Trial run of one-way traffic around KBR Park shows promise, flags gaps

A trial of one-way traffic around KBR Park improved flow but highlighted lane confusion, prompting proposed design changes.

A two-hour experimental one-way traffic system around the 390-acre Kasu Brahmananda Reddy (KBR) national park on Sunday offered a glimpse into how Hyderabad’s ambitious Hyderabad City Innovative & Transformative Infrastructure (H-CITI) project could reshape movement in one of city’s busiest corridors. Traffic police officials identified a few issues that must be addressed before a full rollout.

The trial, conducted between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. across a stretch covering KBR Main Gate, Basavatarakam Hospital, Agrasen Junction, Film Nagar and up to Jubilee Hills Check Post, comes amid ongoing construction of a steel flyover and underpass in the Banjara Hills–Jubilee Hills belt. The works have already altered traffic patterns in the area, prompting authorities to test alternative flow systems to minimise congestion.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner V. C. Sajjanar inspected the arrangements on the ground along with Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) D. Joel Davis, as teams monitored vehicular movement through the modified one-way loop.

According to Joel Davis, the operation was meticulously planned, with around 100 traffic marshals deployed and additional personnel stationed at key junctions. Signage indicating directions and guidance messages were installed along the route. Despite a complete shift from the regular traffic pattern, the system was executed on schedule, beginning and ending precisely as planned.

Vehicles ply under regulated movement during a trial run with all surrounding roads made strictly one-way around KBR National Park in Hyderabad on Sunday. | Photo Credit: SIDDHANT THAKUR

He said that the trial went on smoothly overall, aided by the use of drones that captured aerial footage to identify pressure points along the corridor. The footage will now be analysed by the traffic police to pinpoint problem areas.