Ever since its invention, the car has fascinated human beings. In the United States of America (USA) this fascination resulted in an urban planning model of sprawling cities separated by great distances, to be negotiated by cars. Constructing unending and unobstructed freeways for movement of cars became a standard model.
This became a trend, as mega cities like New York, Beijing, Shanghai and more pursued this idea of unobstructed drives, with layers of freeways one over the other, only to leave reduced public space on the ground. Thanks to the escalating fuel costs and a general concern for the environment, the perception since then has changed. Now it has gravitated towards discouraging individual car use and creating high capacity public transport systems combined with public spaces for people on ground. In New York, ‘Highline’, the elevated abandoned railway track has been converted into a beautiful linear garden and public space. In Seoul, about 10-km-long continuous flyover or freeway built over an existing river creek was pulled down. The creek was revived and converted into an active public space for citizens. In many other countries such freeways are being removed to reclaim valuable street and public spaces.
This is a provocative pointer towards the Begumpet frogleap flyovers, which apparently have not served their purpose of easing traffic. They have only been successful in severing the majestic Parade Grounds from Secunderabad visually and metaphorically. A bus rapid transport system, with dedicated track for buses and avenue plantation all the way, on this length could have added value to city, while easing traffic. The flyover from Masab Tank junction to NMDC in the city, with frequent traffic jams also has damaged the character of the road by a public park. Barring very few functionally useful ones, many such elevated concrete structures with suboptimal utility have ripped the city apart, defiled and marred it.
It is reported that the government has plans to build, among others, a 19-km-long elevated freeway from Tumkunta to Jubilee Bus Stand (JBS), a nine kilometre one from Nampally to Uppal in phase one and a 41-km-long elevated freeway from ORR East to ORR west along the river Musi in phase two, to ease congestion.
To understand the scale, magnitude and impact of these concrete structures on cityscape, the PVNR elevated expressway which is about 11.5-km long is a close comparison. The Tumkunta-JBS route will therefore be twice as long as PVNR and the one along Musi, zipping across heritage zone, will be four times as long.
Though built for a special purpose to link Shamshabad airport to the city, as on today PVNR elevated freeway serves far lesser volume and diversity of traffic than the roads below. There is a question mark on optimal efficacy of such long elevated expressways. In spite of intermittent access ramps to ground, short and medium range random trips by commuters on ground level between intermediate locations by diverse modes of traffic such as two-wheelers, seven-seaters, and autos will be by far much more.
Many flyovers in our city also create dark and unsafe spaces below them like the Lalapet flyover going towards Moula Ali. The PVNR expressway blocks out the sky and light almost totally in some stretches below it creating negative and unsafe places. Every time we build an elevated transport structure, we create negative, attic like spaces below it.
Many European cities like Milan or Asian cities like Singapore, have well designed high capacity underground rail networks keeping the city above ground free of obstructions. Further as can be also seen at Attapur and Uppal junctions, space required for elevated transport structures inordinately expands street width, making it extremely hazardous for pedestrian crossings. There is an urgent need for introducing pedestrian underpasses, footpaths and traffic calmers at these places.
To alleviate traffic congestion, there is a need for good traffic management and organised street design with well-demarcated lanes for various modes of traffic, including pedestrians. CG road in Ahmedabad or some new street design upgrade efforts as in Pune are some references. Many other measures such as, but not limited to congestion charges, traffic demand management, parking regulation, strengthening of alternate routes between destinations, will then need to be integrated into this strategy.
Elevated transportation elements like flyovers or expressways have had deleterious impact on our city’s heritage, public spaces, character and image. We need to draw lessons from contemporary city building ideas across the world, tread with caution and restraint, and evolve a meaningful long-term vision.
(P. Venu Gopal is an architect and urban designer and a member of Institute of Urban Designers India (IUDI). He can be reached at tdc_architect@rediffmail.com)
