Free left turns at 57 junctions in city leave hapless walkers with no space and time to cross the roads
Like a sprinter waiting for start of the race, the young lady poised herself at the roadside at Monappa island. As the unending stream of cars, motorcycles, autos and vans whizzed past, she waited for a gap in the stream and darted across. Deftly weaving her way through, missing the car bonnets by inches, inviting angry stares from drivers, she darted across and jumped onto the pavement or what is left of it to catch her breath.
The policeman wearing the dark goggles with a digital camera in hand was busy shooting pictures of vehicles screeching to a halt beyond the stop line or those who tried to jump the signal.
Neither the policeman, who nowadays takes pride in enforcing the traffic rules vigorously, nor the motorists who seemed to be rushing to meet a deadline, seem to worry about the hapless pedestrian.
Welcome to Hyderabad. The burgeoning metropolis, where the pedestrian does not figure anywhere in traffic management, but entire focus is on facilitating the faster movement of vehicles.
If the city has the dubious distinction of having least space for footpaths, the city police have begun a new exercise of ensuring a free left turn on 57 junctions.
Anyone blocking the specified area for a left turn is to pay a penalty of Rs. 400. They had even erected red plastic cones to earmark the free left area and had the roads painted bold about the free left.
But the police seem to have conveniently forgotten about the pedestrian.
If at a junction, there is a continuous movement of vehicles, how would the pedestrians cross the road? The plight of the pedestrian has simply escaped the policeman's attention.
Before the launch of free left campaign on May 1, pedestrians used to cross the road with some difficulty. But now this free left campaign seemed to have aggravated the problem.
“Earlier we used to cross the road when the red light is on. But now it's a nightmare to cross the road”, rues a retired employee K. Krishna Murthy from Sanjeeva Reddy Nagar.
A JNTU professor P.R. Bhanumurthy who specialises in transportation studies agrees that traffic movement must be halted to allow people cross the roads. “Free left has to be restricted to allow the pedestrian”, he asserts.
“The only concern for the traffic police is to keep the carriage way clear for vehicles and pedestrian's plight is not on their agenda”, laments Right to Walk Foundation founder Kanthi Kanan.
While the motorists are forced to pay penalties for blocking free left turn, those vehicles parked on footpaths forcing walkers to step onto roads, are not in the crosshairs of the traffic police. “Though a policeman is being stationed at the free left turn areas to help pedestrians, they themselves are at risk due to speeding motorists. Given the situation, how can they extend the help?” she questions.
Keywords: Hyderabad traffic, left turns, pedestrian issues
No provision for pedestrians crossing on all roads of Hyderabad & Secunderabad coupled with total lack of traffic discipline are the main causes for unsafe conditions for pedestrians.
Earlier, it was really annoying to see people blocking a free left,
when they were waiting to drive straight after the signal turned
green. I'm glad that free left is being ensured. But this article
rightly points out that pedestrians are the most ignored bunch when it
comes to traffic management. We have been crying hoarse about bikers
driving on foot paths on the Erramanzil-Taj Krishna road for ages now.
The present situation is worse. Compare this with a city like London
there are signals for even left turn and pedestrians(which Hyderabad
had during my childhood, but strangely we have none now). There are amber lights in London near all zebra crossings and no matter what the speed of the vehicles, they stop without fail even if there is a single pedestrian. Wonder when that day is going to come in Hyderabad.
Pedestrian / footover bridge & zebra crossing for small childerns with stop traffic signal to cross, required in front of school and colleges i.e. pullareddy jr. college mehdipatnam .
concerned department and GMCH to take necessary action.
The traffic regulations that were being looked may help for organ
graftings and thus strengthens the Martuaries. Taking the advantages of
fly overbridges construction there is possibility for increase of multy
storied buildings. Besides this the Govt is going ahead with METRO RAIL
Work. With these the multy storied building construction may increases
resulting for traffic congestion and accidents.
"Wrong side" movement of Auto rickshaws, Bikes, and sometimes bigger vehicles, is also another burden to pedestrians. While crossing a one way road, looking only at the 'right' side, these vehicles are a surprise to many, sometimes leading to minor accidents too. This scenario is prevalent mainly because the traffic police is so 'inclined' and lenient to make the smooth movement of vehicles in whichever the direction is, no matter it's a one-way or not.
It is true after launch of free left turn by traffic police we are not knowing from where to cross the road and finding it difficult to cross the road as the flow is there continuous. Traffic police should take some action considering pedestrians also.
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