Reduce vehicle population or else traffic woes will worsen: Minister

Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Tuesday said that there was a need for families to reduce the number of vehicles they own, in order to bring down traffic congestion in the City.

He was speaking at the valedictory function of the 26th national Road Safety Week which began on February 28.

Addressing the gathering, he said that there are 54 lakh vehicles in the City and the population is around one crore. “This is a very high ratio as in the City, almost every family has more than one car and two-wheeler. If people reduce the number of vehicles they own, congestion in the City can be reduced to a large extent”.

“While the number of vehicles has gone up, the number of accidents has come down due to effective policing,” he said.

The minister said that as part of road safety, the government also has to ensure the safety of pedestrians. 

“Recently, the High Court directed the authorities to develop footpaths in the City. We are working towards this,” he added.

On the occasion, traffic police personnel were felicitated for their services. Students from different schools in the City were also awarded for their participation in different competitions to create awareness about road safety and following traffic rules.

The programme was organised by the Transport department, BMTC and the traffic police. On the concluding day of the Road Safety Week, a blood donation camp was organised by Transport Department and Indian Red Cross Society at Yavanika.