HYDERABAD: Having received no response from the authorities, residents of Madinaguda and Chandanagar have reopened their online petition to highlight the lack of pedestrian safety on the stretch between Allwyn Crossroads and BHEL junction on the Mumbai national highway.
In their petition that had garnered over 1,000 supporters five months ago, residents had pointed out the lack of foot-overbridges or pedestrian crossings on the 14km stretch of road. This has been forcing people to run across the road wherever there is a gap in the median. The stretch also lacks traffic signals, which makes it even riskier to cross the highway as high speed has become the norm. There are also many educational institutions in the area and students are increasingly at risk.
"Although there is a signal at Allwyn Crossroads,
traffic cops have permitted vehicles to take a free left, which makes it difficult for pedestrians to cross. Another traffic signal near R S Brothers is not functional now. Although an FoB was sanctioned at Madinaguda, works are at a standstill," said Rohit Samar, a resident of Madinaguda and a daily commuter on the national highway. He reopened the online petition recently after a representation submitted earlier failed to evoke any response. The new petition has gathered more than 963 supporters so far.
The Miyapur division registered more than 38 accidents in March this year, in which five people were killed and 23 injured, according to data available with the Cyberabad traffic police. More than 35 pedestrians were victims to fatal road accidents within Cyberabad limits till March.
"Due to lack of any kind of pedestrian infrastructure, many accidents are taking place between Miyapur junction and BHEL. Since it is a national highway, the speed of vehicles is comparatively higher, making it even more unsafe for pedestrians to cross the road without proper
zebra crossings or foot-overbridges," said Vinod K Kanumala, CEO of Indian Federation of Road Safety (IFROS).
"Commuters are demanding that at least basic infrastructure such as pedestrian crossings are constructed here for the safety of pedestrians," Samar said.
