Walk or drive at your own risk in Hyderabad

On those promises of one or two are very likely to make clean and green city, proper roads and proper street lights to the city etc. but if you move on the roads of Hyderabad, especially old city you’ll find that the situation didn’t change at all.

The roads are still in bad shape, with large main holes open, which are a direct threat to the passerby, riders and children, and also the drain water receding on the roads, which makes a foul smell and filthy water which causes trouble to both the riders and pedestrian.

For every quarter kilometer or less distance there is a speed breaker, huge garbage dumps on the roads, stones are placed sometimes at the center of the roads, and stray dogs moving sometimes in a group to chase each other which cause a disturbance to the traffic and create fear to women and children.

While night hours no proper lights on the roads mostly the street lights are out of service and roads are fully or partially filled with darkness, and stray dogs are barking, fighting, chasing each other and sometimes run after the lone passerby in a group to make the situation worst.

Many places of Hyderabad, especially old city and near to Charminar area are having air pollution which are at this year have peaked, averaging 127 micrograms per cubic metre, piping residential areas across the city and even heavy traffic zones like Panjagutta.

Mainly the auto drivers who used cheap fuel to save their money using kerosene and other cheap oil, which make the air more polluted. One can easily finds that driving or walking in old city is not at all an easy task, one has to be very conscious of oneself while moving on these roads.

You can simply say “Walk or drive at your own risk in Hyderabad” No traffic signal can stop the reckless drivers, riders and auto drivers of Hyderabad, they move on without caring for accidents or other vehicles. Hyderabadis are mostly educated but not in the terms of driving, an educated motorist drives as recklessly as an uneducated auto driver.

No difference, at all every one try to compete others on the road, everyone wants to reach one’s place quickest possible.

The worst situation usually happens in traffic jams, one can easily observe that, this kind of situation (which normally happens daily many a times in every road of Hyderabad), every one driving on his/her own wish and will to come out of traffic from a common rider to a bus or lorry driver which makes more trouble to the traffic.

As on the traffic signals the meaning are, if the signal is red “Stop”, if it is green “Go” and if it is orange “Slow down and stop” but the Hyderabadis changed the meaning, as per them, if the signal is red, and there is no traffic policeman around then “Go”, if the signal is green “Drive fast” and if the signal is orange then “Drive as fast as you can” The present construction of Railway project make the situation of the traffic worst, as many places witnessed huge traffic jams for nearly one to two hours daily for anyone to come out of these jams.

One doesn’t have any other option except to wait in this long queue of traffic for hours. The situation becomes more critical when it happens to be an ambulance, as it was published many a times in the newspapers that patients died on the way to the hospitals while the ambulance struck in the traffic for hours.

If at all the ambulance reached on time, the patient’ life would be saved. While school and office starting and closing hours are observed huge traffic jams, and it become part of the life of Hyderabadi to spend his/her two hours daily in traffic jams.

People of Hyderabad want their children to be smart, if it is in a constructive way it is really valued, on the contrary, they give bikes or cars to teenagers, those who don’t have a license or younger to get a license, these teenagers ride in the city very recklessly, showing various stunts to the public and sometimes meet with accidents and fell fatally.

If at all they are caught by traffic police, simply they pay bribe and slip from the scene. Parents have to think that, they are not making their children smart, but they are playing with their lives and others also by providing costly bikes to the teenagers.

We need to take our responsibility as a citizen to make the society to live with good health and peace. If we don’t change our attitude then surely it comes to us one day as a danger and bad news for us. We should take positive steps before it happens something very unlucky to us.