Urban transport experts and citizens are urging the Telangana government to reconsider its approach to Hyderabad’s traffic problems by prioritizing public transport, pedestrians, and cyclists over flyovers and road-widening projects. This proposal was among several recommendations made at a citizens’ round table titled ‘Choked: How Do We Move People, Not Cars’ held at Goethe Zentrum in Hyderabad. The recommendations, which will be submitted to the Telangana government, aim to address the city’s mobility crisis through policy changes and better use of existing road space rather than relying primarily on large infrastructure projects.
Urban transport specialist Prashanth Bachu argued that flyovers often shift congestion from one junction to another rather than eliminating it. ‘Every flyover automatically creates a demand for four more flyovers,’ he said, adding that Hyderabad would need hundreds of flyovers if it continued relying on them to address congestion. Mr. Bachu also pointed to examples from Singapore and New York, where road space had been redesigned to create public spaces and improve mobility, arguing that Hyderabad needed to bring such approaches into public discourse. He said the city’s Comprehensive Transportation Study of 2013 had itself included an example of flyovers being demolished to create public spaces, questioning why such recommendations had subsequently disappeared from the city’s mobility debate.
Aditya of Move Hyderabad said urban mobility had to be viewed as a governance issue covering pedestrians, cyclists, two-wheelers, cars, and all forms of public transport. According to figures presented by him, Hyderabad has about 65 lakh two-wheelers and 16 lakh cars, with private vehicles accounting for about 90% of vehicles on the city’s roads. The city’s 900-km main road network is serving about 2.81 lakh vehicles, while vehicle density has increased by 40% since 2019.
The speakers also highlighted a significant shift in Hyderabad’s transport pattern. In 2011, buses accounted for about 42% of trips, while cars accounted for 4%. By 2024, the bus share had fallen to 25%, while cars had risen to 16% and two-wheelers had crossed 45%.
Metro accounted for only about 3%, while MMTS ridership had declined sharply. The group argued that the rise in private vehicle use cannot be addressed only by building more road infrastructure. It also called for policies that make public transport more attractive and private vehicle use less convenient.
On rail-based public transport, the group recommended restoring MMTS services to 2019 levels. Participants said existing services had the potential to carry significantly more passengers and that improving access to stations and connecting MMTS with buses and Metro would be critical.
