Hyderabad: Metro pillars at crossroads near the Secunderabad station, the Clock Tower, Gandhi Hospital and at Panjagutta are becoming a major hurdle for pedestrians crossing the roads as motorists and bikers zoom around the pillars.
With traffic zooming past them, pedestrians are in the danger of being run over, as they do not realise that they are crossing the signals wrongly.
Traffic constable Satish Reddy at Clock Tower said, “Pedestrians who cross at the signals are getting scared as bikers zoom in from the other side of the pillars unexpectedly. Instead of coming straight, they use the curve. We have had cases of people screaming at them but of no use.”
Similar is the case at the station area. Nurse Chaya Suman of Gandhi Hospital said, “It has become very difficult for us to cross the area outside the hospital. With the pillar in the middle, earlier it looked as if we could wait there, but now the traffic goes crisscross, around the pillar, making it extremely difficult.”
L&T had kept barricades around the pillars for a while but were later asked to remove them as they were obstructing the traffic.
Pedestrians, however, say that the barriers acted as indicators for motorists not to zoom or zigzag around the pillars.
An L&T worker at the Gandhi Hospital site said, “The pillars at intersections can’t have footpaths or beautifications around them. These have become free sport for motorists who do not understand that crossing at intersections is becoming a scary affair for many.”
HMRL officials said that they had not received any complaints but would speak to the traffic police on such kind of nuisance.
