Hyderabad’s large apartment complexes may soon have to provide dedicated internal pick-up and drop-off zones under building-bylaw changes being prepared by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) to reduce roadside congestion. The proposed rule would apply to future large apartment communities and create designated spaces for cabs, IT company vehicles and school buses within their premises.
The proposal follows an interim traffic study conducted by the Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) and Lea Associates across Hyderabad’s Core Urban Region. The interim report has been submitted to HMDA and includes measures aimed at easing chronic congestion around some of the city’s busiest junctions.
Under the proposed norms, private vehicles and passenger services would be expected to use internal areas of large apartment complexes rather than stopping on main roads. Vehicles waiting to collect or drop off residents and students currently add to roadside pressure outside high-density communities, particularly where large residential developments are located along busy urban corridors.
HMDA intends to amend its existing building bylaws to make dedicated pick-up and drop-off areas mandatory for qualifying apartment projects. The authority’s building regulations within its jurisdiction already address matters including cellars, setbacks and parking. The proposed change would add a specific requirement for passenger movement inside large residential developments.
The interim traffic study also recommends interventions at about 22 of Hyderabad’s most congested junctions. It proposes the development of these junctions as part of a broader effort to clear persistent bottlenecks, although the supplied report does not specify the locations, design standards or implementation timelines for each site.
The study has also suggested constructing new bus stops and modifying existing ones to improve connections between Hyderabad Metro, Telangana State Road Transport Corporation services and the Multi-Modal Transport System. The recommendation links the management of traffic outside apartment complexes with the wider integration of the city’s public transport network.
The proposed apartment rule would apply to future large developments, meaning its immediate effect would depend on the final definition of a qualifying complex and the date on which the amended bylaws take effect. The supplied report does not state whether existing apartment communities would be required to retrofit internal zones or how compliance would be enforced.
HMDA is expected to finalise detailed guidelines soon. Until those guidelines and the amended bylaws are issued, the size threshold, design requirements, approval process and enforcement mechanism for the proposed pick-up and drop-off zones remain unspecified.
