Thiruvananthapuram’s Local Roads Account for Most Crashes and Fatalities
A majority of road accidents, injuries, and fatalities in Thiruvananthapuram continue to occur not on the city’s highways but on its smaller, local roads. Newly compiled traffic data from official district records reveals that over 60% of total road mishaps took place on minor roads during 2024, reaffirming a long-term pattern that has remained unchanged for years. Despite efforts to improve infrastructure and safety, the death toll and number of injuries on these narrow, crowded stretches far exceed those reported on national and state highways. This concerning trend highlights growing challenges for urban mobility and road safety in Kerala’s capital.
Local roads, often left out of major infrastructure investments, now bear the brunt of increasing vehicle traffic and urban sprawl. In 2024 alone, out of 5,565 recorded accidents, 3,333 incidents—amounting to nearly 60%—occurred on these less-regulated stretches. The same pattern was evident in 2023 and 2018 as well, showing a systemic issue linked to city planning, enforcement gaps, and lack of basic pedestrian safety infrastructure. Fatalities on minor roads are disproportionately high: 280 people died in 2024, and over 3,500 were injured, compared to significantly fewer deaths on broader highways. Experts attribute this to uncontrolled vehicle speeds, poor visibility, and inadequate signage in dense residential neighbourhoods. According to local traffic officials, the city’s dense network of local roads outnumbers the limited national and state highway stretches. These smaller roads witness higher vehicle concentration and riskier manoeuvres. Officials added that although construction work on highways slows down traffic and potentially reduces serious crashes, local roads see no such control.
Alarmingly, a significant portion of deaths—about one in three—now involve pedestrians. Officials revealed that pedestrian negligence and lack of designated crossings are key contributors to fatalities. In the past three years, 155 pedestrians died on Thiruvananthapuram’s roads, with last year alone accounting for 60 such deaths. Two-wheelers emerge as the single largest contributors to the city’s road safety crisis. Around 70% of all accidents involved motorcycles or scooters in 2024. This category alone accounted for 3,899 accidents out of the total 5,565 reported cases last year. Despite awareness campaigns and helmet mandates, two-wheeler deaths remain staggeringly high—462 in 2024 alone. Officials say this points to deeper issues beyond rider behaviour, including poor road engineering, lack of separate lanes, and insufficient night-time lighting. Residents also cite a rise in food delivery traffic and unregulated youth riders as growing risks on narrow roads.
Urban planning experts argue that the city’s transport safety framework still prioritises highways and flyovers over the more frequently used neighbourhood roads. For a city aspiring to build sustainable and equitable mobility systems, the neglect of local streets—where school children, workers, and elders walk daily—poses a direct challenge to inclusive growth. The data urges a shift towards hyperlocal planning, better enforcement, and safer infrastructure design across all road classes. Equitable mobility demands attention not just to major projects but also to the everyday paths where most lives are lost.
