Hyderabad faces traffic confusion over free left turns at junctions

Intended to expedite left turns during designated pe- riods like peak traffic, the initiative, however, has ended up creating a lot of confusion and has become ineffective.

Hyderabad: If some block the free left and cause inconvenience, there are a few who take the left when the signal is red, causing a nuisance.

The public indifference to this unfamiliar traffic rule along with the absence of signage has resulted in motorists taking a left turn, where they are not supposed to.

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Intended to expedite left turns during designated periods like peak traffic, the initiative, however, has ended up creating a lot of confusion and has become ineffective.

While some see this as a solution, many point out that the free-left initiative is a problem. “When the signal is completely red, then there is no free left and all the traffic has to stop.

Not all left turns are free lefts. It should be provided only at wider roads with proper islands at intersections which have a dedicated left lane before 300m at least while approaching the junction,” says Lokendra Singh, city-based road safety expert, adding that free lefts at nar- row roads must be eliminated.

Apart from the free left issue, when there is a red signal where the majority of the traffic would be taking a right, scores of motorists take the liberty of driving straight ahead, causing a conflict with the traffic coming from the other side.

Lokendra says that free lefts and free straights are nowhere mentioned in the Motor Vehicles Act and that it was created for commuters’ convenience.

“The reality is the traffic taking a left turn at junctions is adding congestion to the next intersection, resulting in increased waiting times. If lane discipline is followed we don’t have to do this. Also, all the free left turns have dedicated space in a curve shape which contin- ues from demerging road to merging road, decreasing the width of the road for traffic from the right direction.”

There are also a few junctions in the city where this provision is given although there is not enough space to accommodate the traffic.

Tank Bund road entrance from Telangana Martyrs’ Memorial side road, Ravin- dra Bharati Circle (Assem- bly to Lakdikapul), LB Stadium (Near Nizam College), and Nanal Nagar junction are a few examples. In some other locations, there are no signboards indicating that taking a left or going straight is prohibited.