Barricades Add To Commuters’ Woes On Hyderabad Roads

Hyderabad:Drivers have long mastered the art of driving amidst potholes and poor road infrastructure in Hyderabad. But a new obstacle has entered the city roads: barricades, which are often not placed where they should be, and do not have flashing lights or reflective strips to warn unwary motorists in the dark.

Barricades have been spotted placed dangerously at various blind spots, mostly comprising sharp curves, metro pillars, or narrow bylanes, where visibility is compromised and a trip to a hospital is likely.

A ground check by Deccan Chronicle across RTC crossoads, Musheerabad main road, Necklace Road, Hitec City main road, and near Uppal Metro Railway station confirmed that barricades placed near curves or pillars were blocking visibility, giving commuters little time to react.

Barricades, which are meant to slow down overspeeding drivers and riders, contribute very little to guiding traffic, but act as more of a death trap, especially for two-wheelers and autos.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Mohd Waseem, an autorickshaw driver, who operates around Musheerabad, said, “A barricade placed in the middle of a U-turn causes so much discomfort. Its positioning itself is like an obstruction to heavy vehicles, especially on such a busy U-turn like this. Oncoming commuters can not spot it due to the presence of metro pillars.”

Similar is the situation with several other metro station pillars around Uppal and LB Nagar.

Another commuter, Santosh Joshi, complained of a barricade placed near a left turn on the Kachiguda road. “I get why it has been placed, but it still is a risky manoeuvre. It’s so close to the turn, people going left can not spot it. Due to its close proximity to the turn and continuous vehicle movement in the same direction, there is very little time for a rider to stop or evade the barricade.”

Evenings on Purana Pul usually become a hub for traffic congestion. In addition to poor signage causing confusion, barricades placed near curves surprise motorists navigating through the bridge.

Placement of damaged barricades adds to this problem. Street no. 2, that opens into Hitech city main road, has damaged barricades of the Cyberabad police placed on the edge, from where most commuters take left to join the main road. The placement of these damaged barricades poses significant risk to motorists as they are not very easily spottable for oncoming vehicles.

Speaking on this, a food delivery executive, P Kiran, said, “At night, you can barely spot them, unless you are a foot away. I was at risk twice this week.”

Another damaged barricade was spotted near a u-turn on the necklace road. The barricade does not block visibility, but is equally hazardous, and serves no purpose.

When asked about this issue, Madhapur traffic inspector B Satyanarayana said, “I have asked my team to remove all the damaged barricades from the roads. We will make sure they are removed within this week. We will also identify barriers that obstruct commuter movement.”

Another problem with barricades is the presence of advertisements on them, rather than warning signs. These advertisements, especially near u-turns, can distract the motorist, increasing chances of collision. A division bench of Justice K.K. Sasidharan and Justice G.R. Swaminathan of the Madras High Court had directed authorities to remove advertisements and add reflectors on barricades placed on highways.

While traffic cones and traffic bollards are meant to alert a commuter in case of a construction or danger zone ahead, motorists in some areas have seen the purpose of them being misused.

Several parts of the city have seen traffic bollards and cones being placed as an alternative of dividers. The road that goes towards Secretariat has traffic cones being used as dividers.

As these are lightweight, there is a risk of them flying away, or getting damaged. Due to their small size, they might not be visible from a distance, prompting motorists to pull a sudden brake, sometimes even on busier roads.

1. Damaged/ unused barricade placed near the left turn on Himayatnagar road

2. A barricade intended to alert motorists placed near a left turn in Kachiguda. The barricade is very close to the turn and is perpendicular to traffic flow.

3. A barricade placed in the middle of a huge junction near Musheerabad.

4. Barricades with advertisements on a u-turn on Necklace Road.

5. A damaged barricade on a u-turn on Necklace Road, serving no purpose.