MA&UD to launch traffic impact policy soon
Its importance was realised during the traffic mayhem witnessed in the Hitec City during heavy rains
HYDERABAD: The municipal administration and urban development (MA&UD) will soon implement a traffic impact assessment policy (TIAP) in the city. The policy, which the GHMC claims is the first of its kind in the country, was first mooted two years ago.
Its importance was realised during the traffic mayhem witnessed in the Hitec City during heavy rains.
After the implementation of the policy, builders of major projects will have to submit a traffic impact assessment (TIA) either to the GHMC or the HMDA, while applying for building permission.
According to MA&UD officials, the corporation has proposed the standard number of vehicles per hour for different kinds of buildings, so as to estimate the increase in traffic on a particular stretch of road in future. Trip Generation Rates (TGR), as they are called, have been fixed for 23 land use classes, including supermarkets, multiplexes, theatres, schools, colleges, five-star hotels, private offices, health and fitness establishments and apartment buildings.
They said the GHMC had concentrated on parking spaces, setbacks, greenery, and rainwater harvesting pits. Although high-rise buildings are supposed to provide 44 per cent parking space, they had done nothing about the traffic snarls they caused on adjacent roads, officials said.
The corporation, for instance, would accord building permission to a mall comprising multiplex theatres with a total seating capacity of 2,000 if it provides parking facility for 750 vehicles.
A senior MA&UD official said that the TIAP would come into force within a couple of months. He said that the assessment not only includes general impact relating to transport management (road efficiency and safety), but also considers specific impacts on all road users, including on-road public transport, pedestrians and heavy vehicles.