Hyderabad Pedestrians Face Growing Hazards as Accidents Claim 105 Lives
Pedestrians across Hyderabad are facing persistent hazards at major junctions including Parade Ground, Yashoda Hospital in Malakpet, Secunderabad bridge approaches, and Cyber Towers in Madhapur as motorists routinely jump red lights and ignore zebra crossings. According to an annual report, Hyderabad recorded 837 pedestrian road accidents that resulted in 105 pedestrian deaths and 788 injuries.
The widespread disregard for traffic rules comes amid a sharp rise in enforcement citations across the city. Hyderabad police recorded 1,52,502 signal-jumping violations in 2025, up from 1,14,346 in the previous year. Motorists frequently creep past stop lines, occupy designated pedestrian pathways, take wrong-side shortcuts, and speed through free-left turns, while pedestrians also frequently cross roads against their signals.
The junction at Parade Ground highlights the daily struggle within a few metres of road outside the Metro Rail station. Vehicles spill into the limited pedestrian space, and continuous free-left turns prevent people from safely crossing. Lakshya Kumar, a student who regularly uses the crossing while attending a nearby tuition centre, said motorists frequently refuse to stop. Kumar noted that the crossing is a difficult area where close calls occur regularly.
Enforcement at the Parade Ground junction remains constant, with a posted traffic police officer stating that at least 150 challans are issued there every day. The officer noted that many violations involve motorists failing to stop at red lights or driving along wrong routes, though serious accidents at that specific point have remained rare.
Road safety experts state the infrastructure prioritises vehicular speed over foot traffic. Vinod Kanumala of the Indian Federation of Road Safety said the government focuses primarily on the free movement of motorised vehicles rather than pedestrians. He pointed out that continuously flowing lanes and U-turn-based traffic designs leave pedestrians without clean breaks in traffic, while both motorists and walkers frequently fail to respect each other's right of way.
Legal interventions regarding pedestrian infrastructure are also underway. Advocate Yennam Balachander Reddy had previously approached the National Human Rights Commission over missing and poorly maintained zebra crossings, leading the rights body to direct Telangana authorities in March to improve crossings at major junctions within eight weeks. Reddy stated he has not received any compliance communication from the state government.
Reddy has since filed a fresh complaint with the NHRC regarding traffic safety on Tank Bund, which the commission registered after receiving it on October 6. The petition highlighted unsafe crossings, inadequate lighting, poor divider visibility, roadside parking, and weak traffic control along the Tank Bund-Hussainsagar stretch, seeking official inspections alongside time-bound reports from the state government, GHMC, HMDA, and city police.
