Traffic congestion at the Kumbalam toll plaza on the highway near Kochi remains unresolved, with long vehicle queues, payment delays, roadside activity and narrow approaches prompting travellers and auto-rickshaw drivers to demand that the facility be shifted back to Aroor.
According to a report by Malayala Manorama, vehicles without FASTag frequently add to delays by paying through UPI at the toll booths. Network failures are also reported to disrupt transactions, causing queues to extend beyond 100 metres at times. Travellers have sought enforcement of the National Highways Authority of India’s guideline that vehicles in a lane should be allowed to pass without paying when the queue crosses that length.
The toll plaza has four gates in each direction. However, the approach from the wider highway narrows sharply as vehicles enter the toll area, creating what travellers describe as a bottleneck. Requests to increase the number of gates in line with traffic density have not been accepted, with limited space cited by authorities as the constraint.
The congestion is also affecting vehicles that are not required to pay toll. A separate route intended for auto-rickshaws has been narrowed with iron posts. Auto-rickshaw drivers told the publication that vehicles scrape against the posts while passing through the restricted space, damaging their paint and making movement difficult.
Roadside activity is adding another layer of risk. The number of vendors on the southern side of the plaza has increased, the report said. Vehicles stopping along the roadside in this area are contributing to collision risks and further reducing the usable space around the toll facility.
The demand to relocate the plaza to Aroor is based on the availability of more space there. Travellers also pointed out that the toll plaza was previously located at Aroor. The proposed shift is being presented as a way to address the physical limitations at Kumbalam rather than relying only on additional toll gates within the existing site.
The reported disruption highlights how toll operations can affect the wider functioning of a highway when payment systems fail, traffic lanes narrow and roadside activity is not controlled. In this case, the immediate concerns raised by users include queue management, compliance with the stated highway guideline, access for non-toll vehicles and the safety of pedestrians and motorists near the plaza.
The report does not indicate that a relocation decision has been taken. The immediate demands from travellers and auto-rickshaw drivers are for action on long queues, the restricted auto-rickshaw passage, roadside parking and vending, and consideration of moving the facility to Aroor. Authorities have cited the lack of space at the existing location as a reason for not adding more gates.
