Officials emphasise sustainable public transport solutions to address chronic traffic congestion and improve urban mobility in Hyderabad

The government is seriously considering solutions for the chronic issue of traffic congestion on the roads, said Jayesh Ranjan, Special Chief Secretary, Metropolitan Area and Urban Development.

On the anvil are quick solutions implementable within the next three to six months, he said, speaking at a panel discussion titled ‘Choked’ at Goethe Zentrum on Thursday. A total 21 corridors have been identified in the city with issues of road engineering, and action will be taken soon. Four elevated corridors are coming up in various routes, he added.

With regard to pedestrian infrastructure, efforts are already being made towards the Supreme Court’s order declaring the right to walk as a fundamental right. Various stretches have been identified with cumulative length of 60 kilometres, where model corridors will be developed with wider footpaths, and facilities for non motorised transport.

Revival of Hyderabad Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority, issuing single card for multimodal transport, and leveraging on technology for development of an app for traffic alerts are a few more measures in the offing. There are a total 100 interventions listed out which could all be implemented in a year, he said.

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Commissioner R.V. Karnan, who was part of the panel, said there is a need for multi pronged interventions, including flyovers, expressways, and improvement in public transport in order to effectively address the issue.

Urban transport specialist Prashanth Bachu said policies should be directed towards bringing about a change in commuters’ behaviour rather than creating more road space. Worldwide, cities that could provide sustainable transport solutions did so by discouraging private transport thus reducing the congestion on roads to make public transport faster and reliable. Singapore, for instance, spends ₹15,000 crore on public transport every year, he pointed out.

Mr. Bachu also threw light on the marginalisation of pedestrians, most of them aged and children, every time a flyover is created to resolve traffic congestion. “Every time we build a flyover, we are forfeiting the opportunity to promote public transport. Access to the other side of the road is gone,” he pointed out.

One needs to live as a pedestrian and use public transport to understand the associated problems and take policy interventions, Mr. Bachu said.

Academic Anjali Lal Gupta stressed on the need to include people from marginalised communities in decision making process because they are the worst hit by the developmental projects.

Natasha Ramarathnam, who moderated the session, observed that traffic congestion, often viewed through infrastructural lens, is becoming a moral problem, as it reduces quality of life phenomenally.