Hyderabad Traffic Congestion Reportedly Delays Emergency Services
A report indicates that severe traffic congestion in Hyderabad is delaying emergency response times for ambulances and other critical services. The clogged streets are reportedly eroding the "golden hour" for medical emergencies, raising public safety concerns. The issue highlights the growing infrastructure challenges in the rapidly expanding city.
- A joint study by IIT Hyderabad and TCS revealed that ambulances can take between 2.7 to 6.5 minutes to pass a single traffic signal. Ambulance drivers have reported losing up to 25 minutes during peak hours on specific routes like the one between Balanagar and Kukatpally. - The city is tackling congestion with large-scale infrastructure projects under the Strategic Road Development Plan (SRDP) and the Hyderabad City Innovative and Transformative Infrastructure (H-CITI) programme, which includes 38 projects with a budget of ₹5,942 crore. Specific projects include the completion of the Musarambagh Bridge and expediting work on the Nalgonda X Roads Flyover. - Hyderabad's vehicle population has surged by 42% in the last five years, with approximately 1,600 new vehicles being registered daily. This contributes to the city having one of the highest vehicle densities in India, with over 86 lakh vehicles on a 900-kilometer main-road network. - To manage the traffic, police have deployed technology such as drones and cameras on high-rise buildings for real-time monitoring and have partnered with Google to analyze traffic patterns for signal optimization. A public-private partnership also introduced 50 traffic patrolling bikes and 100 traffic marshals to improve on-ground management. - Congestion issues vary across the city; the Old City suffers from narrow roads and dense markets, while IT corridors like Madhapur and Gachibowli experience peak-hour surges. Authorities have identified seven major congestion hotspots, including areas around KBR National Park, Charminar, and Mehdipatnam. - A study conducted by the Hyderabad Traffic Police revealed that in 51% of observed cases, ambulance sirens were used for non-emergency situations simply to navigate through traffic. This misuse leads to traffic disruptions as police often have to switch automated signals to manual mode to clear a path. - Fire services are also significantly impacted, with officials reporting frequent delays of 5 to 10 minutes when navigating congested roads, particularly in the IT corridor, which is considered a high-risk zone with numerous high-rise buildings.
