Cyberabad mulls paid parking on Knowledge City roads amid traffic, street racing concerns

Paid parking facilities may soon be set up on some of Hyderabad’s busiest IT corridor roads as the Cyberabad police try to combat illegal parking, traffic congestion and repeated incidents of street racing and dangerous driving in and around Raidurgam Knowledge City.

The proposal comes amid growing concerns over key arterial roads connecting major IT parks, office campuses, residential towers and commercial centres, including the Durgam Cheruvu Cable Bridge corridor, which are increasingly used for roadside parking, late-night meetings and other activities, reducing carrying capacity and contributing to traffic bottlenecks and law and order concerns.

The focus is on Cafe Niloufer – My Home Bhooja Road in the Knowledge City and ITC Kohenur road in Madhapur, both of which attract thousands of visitors every day. On many evenings, long rows of cars and motorcycles can be seen parked on both sides of the almost one kilometer road from Cafe Niloufer to beyond the T-Hub, leaving barely 1.5 to 2 lanes for passing on roads designed to carry large volumes of vehicles.

According to a senior Cyberabad police official, talks are on with IT companies and commercial establishments on these areas to create designated paid parking spaces for motorists who need short-term parking. A vacant land parcel belonging to the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) has been identified as one of the locations for the proposed facility.

Although many commercial establishments already offer parking lots and underground parking, significant numbers of visitors continue to leave their vehicles on the roadside, effectively turning carriageways into informal parking areas.

“We are trying to create alternative parking facilities so that people who really need to stop for a short time can have a designated area. At the same time, we will increase active towing enforcement on these roads. Vehicles parked on the carriageway will be removed immediately,” the officer said. Hindu.

Police say the problem goes beyond traffic congestion. The Knowledge City area has emerged over the past few years as one of the city’s recurring hotspots for dangerous driving, drag racing attempts, motorcycle stunts and other prohibited activities, leading to repeated inspections.

On May 24, four teenagers, including a 19-year-old undergraduate student, were ticketed after a modified car was involved in stunt driving in the area. Similar cases have arisen repeatedly over the past year; There were complaints from residents and regular commuters, prompting calls for tougher enforcement.

The Sattva Knowledge City complex, home to some of the city’s fanciest restaurants. | Photo Credit: Serish Nanisetti

A similar problem persists at the food street near ITC Kohenur in Madhapur; here ‘No Parking’ and ‘Towing Zone’ signs do little to deter drivers. Despite repeated sanctions, vehicles continue to be parked along medians and road shoulders even after midnight, causing traffic disruptions at unusual hours.

Police believe the proposed paid parking model, along with strict tow enforcement, could help restore these roads to their primary function as transportation corridors, while also providing legitimate parking options for visitors and office-goers.