Hyderabad: A group of urban planners, transport professionals and residents has asked the Telangana government to stop building new flyovers and widening roads until their impact is reviewed, arguing that the city’s traffic crisis can be eased within six months through cheaper and better public transport.
The petition, titled Let’s Un-Choke Hyderabad, was released on Thursday, October 8, according to the Times of India. It seeks a pause on flyover and road-widening projects, including those under the Hyderabad City Innovative and Transformative Infrastructure Programme (H-CITI) and the Strategic Road Development Plan (SRDP), until their impact is assessed.
What the petition demands
The group wants bus and Metro fares rolled back to pre-2022 levels and Multi-Modal Transport System (MMTS) services restored to 2019 levels. It also asks for bus-priority lanes and better pedestrian crossings near bus stops.
It proposes pooled feeder buses linking Metro and MMTS stations with employment hubs such as HITEC City, Madhapur and Raidurg, with information technology (IT) companies jointly funding 250 to 300 buses.
Other suggestions include restricting motorised traffic in select commercial areas to improve pedestrian access, encouraging residents to walk or cycle at least one day a week, and requiring government officials and political leaders to use public transport.
Why flyovers are being questioned
Transport policy specialist Prashant Bachu said every new piece of road infrastructure narrows the options for public transport. “Every piece of infrastructure that you put in is going to limit prospects of improving public transport,” he said, adding that flyovers could make it harder and costlier to introduce public transport systems later.
Natasha Ranarathnam, 55, a development consultant from Somajiguda and one of the campaign’s founding members, said the group wanted proposals that are easy to implement, low-cost and quick to show results. This followed two panel discussions at Goethe-Zentrum and LaMakaan.
She said her interest came from her earlier association with Warrior Moms, a group that advocated clean air. “Vehicle emissions are a major contributor to air pollution,” she said.
Commuters say daily travel has become painful
Ambica Srimal, 48, a Banjara Hills resident, said traffic has made her avoid stepping out. “A 4-km commute from Maredpally to Begumpet used to take me 45 minutes when I was working from the office. This was one of the reasons I chose to work from home,” she said.
Srimal said her work with the Save KBR project showed her that building more flyovers was not necessarily the answer.
What happens next
The petition had received a little over 270 sign-ups by Friday, October 9, a day after its release. Organisers plan to print it and submit it to the Governor, the chief minister and senior officials of the municipal administration and other departments, seeking talks on implementing the proposals.
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