KBR Park traffic loop leaves pedestrians struggling with missing footpaths, crossings

The new one-way traffic loop around KBR Park has eased motorists’ movement but left pedestrians struggling with missing footpaths and inadequate crossing facilities. Cancer patients, attendants and commuters say continuous traffic has made walking and crossing roads increasingly difficult.

Hyderabad: Even as motorists appear to be getting acquainted with the recently introduced one-way continuous loop for traffic movement around KBR Park, pedestrians face issues given the missing footpath links at key junctions and lack of pedestrian crossing facilities.

For instance, hundreds of cancer patients and their attendants come to the Basavatarakam Indo American Cancer Hospital & Research Institute and the KBR Junction and hospital stretch are busy with them, particularly from 7 am to 12 noon. Missing links in footpaths here result in patients forced to walk along the carriageway, facing unsafe situation.

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Some of the patient attendants pointed out the speed of vehicular movement has gone up after the one-way introduction. “We can’t walk freely due to lack of footpath network. The stretch has a heavy volume of vehicles, which pose a high risk for our lives,” one of the attendants said.

Gaps in the footpath network made walking an open invitation for road accidents, with the issue highlighted as particularly serious for patients with limited mobility or other health vulnerabilities.

Patients urged the civic body to provide or restore footpaths in affected areas to reduce the risk of accidents and ensure safer access for those travelling to and from healthcare facilities.

Crossing the road stretches at some points is also an issue. At the Basavatarakam Indo American Cancer Hospital & Research Institute stretch, attendants of the patients who have an extended hospital stay, usually cross the road and rest on pavements on the other side of the stretch. Several voluntary bodies bring lunch, which is provided free to the patients and attendants, and station the vehicle on the other side of the stretch.

Also, at the junction leading towards Film Nagar, scores of bus users cross the road towards the bus stop located alongside the KBR Park periphery. Now, with the continuous movement of vehicles, pedestrians find it a little tough to cross. “There should be signals to interrupt the traffic and allow us pedestrians cross on this stretch,” said Ram Madhav Rao, a commuter.