Hyderabad: Pedestrians are a neglected lot while the state boasts of Metro facilities. Only a few Metro stations have footpaths for pedestrians and that too are occupied by the Metro travelers to park their vehicles.
Road safety experts are of the opinion that authorities are compromising on pedestrian safety in the name of city development.
Vehicles are haphazardly parked in footpaths of few Metro stations such as Mettuguda, NGRI, Rasoolpura, and Ameerpet. However, the officials of the Traffic Dept said that they have detained many vehicles for improper parking near the metro stations. Metro Rail authorities are also looking for space to increase parking facilities.
A special drive was conducted by Hyderabad traffic police soon after the Metro’s launch as many vehicles were seen improperly parked near the stations, main roads and on footpaths.
Many vehicles were towed down by the traffic cops from pavements, footpaths constructed outside metro stations in Secunderabad, Ameerpet, Paradise, Tarnaka, Prakash Nagar, Begumpet, and Mettuguda.
Ahsan Pasha, Trustee of Traffic Sense Foundation said that the statistics show that around 40 per cent fatalities on our roads are pedestrians. “Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has no plans to build any new footpaths. Our metro rail is supposed to be the most advanced in the world as per press reports, but their commitment to passenger safety is almost negligent,” he said.
S. Adishankar, a road safety expert, said that it is the job of the traffic authorities, GHMC and HMR to ensure that parking does not interfere with pedestrian movement.
NVS Reddy, Managing Director Hyderabad Metro Rail Hyderabad said that they have created enough parking space near all the metro stations. “People should have more discipline. For the first time in the city, we have created facility for pedestrians in a systematic and organised manner,” he said.
“For a short time, we had allowed to park vehicles near the metro stations but now we are regulating this and there is enough parking space. If anywhere, pedestrians face difficulty, we will remove the vehicles from the spot. We have already informed the traffic police about the misuse of sidewalks and pedestrains facilities.
In future, we may think of imposing fines for improper parking near metro stations but before that people should be more disciplined,” he added.
