Hyderabad | Seven key congestion hotspots identified; Efforts for smoother roads in works

Hyderabad traffic congestion worsens, with average speed dropping to 18 kmph, but reforms are planned to address the issue, says police.

If there is one hot topic for conversation in Hyderabad, it is about the increasing traffic and how the congestion has only worsened over the past few months. The city streets are now choked with vehicles, causing significant delays for commuters and impacting the overall quality of life. The city’s seven major congestion points and 18 congested corridors are major contributors to this problem.

Data from the city traffic police reveals that the average speed of a commuter in Hyderabad has dropped to 18 km per hour from 22 kmph recorded in January. This, however, is an improvement from the 15-18 kmph range recorded in the year 2023, reflecting on the reforms taken by the traffic police in the past ten months, said Additional Commissioner (Traffic) P. Viswa Prasad.

The weekly analysis of Hyderabad’s roads over the current year has revealed some interesting and alarming trends. On Thursdays and Fridays, the State capital sees the maximum traffic congestion, with two major peaks at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. This could be attributed partially to the ‘work from office’ traffic to and from the IT capital Cyberabad.

Hyderabadis like to take it easy on Saturdays. “The congestion on this day starts peaking an hour later around 11 a.m. and continuously grows till the mid-day. In the evening, the congestion peaks beyond 8 p.m. and even after 10 p.m in select areas,” explained Mr. Prasad.

The stretch from Yashoda Hospital in Malakpet to the Chaderghat signal has only worsened over the years, sighed T. Pavan, a resident of Saidabad. “The road is narrow and we have a railway bridge too. I prefer using the Old City road via Chanchalguda jail, which of course adds a few minutes to my trip to Hitec City, to avoid this hassle,” he said.

Jignesh Trivedi, a resident of Sikh Village, suggests taking the Tivoli road and a U-turn towards Begumpet to avoid Paradise junction. “That junction is a nightmare during peak hours. commuters stop at least twice between Balamari till the signal, which is roughly half a kilometre stretch. Thrice on you have to rush to the office,” he quipped.

A resident of Sun City Bandlaguda, Chris Adams said that he stays back near the office to avoid the evening rush near Nanal Nagar junction. “It takes me easily 30 minutes or more to cross the place and reach home from Lakdikapul. Being stuck in traffic for long is bad for my lower back,” he said.