IN THESE days of severe competition between cities for a slice of investment and resultant growth, quality of life has become a key aspect to rate a city's standing. Apart from strong infrastructure, potable water, sanitation, social atmosphere, education and law & order, transport infrastructure has come up as a key parameter that decides the quality of life a city offers.

Having emerged as a favoured IT destination, Hyderabad has witnessed an influx of work force from across the country in the last few years.

This resulted in a big demand for space to live, work, shop and entertain which pushed property prices to a stage inconceivable even a couple of years back.

It is also resulting in city perimeters getting pushed further while the core, already under pressure, being put to further stress in terms of amenities. Choking traffic corridors, long and winding jams, inadequate public transport system and the increase in number of vehicles on roads has added to the woes of commuters.

The problem, experts point out, has been that the city lacked planning so far. It just grew in every possible direction without respecting the relation between land use and traffic.

In the absence of proper rail transit facility, Hyderabad chose to grow along important roads particularly the national highways and other major road networks that cut through the city. And no road hierarchy is followed. The MCH Additional Commissioner and Project Director Mass Rapid Transit System N.V.S.Reddy puts the ideal road network layout as local streets connected to collector streets which in turn lead to distributors and this ends up with arterial road. But in the city, one comes across local streets that are directly connected to NH and traffic emptying straight there. The city core area too is under heavy pressure as it houses 60 per cent of Hyderabad Metropolitan Area population, 70 per cent of employment apart from the commercial business districts. To top it, the public transport either is not adequate and getting less and less popular among commuters who are preferring personal vehicle thereby choking the traffic further.

"Ideally, at least 70 per cent of population in a city of this size should move by public transportation," says Mr. Reddy. But ground reality is quite different. Estimate suggest around 70 lakh motorised trips are made every day of which only 40 per cent are through public transport.

"In Tokyo, around 95 per cent of the traffic moves through public transport."

What solutions are available to ensure that city's rapid growth in all directions, from Shamshabad to Ghatkesar, does not end up in disarray? "Among others, stress should be on creation of efficient public transport system and incentives for those availing it.

A sense of discipline for regulations related to buildings as well as road need to be inculcated," he says.

Self-contained satellite townships with walk to work concept, promotion of bicycles for short distances, availability of public transport within walking distance from home and business and encouraging car-free days. Under MRTS, almost 150 km network is proposed and this along with outer ring road and strengthening of APSRTC bus services will ensure that conditions on road does not go worse, hopes Mr. Reddy.