rather than the main roadway. Private buses that currently use the six-lane highway may also be rerouted to the service road in response to a request made by the panchayat-level local traffic regulation committee, which puts pressure on the Motor Vehicles Department to act.

How Will Parking Problems Get Worse?

It is anticipated that illegal roadside parking will get worse as service road traffic increases. It is expected that the Motor Vehicles Department and police will increase their enforcement efforts to stop cars from being parked along the road.

According to the Highways Authority, creating designated parking places is the duty of local self-government organisations.