Kathmandu Deploys New Traffic Cones to Tame Chaos After Gen Z Protest Unrest
Kathmandu – Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has begun placing hundreds of heavy-duty traffic cones and retractable barriers across the capital in an effort to restore order on roads still recovering from the violent aftermath of last month’s Gen Z protest. The municipal drive, coordinated with the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division, comes as residents continue to grapple with damaged public property and traffic disruptions caused by days of unrest.
Assistant expert Anukul Nidhi from KMC’s Urban Planning Commission said the city is installing 1,250 retractable bar sets, amounting to 2,500 cones, at key intersections notorious for congestion and risky driving. Each bright orange cone stands nearly a meter tall, weighs up to five kilograms, and is built without a hollow base to deter drivers from casually moving them. “These cones remain visible even at night and are heavy enough to discourage tampering,” Nidhi explained, adding that the equipment is tailored to local driving patterns where motorists often squeeze into any available space.
Plans to acquire the cones were drawn up in the last fiscal year, but procurement delays postponed their rollout until now. Officials have prioritized high-pressure corridors such as Singha Durbar–BhadraKali, Singha Durbar–Maitighar, and the Padmodaya intersection, all areas where opposing traffic flows routinely create bottlenecks. The new system pairs cones with two-meter telescopic bars to guide vehicles and reduce head-on congestion while allowing smoother left turns.
City leaders acknowledge that the push for better traffic discipline follows weeks of turbulence sparked by the Gen Z protest movement, which erupted over demands for transparency and economic reform. Clashes with security forces left streets littered with debris, damaged municipal property, and even destroyed the earlier traffic-control equipment. The protest violence highlighted how fragile the previous traffic infrastructure was, and how easily the lightweight cones can be stolen, burned, or crushed during even minor clash.
By introducing sturdier, more visible barriers, KMC hopes to both manage daily traffic and signal a broader recovery from the protests. Authorities stress that success depends on cooperation from drivers and pedestrians as well as data-driven monitoring and rapid response. For a city still cleaning up from Gen Z’s upheaval, the conspicuous new cones have become both a practical tool and a symbol of Kathmandu’s determination to reclaim order on its streets.
