Hyderabad’s traffic nightmare: Rising vehicle numbers choke city roads

Estimates indicate that Hyderabad has between 85 lakh to 90 lakh vehicles, with the numbers increasing daily. The surge has been so significant that vehicular density exceeded 10,000 vehicles per km last year, up from 6,500 vehicles per km five years ago.

Hyderabad: Never ending are the travails of motorists in Hyderabad. The scope of roads widening is thin but unmindful of the road realities, the number of vehicles keeps rising and rising. Every day, more wheels get added to the city roads and almost all the key road stretches are jammed with the cars, bikes, autos and buses.

Estimates suggest that Hyderabad has anywhere between 85 lakh to 90 lakh vehicles and the numbers are going up each day. Such has been the spurt in the numbers that the vehicular density has gone beyond 10,000 vehicles per km last year compared to 6,500 vehicles per km five years back.

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As traffic jams become an everyday feature, bumper-to-bumper travel is common on many road stretches. The struggle to find a way out of the chaos that prevails on the roads has started to take a heavy toll on motorists with the stretched out travel time, constantly managing the vehicle amid erratic driving practices, wrong side drivers, long u-turns and prolonged red traffic signals.

Even on the flyovers, the pleasure of driving is lost to the constant pressure. The flyovers which are expected to ensure seamless driving are now jammed with vehicles moving at a pace that puts even a snail to shame. Whether it is the grand old Begumpet flyover or the once popular Paradise flyover or the latest Hitec City flyover, the scene is the same.