Urban experts urge Hyderabad to ditch flyovers, prioritize public transport instead

Urban transport specialists have called on the Telangana government to halt flyover and road-widening projects in Hyderabad, proposing instead a shift toward policies that prioritise public transport, pedestrians and cyclists over private vehicles.

The recommendations emerged from a citizens' round table held at Goethe Zentrum on Saturday, where experts argued that the city's reliance on infrastructure expansion is deepening rather than solving its mobility crisis.

The flyover trap

Urban transport specialist Prashanth Bachu challenged the core logic behind flyover construction, saying such projects merely relocate congestion instead of eliminating it. "Every flyover automatically creates a demand for four more flyovers," he said, warning that Hyderabad would need hundreds of such structures if it stayed on its current path.

Mr. Bachu cited Singapore and New York as cities that have redesigned road space to create public areas and improve mobility, urging Hyderabad to bring similar approaches into public discourse. He pointed out that the city's own Comprehensive Transportation Study of 2013 had included an example of flyovers being demolished to create public spaces, questioning why such recommendations had vanished from the mobility debate.

Private vehicle surge

Aditya of Move Hyderabad presented figures showing that Hyderabad now has about 65 lakh two-wheelers and 16 lakh cars, with private vehicles accounting for roughly 90% of all vehicles on city roads. The 900-km main road network is serving about 2.81 lakh vehicles, and vehicle density has jumped 40% since 2019.

The transport pattern has shifted dramatically over the past 13 years. In 2011, buses carried about 42% of trips and cars just 4%. By 2024, the bus share had dropped to 25%, while cars had climbed to 16% and two-wheelers had crossed 45%. Metro accounts for only about 3% of trips, and MMTS ridership has declined sharply.

Rethinking road space

The group argued that rising private vehicle use cannot be solved solely by building more roads, calling instead for policies that make public transport more attractive and private vehicle use less convenient. On rail-based transport, participants recommended restoring MMTS services to 2019 levels, improving station access, and connecting MMTS with buses and Metro.

The recommendations will be submitted to the Telangana government.

Source: The Hindu