Hyderabad: The Kukatpally Y-junction has become synonymous with traffic congestion and the construction of the flyover has been adding to the mess. The proximity of the U-turn to the signal also creates confusion among commuters.
This has been going on for years and with the advent of new shops and stores, the area is choked with traffic. Commuters, especially on two-wheelers and four wheelers, end up fighting as they jostle for space. Frequenters of the bars and restaurants park their vehicles on the road which only adds to the congestion. Heavy vehicles, including buses and lorries have no option but to take this U-turn which has become a serious concern.
Experts suggest that at least three lanes should be occupied by the U-turn traffic but this would leave miniscule place for traffic going straight through. Road safety expert B Adi Shankar said, “As heavy vehicles ply on the road, the U-turn needs to be bigger or the signalling system has to be revised. Buses and lorries move to the extreme left to take the U-turn as they need a bigger space. The U-turn is not scientifically designed, as the free left takes a toll. These problems cannot be looked at in isolation.”
He added that a lot of unnecessary traffic joins the main road and the U-turn was meant to be a short term solution to bring temporarily relief. It has instead become a burden. Even outside of rush hours, one notices traffic congestion here.
Vinod Kumar Kanumala of the Indian Federation of Road Safety believes U-turns can be dangerous. “A lot of road rage happens at the U-turn and there is a lot of frustration among the people as the U-turn makes them traverse additional distance. To avoid the additional distance, most of them take wrong routes and enter into arguments with commuters. None of the road safety experts approve of this design. Instead of making it signal free, more traffic police are being deployed at U-turns,” he said.
He said this design must be accepted as an engineering fault, and corrective measures taken.
A traffic official said that the U-turn cannot be moved further on as an RTC bus depot is in the vicinity and it would also create a junction if moved further.
“We cannot move the U-turn further as it would create another junction. We will study the junction to assess the problem and adopt a solution accordingly,” he said.
