Hyderabad: In a bid to keep a check traffic jams during peak hours, the Cyberabad traffic police have imposed new time restrictions on the movement of heavy vehicles within city boundaries. The decision comes after a series of instances where heavy vehicles broke down on major thoroughfares, resulting in traffic snarls lasting hours.
One such incident occurred on Wednesday, when a DCM truck broke down on the Durgam Cheruvu Cable Bridge, causing heavy delays. Police had to intervene to clear the vehicle and restore the normal flow of traffic.
According to the revised rules, ready-mix concrete (RMC) vehicles and DCM trucks will be allowed to ply only during off-peak hours, from 11:30 am to 4:00 pm, and also between 10:30 pm and 7:30 am. Officials, however, explained that upon permission, some construction and demolition (C&D) and RMC vehicles will be able to ply on some routes even within prohibited hours.
Private inter-city and inter-state buses, which are responsible for most of the congestion at night, will now be permitted between 10:30 pm and 7:30 am. They will be exempted if they are on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) or cover the shortest route on radial roads, the police said.
Thousands of private buses arrive and leave Hyderabad every day, and the authorities opine that the new time slots are designed to smooth the flow of traffic without completely stopping necessary movement.
Police have appealed to all operators to stick rigorously to the timings and threatened punishment if violated.
