No end to Secunderabad railway station traffic chaos

Hyderabad: Traffic near Secunderabad railway station is so heavy that it’s difficult for a motorist to stop for even a couple of minutes to let out a passenger, leave alone parking. With the growing number of trains and MMTS, the traffic chaos is not going to end soon.

Pedestrians have nowhere to walk and are in constant danger of being knocked down if they walk on the road, while the growing numbers of hawkers in the area have occupied entrances to permanent shops and religious institutions.

The road is always packed with traffic; apart from the railway station and bus terminus, it connects several schools and colleges and places of worship apart from the Monda market.

Mahankali traffic inspector B. Ramaswamy said, “We are trying our best to remove the encroachments by street vendors in front of shops and religious institutions. The bus stop near Secunderabad railway station will be shifted to the old Gandhi Hospital and the entire area will be free to use. Once these buses start operating from there, the traffic will ease.”

The recent diversions have eased the problem of motorists and pedestrians to some extent, but the U-turn in front of the railway station has made matters worse.

“The U turns are never a solution to the problem; the authorities should consider rotary circles,” said Mr Malcolm Wolfe, a traffic expert.

“RTC buses and autorickshaws halting at the bus-stop opposite the busy Secunderabad railway station is the prime cause for the bumper-to-bumper traffic throughout the day at the station,” said Prof. R. Stevenson of Osmania University.

He said the only U-turn for vehicles coming from Clock Tower leading to Monda market is completely jammed because of the temporary halt of buses and autos in front of the station.