TOI survey: Metro scores high, but last mile a hurdle

As cities develop, experts believe that there is constant space crunch. While most think traffic congestion due to development is a major hurdle, many citizens want the state giver nment to har ness ways to tackle this problem, before Hyderabad can call itself a metro.

A Public Issues Assessment survey conducted by TOI revealed that most people from five different blocks in Greater Hyderabad region believe that Metro will minimize congestion and improve connectivity.


Vinod Kumar Kanumala, founder, Indian Federation of Road Safety, says urban transport infrastructure in Hyderabad is inadequate to cater to this growth in demand. “While there are options like Metro Rail in the city now, we will have to wait and see if it will be able to provide last-mile connectivity. The existing transport infrastructure is aged and designed to meet lower capacities. The gap left can be filled only if Metro Rail is able to cater to this demand,” he said.

The TOI survey divided Greater Hyderabad region into five blocks and recorded ground zero reports by conducting face-to-face interviews with 1,246 people.

In Old City, 95% said Metro will minimize congestion and improve connectivity. “We are still awaiting Metro services. We face problems as we do not have enough public transport options here,” said Md Rameez, local activist and resident of Sultan Bazaar. The survey also reveals that 60% in Old City think Charminar Pedestrianisation project has de-congested the area.

In Secunderabad, three out of five respondents were pro-Metro. But they feel last-mile connectivity is not provided full-fledged by Metro authorities. They also feel that more flyovers must be constructed instead of one-way roads.

The survey shows that a major chunk of the population feel government should concentrate more on providing last-mile connectivity and implementing odd-even rule to tackle the problem of traffic congestion and space crunch on city roads.