diff --git a/services/orchestrator/app/services/orchestration_saga.py b/services/orchestrator/app/services/orchestration_saga.py
index d21fccd3..20d1cddf 100644
--- a/services/orchestrator/app/services/orchestration_saga.py
+++ b/services/orchestrator/app/services/orchestration_saga.py
@@ -344,16 +344,10 @@ class OrchestrationSaga:
                 context['event_calendar'] = []
 
             # NEW: Placeholder for traffic predictions (Phase 5)
-            try:
-                # Note: Implement traffic forecasting in Phase 5
-                # For now, initialize as empty DataFrame
-                import pandas as pd
-                context['traffic_predictions'] = pd.DataFrame()
-                logger.info("Traffic predictions: not yet implemented, using empty DataFrame")
-            except Exception as e:
-                logger.warning(f"Could not fetch traffic predictions: {e}")
-                import pandas as pd
-                context['traffic_predictions'] = pd.DataFrame()
+            # Note: Implement traffic forecasting in Phase 5
+            # For now, initialize as empty dict (will be converted to DataFrame when implemented)
+            context['traffic_predictions'] = {}
+            logger.info("Traffic predictions: not yet implemented, using empty dict")
 
             logger.info(
                 f"Shared data snapshot fetched successfully: "