New lanes fill up again.
Extra road space can encourage more driving. The initial relief can fade as more vehicles join the road.
The road-widening cycleOUR CITY. OUR EVERYDAY JOURNEYS.
A city that
moves people.
From the lanes of Charminar to the offices of HITEC City, every Hyderabadi deserves a better way to get around.
More buses. Safer footpaths. Real choices.
A practical proposal for the Hyderabad we love.
For our children. For our elders.
For all of us.
మన హైదరాబాద్OUR HYDERABAD
More choices.
Better journeys.
Better journeys.
Affordable public transport
Streets safe for everyone
More ways to move
01 / A DIFFERENT STARTING POINT
More roads.
Same old traffic.
We have spent decades widening roads and building flyovers. Yet getting to work, school, or the market can still be a struggle.
The proposal asks a simple question: what if we made it easier for people to travel, instead of only making room for more vehicles?
Better plans already exist.
The proposal points to Hyderabad’s own transport studies, going back to 1983, that recommended prioritising public transport and walking.
Time to act on the evidenceGood alternatives are missing.
Public transport needs to keep up with a growing city. High fares and inadequate services make daily travel harder.
Affordable, dependable journeysA bus is only useful if you can reach it.
Fast traffic and difficult crossings cut people off from bus stops. A safe walk is part of the transport network.
Every journey starts on footToday’s flyovers shape tomorrow.
The proposal warns that flyovers on planned transit corridors can make future bus rapid transit and Metro projects harder and more expensive.
Keep our future options openOur streets should work for all of us.
Public money should also serve people who walk, cycle, or take the bus—especially children, older people, and those who cannot drive.
Safety, access and fairnessThese six concerns summarise the citizen proposal. Read the original on pages 1–2 (PDF, opens in a new tab)
02 / A LITTLE EXPLORING GOES A LONG WAY
Don’t just take our word for it.
See the difference.
Two simple experiments. One new way to look at our streets.
EXPERIMENT 01Why does traffic
Why does traffic
always come back?
When a wider road makes driving easier, more people may choose to drive. This is called induced demand.
Walk through the stages to see how the cycle can happen.
An illustration of a pattern, not a forecast for a particular Hyderabad road.
THE SAME EVERYDAY JOURNEY
2 lanesLittle room between cars
The road feels full.
Many people depend on driving because other options are difficult. Cars crowd into the available lanes.
You control the pace.
The wider evidence: Duranton & Turner found that highway expansion in US cities was accompanied by a roughly proportional increase in driving. Their study also cautions that adding transit alone does not necessarily reduce driving. Read the research (opens in a new tab)
EXPERIMENT 02Same people.
Same people.
Less road space.
A bus shares its space among many people. Cars divide the same people among many vehicles.
Move the slider to give some of these 60 travellers a bus option. Watch the number of vehicles change.
This example assumes 2 people per car and up to 30 people per bus. It is not measured local occupancy.
ONE GROUP. ONE DESTINATION.60 people
15cars
1bus
16vehicles for 60 people
The same 60 people, with 14 fewer vehicles than the all-car example.
The goal is to make the alternative reliable, affordable, and easy to reach. Better buses, safer footpaths, and sensible parking rules work together.
03 / THE NEXT SIX MONTHS
Small decisions.
A big change in direction.
We do not have to wait for another mega-project. Many improvements start with better decisions and better use of the streets we already have.
37 actions. Seven areas of change. The proposal asks for action to begin within six months; major fleet and infrastructure programmes will continue beyond that.
Make the bus
an easy choice.
Lower fares, frequent services, priority lanes, and one pass for connected journeys.
Explore transit actionsA safe walk.
A better street.
Continuous footpaths, safe crossings, shade, and space to cycle and shop.
Explore street actionsPlan for people.
Plan for the future.
Rethink flyovers, manage parking, and protect the city’s future transport choices.
Explore planning actionsThe complete action plan
APause, review, and rethinkStop making the problem bigger2 actions
Protect the road space and public resources we need for better alternatives.
- Pause new flyovers and road widening, including H-CITI and SRDP. Review ongoing works and invite architects and transport professionals to redesign them around public transport, walking, and cycling.
- Audit existing flyovers. Examine their design, effects on different road users, costs and benefits, air quality, and neighbourhood travel choices.
