Langar Houz-Golconda and KBR Park-Jubilee Hills check-post roads take the top two places among top 10 accident-prone stretches of the twin cities by registering maximum road accidents and deaths.
Of the 51 road accidents witnessed on the first stretch, 18 persons died while 37 sustained injuries. Forty-two accidents were reported on the second one, with 11 deaths and injuries to 37 persons.
Other dangerous stretches include Langar Houz-Tolichowki, NFCL Rotary (Punjagutta)-KBR Park, Dilsukhnagar-Moosarambagh, Tadbun-Bowenpally, Masab Tank-Road No. 12 of Banjara Hills, Sarathi Studio-Yousufguda check-post, Trimulgherry-Lothkunta and Midhani crossroads-Midhani township.
Accident deaths on these 10 stretches account for nearly 20 per cent of the total deaths in accidents reported by September end this year with the total fatalities put at 339 persons by the traffic police. Road engineering, reckless driving and criss-crossing of pedestrians and absence of road signs are the prime and common reasons behind the mishaps, they feel.
“For example, the road gradient on Zaharanagar crossroads-TRS party office is bad. Vehicles often go off the road while coming down or going up, resulting in injuries to passengers and drivers,” Hyderabad Traffic Police Additional Commissioner Amit Garg says. He feels the traffic police can do little to control accidents caused by such engineering defects on roads. Similar is the absence of glow signs at the beginning of or along the medians. Heavy vehicles ramming the medians near flyovers has become common, though it can be minimised by sticking radium signals on the dividers.
The traffic police boss admits that deaths of pedestrians on all these stretches are a cause of concern.
“Not using zebra crossings, attempting to walk across the road even as vehicles zoom and pedestrians criss-crossing at will are causing these deaths,” says Mr. Garg. He maintains that the traffic police have to educate people about the need to use zebra crossings for safety.
More accidents on roads at Langar Houz and Golconda areas are attributed to the high volume of mixed traffic. Compared to other areas, number of auto-rickshaws, bicycles and pedestrians moving in these areas is high. Non-compliance of road safety norms by commuters could be a vital cause for high accident rate here, the traffic police officials feel.
However, commuters do not agree with the traffic police’s perceptions and blame them for not making the stretches safe.
“What are the traffic police doing to check over-speeding? When they put up dividers on flyovers, is it not their duty to ensure they are painted or pasted with radium signals to alert drivers?” wonders Sunder of Himayathnagar.
