Hyderabad: Part of the damage to roads, especially the arterial routes, can be attributed to inter-state lorries passing through the city. Apart from several state highways, the national highways connecting Mumbai and Vijayawada, Kanyakumari and Delhi and the NH to Warangal pass through the city.
Traffic police allows the heavy vehicles to pass through the city only at night. These lorries are overloaded and this causes maximum damage to the city roads that are designed only to carry about 25-tonne freight, apart from the weight of the vehicle.Besides, the city’s roads take the weight of the lorries bringing in goods as well as those ferrying construction waste and lorries serving the infrastructure sector. The heavy vehicles have been creating several craters and potholes, resulting in water logging points, especially during the monsoon.
Due to this, vehicle speed on roads which were designed for 40 kmph has come down to less than 12 kmph during peak hours and less than 5 khmp on a rainy day. Citing this, the traffic police along with all line departments including the GHMC, HMDA and others have decided not allow heavy vehicles into the city during the monsoon. They have also decided to eventually ban them from entering the city and use only the Outer Ring Road or other roads for commuting.
According to highly placed sources, traffic police recently said during a road safety meeting that over loaded vehicles carrying freight have been entering the city through arterial roads and severely damaging city roads.
During the meeting it was said that vehicles entering through the Kurnool, Old Mumbai, Vijayawada and Srisailam highways have been carrying excess weight - around 30 to 60 tonnes excess weight and creating craters all through the year.
The damage is the most during the monsoon. This apart, passenger vehicles, especially private travels buses who have been operating with duplicate registration numbers have making additional trips passing through prime roads including LB Nagar, Secunderabad, Begumpet, Malakpet, Lakdikapool, Somajiguda, Panjagutta, Ameerpet, SR Nagar, Kukatpally, Nizampet and Miyapur.
Additional commissioner, traffic, Anil Kumar told Deccan Chronicle said that heavy vehicles carrying excess weight entering the city was the primary reason for road damage.
He said the department has been looking for alternative plans to restrict the entry of heavy vehicles into the city.
He said that as of now, heavy vehicles including private travels buses are allowed on city roads from 11 pm to 6 am and they will be asked to make alternative arrangements. “A decision on complete ban of heavy vehicles will be taken soon after discussing with state government,” he added.
52 FoBs needed, say traffic cops
Data with the traffic police shows that of the 2,540 road accidents last year, 36 per cent involved pedestrians. Citing this, members who participated in the road safety committee meeting proposed the construction of at least 52 foot over bridges at different locations in the city for the safety of pedestrians.
While 924 accidents involved pedestrians, 1,231 involved two-wheelers. Among the others there were 77 accidents involving three-wheelers, 65 passengers, 62 four-wheelers, 42 cyclists/rickshaws, seven slow moving vendors, a school bus, an RTC bus, a lorry, 4 tempo trolleys and 119 other vehicles.
Signages at accident-prone areas and pedestrians crossings and railings on central medians to prevent random pedestrian crossing, are among the many road safety measures, resulting in the all-round decrease of pedestrian deaths from 104 to 77. Traffic police has suggested construction of 52 FoBs on priority to ensure the safety of pedestrians. The FoB project has been receiving a lukewarm response from bidders citing non-viability.
HMDA and GHMC officials said that bidders have been not participating in the tender process even after inviting them multiple times since 2012 claiming that the project is not cost effective.
As a result, only five FoBs have been constructed in the city. The government has even handed over construction of the FoBs to the HMDA in 2017. The HMDA has again handed over the project to the GHMC during June 2018. “Tenders have been invited at least 50 times but private agencies expressed displeasure at the amounts earmarked and designs proposed. FoBs can be a reality only with strong political will and better co-ordination with all line departments,” an official claimed.