BMake public transport attractiveAffordable fares and connected journeys5 actions
- Reduce and simplify fares. Return bus and Metro fares to pre-2022 levels and introduce a single non-AC bus fare.
- One daily or monthly pass. Cover all public transport modes with an integrated pass.
- Live tracking for all transit. Provide passenger information and open operations data to verified third parties for performance monitoring.
- Restore MMTS to its 2019 service levels. The proposal notes that it then carried more than two lakh passengers daily.
- Public leaders should lead by example. Require government officers and political leaders to travel by bus, walking, or cycling at least one day a week.
CMake transit work betterPriority lanes, more services, accessible stops8 actions
- Include bus users, pedestrians, and cyclists in diversion plans. Traffic advisories must show bus-route changes and update TGSRTC and mapping apps.
- Create bus-priority lanes on busy corridors. Use quick, low-cost measures to connect areas beyond Metro stations.Suggested corridors: Miyapur–Patancheru; Bowenpalli–Kompally; JBS–Alwal; Taranaka–ECIL; Uppal–Pocharam; Mehdipatnam–Aramgarh; Gachibowli–Lingampalli.
- Expand to 50 bus depots. Cover newly developed areas and reserve another 50 sites for the future.
- Use idle school and college buses for employee transport. Relax restrictions so contract use can improve utilisation and lower costs.
- Provide neighbourhood parking for private, contract, and school buses. Let buses park near their first pickup to reduce empty trips.
- Improve bus stops and, preferably, add bus bays. Prioritise stops near schools and provide a convenient, marked pedestrian crossing at every stop.
- Increase the bus fleet and frequency. Procure at least 10 buses a day for the next three years.
- Begin procuring more Metro coaches. Increase service frequency on the existing network.
DBring workplaces and schools on boardShare the responsibility for daily travel5 actions
- Organisations with 100+ employees should report parking and attendance. Incentivise a lower ratio of vehicles to staff.
- Require mobility plans from large employers. Include carpooling, parking limits, and public transport incentives.
- Connect campuses and industrial parks to bus stops. Require shuttles and bicycles for travel within campuses.
- Pool Metro and MMTS feeder buses. IT companies could jointly fund 150–200 buses serving Madhapur, HITEC City, Raidurg, Cyber Towers, and MMTS stations. Extend the approach to other job hubs in phases.
- Reduce private-car school drop-offs and pickups. Use shared transport and school mobility plans.
EMake existing roads work for peopleSafer crossings, footpaths, cycling, and markets10 actions
- Remove distracting or unsafe hoardings and political cut-outs.
- Pedestrianise suitable markets and commercial streets with parallel roads. Restrict motor vehicles in selected areas.Suggested places: General Bazar, Paradise Circle–Clock Tower, Begum Bazaar, Aziz Market, Badi Chowdi, Sultan Bazar, and completion of the Charminar pedestrianisation project.
- End “free left” turns at intersections. Make crossing safer for pedestrians.
- Replace U-turn arrangements with signalised intersections. Provide safe opportunities to cross roads.
- End free on-street parking. Restrict parking and penalise encroachment.
- Provide secure bicycle parking. Start at major bus, Metro, and MMTS stations.
- Create continuous, clear footpaths. Include safe crossings at every bus stop and at regular intervals.
- Improve lighting on walking and transit access routes.
- Build a connected network of protected cycle tracks. Join priority corridors rather than leaving isolated stretches.
- Give street vendors designated space. Include locations near bus stops and at regular intervals, recognising their services and natural street surveillance.
FManage demand and dangerous drivingParking, fairer taxes, and safer behaviour3 actions
- Enforce penalties on dangerous driving. Address speeding, tailgating, illegal lane changes, unlicensed driving, and modified exhausts.
- Set parking maximums instead of minimums. Limit parking in residential and commercial buildings and tax parking space more than productive or living space.
- Increase road tax on private vehicles, including EVs; reduce tax on buses. Electric vehicles can reduce exhaust emissions, but still take up road space.
GPrepare a better long-term directionA clear vision for a greener, connected city4 actions
- Adopt a city-wide mobility vision with measurable targets. Cover travel, air quality, crashes, and public health, with walking, cycling, and public transport at its centre.
