Hyderabad turning into auto-centric city

Recent data shows over 1.6 crore vehicles will ply on city roads in next 10 years.

Hyderabad: Terrifying — this is the word that road safety experts used to interpret the recent data on the estimated vehicle growth in Hyderabad over the next 10 years. The staggering number is in eight digits and paints a picture rich with exhaust fumes and traffic congestion.

The projected vehicle growth for the 2024-25 is 68.05 lakh. Cut to a decade later, this will shoot up to 1.60 crore. If you complain of never-ending traffic snarls now, wait till you get to 2034.

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This unfortunate and disappointing data was shared by the Joint Transport Commissioner (IT) replying to a query by Seethaphalmandi Corporator Samala Hema at the recent council meeting at the GHMC. It shows a steady growth in numbers year after year, which will quite possibly lead us to an auto-centric reality.

“As it is, our roads are not designed to handle the current volume of vehicles. Anything over and above this will make our city uninhabitable. But since we live in a democracy, it is very difficult to limit the sale of vehicles as everyone has the right to own one,” says road safety expert Naresh Raghavan.

Although multiple flyovers and road widening projects are being undertaken, traffic congestion continues to be a significant challenge. Even a brief spell of rain brings traffic to a standstill at multiple junctions in the city.

According to Raghavan, two specific changes might help — increasing the lifetime tax on cars to discourage car sales and additional AC buses to the RTC fleet. He lays emphasis on enhancing public transport as increased dependency on that might reduce the need to have a personal vehicle. Good last-mile connectivity from bus stops and Metro stations might be the key.

Harsha, the admin of the noted Team Road Squad page on X, while optimistic about policy changes, raises concerns over environmental damage. “If we don’t improve, definitely the number of vehicles will exceed expectations and estimations. We are not so far from becoming Istanbul, Mumbai or Bengaluru. The Pollution Control Board should also come up with new strategies,” he says.

In addition to more hours spent in traffic congestions, if the status quo remains, air quality and noise pollution will worsen. After all, if we use four-wheelers for one person and two-wheelers for less than a kilometre, a higher number of vehicles plying on city roads is eminent.