Half-hearted work done by Cyberabad traffic police earmarking pedestrians road crossing points along hi-tech city 2nd phase sketch in Madhapur, people who want to cross road get confused in absence of proper white painting on Zebra crossing, in Hyderabad even the word ÒPedestrianÓ is wrongly spelt in the banner put up on the road to IT hub.
| Photo Credit: MOHAMMED YOUSUF
Pedestrians continue to account for a significant share of road accident victims in the Cyberabad commissionerate, the bustling IT corridor of Hyderabad, with 35% of all road fatalities in 2025.
According to data, 35% or 116 of the 331 total fatalities recorded as road accidents until April 2025 were pedestrians. Additionally, 114 of the 318 fatal accidents reported during the same period involved pedestrians while 13 others sustained injuries.
This marks a steady increase from 2024, when 311 of the 994 road deaths, or 31.3% were pedestrians. That year, 303 of 948 fatal accidents involved pedestrians, with 31 injuries were reported.
Shadnagar recorded the highest number of fatal pedestrian accidents this year, with 19 deaths in as many cases. Medchal and Rajendranagar followed with 17 pedestrian deaths in 16 cases each. Under the jurisdiction of Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) there were 12 deaths from 12 cases, while Jeedimetla saw 10 deaths in 10 incidents. The rising trend underscores persistent gaps in pedestrian infrastructure and awareness.
A total of 70 black spots have been identified across the commissionerate, and in 32 of them, pedestrians account for nearly half of the total fatalities. Among the top pedestrian fatal accident spots are Gandimaisamma X roads in Dundigal, stretch between HMWS &SB water tank Ashok Nagar to Ramachandra Reddy Nagar Kaman in RC Puram, AG College flyover to Budvel Railway Station road in Rajendranagar, Paramitha Hospital to Mytri Nagar Kaman, Madinaguda on NH-65, Royal Grand Bar and Restaurant to Hotel Sitara Grand of RC Puram, Quthbullapur C road to Maangalya Shopping mall in Jeedimetla and RR Convention, Sathamrai to Sri Ramachandra Temple, Shamshabad, BR Ambedkar statue to SV Hotel U-turn and Medchal checkpost to Priyadarshini Hotel, all on NH-44.
Cyberabad Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Gajarao Bhupal, pointed to the absence and underutilisation of footpaths, poorly designed junctions, non-functional pedestrian signals, and high-speed corridors running through residential areas as key contributing factors to unsafe conditions.
“Areas like Shadnagar and Jeedimetla are flanked by high-speed highways. With the rapid expansion of residential neighbourhoods around them, pedestrian movement has significantly increased. Pedestrian activity often goes unnoticed, and enforcement tends to be limited. We are now actively exploring measures to better regulate this movement,” Mr. Bhupal said.
“We have identified several foot-over bridges that are currently underutilised. For instance, structures on the stretch from Mailardevpally to Old Kurnool Road and from JNTU to Miyapur see minimal pedestrian use. These are now being considered for relocation to areas where they might serve a better purpose, while a new foot-over bridge is also under development between Raidurgam metro station and IKEA,” the official added.
As a long-term measure, the department has proposed that all new road projects include dedicated pedestrian pathways. For existing roads, efforts are underway to segregate pedestrian and vehicular movement.
“The presence of pedestrians walking on the carriageway not only endangers their safety but also disrupts vehicular flow. We are working towards both strict enforcement, especially regarding stop-line violations, and public education, encouraging the use of footpaths wherever available,” Mr. Bhupal said.
Santhana Selvan, an advocate for sustainable mobility, and popularly known as the Bicycle Mayor of Hyderabad, said that pedestrian safety must not be an afterthought, but a fundamental right that must be built into our urban infrastructure.
“Take the Durgam Cheruvu metro stretch towards Inorbit Mall as an example: it’s disjointed, lacks walkable space, and becomes even more hazardous during rains. Moreover, U-turns are being introduced for smoother traffic, but with no speed reduction mechanisms or provisions for those on foot,”he said,
Mr. Selvan stressed having like signals, crossings, and safe walkways, especially near schools, colleges and workplaces with high pedestrian movement. “So the weakest on the road, be it children or the elderly, are not left at the mercy of motorists,” he added.
Published – June 05, 2025 08:06 AM is