- Make shade, landscaping, and green cover part of every plan. Pair infrastructure spending with shaded streets, footpaths, and parking areas.
- Adopt a Complete Streets approach. Plan walking, cycling, transit, utilities, street vending, and other street activities together, supported by stronger design standards.
- Integrate auto-rickshaws for affordable last-mile connections. Explore including their cost in a daily or monthly transit pass.
A plain-language summary of all 37 actions. Group letters have been made sequential for readability. The original proposal is the source of record. (PDF, opens in a new tab)
THIS IS WHAT BETTER CAN FEEL LIKE
Less time getting there.
More time being here.
A child who can walk to school. An elder who can cross the road comfortably. A worker who knows when the bus will arrive. A shopkeeper on a street people enjoy visiting.
That is a Hyderabad worth making room for.
A BETTER EVERYDAY JOURNEY
A shaded walk from home
A continuous footpath. A safe crossing.
A bus you can count on
Live information. A fair fare. Priority on the road.
An easy connection to your destination
One pass. A feeder bus or auto. Less uncertainty.
04 / FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Still thinking
it through?
Honest answers to everyday concerns, with lessons from India and around the world.
EXPLORE A REAL EXAMPLE
These examples support specific ideas. They do not guarantee the same result in Hyderabad.
“Won’t taking a lane for buses make traffic worse?”
A lane should be judged by how many people it moves. A frequent bus service can carry more people in fewer vehicles, as the experiment above shows. But a bus lane needs good service, safe stops, enforcement, and careful junction design to work.
Some drivers may face changes or delays. The proposal pairs priority lanes with better alternatives and demand management; the outcome should be measured corridor by corridor.
NEW YORK · UNITED STATES
After the 14th Street busway pilot began in October 2019, NYC’s transport department reported bus speed increases of up to 24% and ridership increases of up to 30%. It made the pilot permanent in June 2020.
For Hyderabad: trial bus priority on a busy corridor and measure bus times, passenger numbers, and effects on neighbouring streets. These are reported pilot results, not a promised city-wide improvement.
Source: NYC Department of Transportation (opens in a new tab)“I need my car. Does this proposal include me?”
Yes. The aim is for every journey to have a realistic alternative to private travel. People who need to drive still need access, and accessible street design must work for people with disabilities.
Being able to take a dependable bus for some trips gives you another choice. The proposal also asks for parking restrictions and higher private-vehicle taxes, so supporting it means considering those trade-offs too.
“Why not just build more Metro?”
Metro matters. The proposal calls for more coaches and easier connections to Metro and MMTS. Bus lanes can extend their reach while larger investments are prepared.
A rail journey still needs a safe route to the station and a good connection at the other end. Buses, walking, cycling, and autos help make the whole trip work.
“What about shops and street vendors?”
The proposal explicitly includes designated space for vendors and pedestrian-friendly markets. People need streets where they can stop, shop, and spend time safely.
Local plans also need to arrange deliveries, emergency access, and access for people with disabilities. ITDP’s guidance discusses these practical needs when reallocating road space. Explore the guidance (opens in a new tab)
CHENNAI · INDIA
Pondy Bazaar’s pedestrian plaza opened in November 2019. About 700 metres of a busy shopping street were redesigned with wide walkways, shaded seating, landscaping, and play areas.
For Hyderabad: plan market streets around the shopping experience, as the proposal suggests for Sultan Bazar, Begum Bazaar, and Charminar. This example shows a street design approach; it does not prove that every shop’s sales increased.
Source: ITDP India’s project account, 2019 (opens in a new tab)“Can all of this really happen in six months?”
The six-month request is a change in direction and a start on immediate measures. Fares, information, audits, and road-space changes can be prioritised early, subject to planning, funding, and implementation.
Fleet expansion, new depots, and connected infrastructure take longer. The proposal itself calls for bus purchases over three years. This page makes no promise that all 37 actions will be completed in six months.
“Will better public transport alone fix congestion?”
It gives people alternatives, but it does not automatically reduce driving. Research on US cities found that adding public transit alone did not reduce vehicle kilometres travelled.
That is why this proposal combines better transit with parking management, private-vehicle taxation, safer walking, and a shift in spending priorities. Its benefits should be judged through access, safety, affordability, and air quality as well as traffic. Read the study (opens in a new tab)
“Has bus priority actually been tried in India?”
