Telangana: Concerns Over One Way Plan Around KBR Park

The Hyderabad Traffic Police map gives motorists 13 exits around a five‑kilometre circuit but does not set out a comparable pedestrian network. Police have directed officials to install lane markings and pelican signals for crossings.

“Whatever existing footpaths are there, they are not continuous. You have to get down, come up, and they are blocked in certain places. So, pedestrians have to walk on the road,” said Dr Donthi Narasimha Reddy, public policy expert, who identified the hospital stretch as the main concern.

Narasimha Reddy and other signatories wrote to the Hyderabad police commissioner before the rollout, seeking clarity on whether the Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority and TSRTC were involved in planning. The letter sought pedestrian counts, walking routes, hospital access details, bus frequency and timings, and findings of the two pilot exercises, particularly for elderly people, women, children, persons with disabilities, patients, attendants and workers.

“They did pilot studies twice. The report of these pilot studies has not been revealed so far,” Narasimha Reddy said, arguing that the trials focused on cars and overlooked bus users and pedestrians.

He estimated that travel between Agrasen Junction and Basavatarakam Cancer Hospital could mean a 4.5‑km vehicle circuit or a 1.5‑km walk through a dip and uphill stretch, affecting cancer patients, older people and attendants if bus access changes. The letter also cited possible walks of 2.4 km to Vengal Rao Building, 1.5 km to Jubilee Hills Check Post and 3.2 km to Cancer Hospital.

Sneha Nalajala, lawyer and co‑signatory, said a police feedback form outside KBR Park explained traffic changes but did not list bus commuters. She pointed to Basavatarakam Cancer Hospital, where patient folders include a bus map because many families from villages stay nearby while bus availability is already limited.

“Buses can’t take flyovers. People can’t cross the road when you construct underpasses and flyovers,” Nalajala said, adding the present model pushes more trips towards cars, two‑wheelers and ride‑hailing services.

She cited the Raidurg‑IKEA corridor, where a traffic police study counted 20,000 cars during the evening peak, half of them single‑occupant, compared with about 15,000 vehicles at Jubilee Hills Checkpost.

“We need to make public transport stronger. We need to increase Metro connectivity; we need to increase buses. We need to also allow pedestrians to roam on our roads so that for every one kilometre I’m not taking a cab,” she said.

Ravi Netha Sambari, co‑founder of Hyderabad Cycling Revolution, expected fewer problems for cyclists during early mornings when traffic is lighter. He said one‑way movement could give cyclists clearer space, though parking may remain an issue, and sought adequate walking space, clearer one‑way signs and zebra crossings.