Lesser time at signals, expanding connecting roads in Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills: GHMC, police to submit plan to Revanth Reddy

HYDERABAD: A day after Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy asked the police to come up with measures for solving traffic snarls in the city, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) along with the police department have decided to with a comprehensive traffic management plan to ease vehicle flow on busy roads.

As part of this, officials started inspecting traffic bottlenecks and finding out specific reasons as to why specific roads are witnessing frequent jams.

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Under the comprehensive traffic management plan, concepts such as traffic optimisation and signal synchronisation are likely to be implemented. Traffic optimisation involves a technique where time spent at traffic signals by commuters is reduced. Signal synchronisation aims to minimise traffic bottlenecks and controlling traffic flow by making adjustments in traffic signals. Traffic bottlenecks would also be cleared by linking major thoroughfares with other roads.

The plan is expected to be in place by the end of this week which would then be submitted to the Chief Minister for his approval. As part of this, GHMC commissioner Ronald Rose and Hyderabad commissioner K Sreenivas Reddy inspected several traffic bottlenecks in the Jubilee Hills on Thursday and Banjara Hills on January 29, 2024. Rose asked officials to inspect Jubilee Hills Road No. 45 and 36 to take necessary measures to avoid traffic congestion. Authorities will also come up with a plan to construct flyovers and grade separators wherever necessary.

Traffic bottlenecks at Nampally, Ameerpet and Banjara Hills Road No 12 were also inspected and the Rose discussed alternatives and solutions for easing traffic flow along with the police. MA&UD principal secretary Dana Kishore, police commissioner K Sreenivasa Reddy and other officials discussed traffic issues in detail.

During a joint inspection of the central zone by the GHMC and police commissioners, the following proposals would be suggested as part of traffic management

1) Nampally T Junction: Asking Hyderabad Metro Rail to acquire affected properties at the bottleneck as soon as possible and demolishing a furniture store.

2) Banjara Hills: Internal road from Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital to Khaja Mansion Function Hall via Pochamma Basthi Temple and Nashiman Hotel to be widened to 60 feet.

4) Feasibility of widening roads from Banjara Function Hall, Road No. 1, Banjara Hills to Sitara Grand Hotel, Road No 12, Banjara Hills to be examined.

5) Encroachment of nala on the road from Virinchi Hospital to Chintal Basthi via Prem Nagar to be removed

6) Feasibility of steel bridge at the graveyard situated at Ameerpet main road near Srinagar Colony T Junction to be examined.

7) Jubilee Hills: Plan to wider junction at actor Balakrishna's house for traffic coming from Road No 45.

Experts suggest reopening of blocked u-turns

Road safety experts have asked authorities to weigh in their proposals for effective traffic management. “We have very good roads, but only poor planning by traffic police and blocking of junctions and circles are creating chaos. Officials have to study traffic flow wherever it is high. They must ensure junctions are free from vendors,” said Dheerendra Samineni, a road safety expert and chief trainer at Safe Drive India.

He added that circles at GVK mall, Tank Bund, Saidabad and junctions at Uppal, Jubilee Hills signal, JNTU, Mettuguda, IKEA, cable bridge and Ravindra Bharati were unnecessarily closed. He urged opening of such junctions.

Vinod Vangala, another IT employee in Mindspace said that closure of u-turns was encouraging motorists to move in wrong direction and they should be opened especially the stretch from IKEA junction to Cyber Towers junction.