Yes. Ahmedabad’s Janmarg began operating in 2009, with dedicated bus lanes, stations designed for boarding without a step, and ticket payment before boarding. These features address delays and accessibility together.
AHMEDABAD · INDIA
ITDP’s 2018 account describes Janmarg’s growth, but also reports stalled ridership, weak lane enforcement in some areas, and inadequate integration with autos. Private-vehicle use continued to grow.
For Hyderabad: a bus lane needs frequent service, safe station access, useful feeder connections, enforcement, and parking policy. A painted line on its own is not a complete transport system.
Source: ITDP India’s Janmarg review, 2018 (opens in a new tab)“Can footpaths, cyclists, vendors, and vehicles share an Indian street?”
They can, when the street is planned as one connected place. “Complete Streets” means arranging walking, cycling, bus stops, parking, trees, and local activities together.
PUNE · INDIA
ITDP’s 2019 case study describes JM Road’s wider footpaths and cycle track, reorganised parking, relocated bus stops, dedicated vendor spaces, seating, and play areas. Aundh’s DP Road was redesigned after a trial and feedback from shopkeepers.
For Hyderabad: give each activity a clear place, listen to local users, and maintain the design. A successful street project does not mean that every street in the city is accessible or well maintained.
Source: ITDP India, Complete Streets case studies, 2019 (PDF, opens in a new tab)“Is there evidence that managing driving demand can work?”
Yes, with a clear policy and usable alternatives. Charging or limiting parking changes the incentives to drive, while dependable public transport makes another choice possible.
LONDON · UNITED KINGDOM
In its 2004 first-year report, Transport for London recorded a 30% fall in congestion inside the central charging zone, with improved buses accommodating extra passenger demand.
For Hyderabad: combine changes to driving incentives with better service. This is a historical result in a specific zone. The proposal asks for parking and vehicle-tax reforms; it does not propose copying London’s congestion charge.
Source: Transport for London, first-year report, 2004 (opens in a new tab)“Why charge for parking? Isn’t that just another burden?”
Parking occupies land that could serve homes, shops, footpaths, or public space. Its cost is still paid by someone when the driver pays nothing. Good policy should make that cost visible and provide affordable travel alternatives.
NOTTINGHAM · UNITED KINGDOM
The city’s workplace parking levy began in 2012. Its 2023–24 report says the revenue supported tram expansion, station redevelopment, and the Link Bus Network; money raised must fund local transport improvements.
For Hyderabad: connect parking reform with visible improvements people can use. Nottingham’s employer levy differs from the proposal’s on-street parking charges, building parking limits, and tax changes.
Source: Nottingham City Council, 2023–24 report (PDF, opens in a new tab)“Haven’t some bus-lane projects failed?”
Yes. Design, service, public trust, and enforcement matter. Support for bus priority should include scrutiny of how it will actually operate.
EARLY BRT PILOTS · DELHI AND PUNE, INDIA
ITDP’s 2016 review identifies problems in early pilots: limited networks, poor implementation, inadequate service planning, weak integration with existing buses, and missing supporting infrastructure and enforcement.
For Hyderabad: publish a corridor plan, involve passengers and businesses, provide enough buses, and measure the trial. Make adjustments using results and feedback before expanding.
Source: ITDP India’s BRT review, 2016 (opens in a new tab)“Is walking or cycling realistic in Hyderabad’s heat?”
Comfort matters. The proposal calls for shade, green cover, street lighting, connected footpaths, and protected cycle tracks. These help make short trips and walks to transit more practical.
It does not require everyone to cycle or walk a long distance. A comfortable walk to a frequent bus, followed by a short auto or feeder connection, can be an alternative. Older people and people with disabilities also need accessible boarding, resting places, and safe crossings.
Hyderabad’s plan should account for heat, rain, disability, and different working hours. The Chennai and Pune examples show useful street elements; their designs still need adaptation to each Hyderabad neighbourhood.
OUR CITY’S NEXT CHAPTER STARTS WITH US
Hyderabad needs
more choices.
Let’s ask for affordable public transport, safe streets,
and a city that makes everyday journeys easier for everyone.
Signature collection is coming soon.
Read the full proposal PDF · 4 pages (opens in a new tab)