HYDERABAD: If you aren’t already bogged down by perpetual traffic jams in the State’s major cities, especially Hyderabad, here’s further news for you. Vehicular strength in Telangana is all set to touch 1.5 crore with the number of vehicles on the roads increasing sharply every year, particularly in Greater Hyderabad.
According to data with the State Transport Department, there are around 1.45 crore vehicles in Telangana. This includes 1.06 crore two-wheelers, 18 lakh cars, 6.4 lakh tractors and trailers, 5.6 lakh of goods carriages and 4.4 lakh auto rickshaws.
In Hyderabad, there are more than 60 lakh personal vehicles which constitute 90 per cent of the overall vehicle population in the city. Out of these, over 50 lakh are two-wheelers and around 12 lakh are four-wheelers which are owned by individuals.
A decade back, there were only 25 lakh vehicles in Hyderabad, which increased consistently every year. By 2018, personal vehicles touched the 50 lakh mark in Greater Hyderabad region and in the same year, four-wheelers crossed 10 lakh in number.
IT sector drives boom
Senior transport officials said that Telangana has been recording a sustained growth in the number of vehicles over the years. The development of good infrastructure, besides the State emerging as a major IT hub has enabled the accelerated growth of vehicles.
Traffic experts say people prefer personal vehicles due to lack of public transportation and connectivity. In middle-class families, at least two members are employed and they need individual vehicles. For the estimated population of one crore, public transportation caters to the needs of over 35 lakh passengers. Thus, most of the others opt for their own vehicles for daily commuting, say experts.
On the other hand, vehicle population has dropped in 2020 and 2021 compared to previous years due to the pandemic. Before Covid-19, there were nearly 1,000 two-wheelers being registered in Hyderabad daily, while around 230 four-wheelers used to get registered.
People prefer personal vehicles
Traffic experts say people prefer personal vehicles due to lack of public transporta-tion and connectivity. For the estimated population of one crore, public transportation caters to the needs of over 35 lakh passengers. Thus, most of the others opt for their own vehicles for daily commuting, say experts