Hyderabad: A Techie Becomes a Traffic Volunteer for Safer Roads
Lokendra Singh, a software professional in Hyderabad, is stepping up to make the city’s roads safer for both commuters and pedestrians. Known on social media as “Hyd Traffic Man,” Lokendra spends his free time managing traffic and raising awareness about road safety at busy junctions.
His journey into traffic volunteering began in 2022 when he joined the Hyderabad City Security Council (HCSC). After six months, he moved to the Special Cyberabad Security Council (SCSC), where he became actively involved in managing traffic at key locations like MJ Market, Khairatabad Junction, Sangeet Cross Roads, and Tank Bund. Most often, you’ll find him at MJ Market Junction, guiding traffic and educating commuters.
Lokendra, who works as an IT employee at Broadridge, believes road safety awareness is lacking. Speaking to The Hans India, he said, “India’s literacy rate is nearly 80%, but traffic literacy is only 2%. This needs to change. Road safety should be taught in schools. That’s why I took up traffic volunteering on humanitarian grounds.” Twice a week, he joins other volunteers and traffic police officials to regulate traffic and educate people.
His interest in road safety began in 2019 when he joined a driving school, hoping to learn proper traffic rules. However, he was disappointed when no road safety education was provided. This experience motivated him to create awareness about traffic rules. Over the past five years, Lokendra has been part of numerous safety campaigns, including promoting seatbelt use, reducing honking, and other initiatives at major junctions like MJ Market and Khairatabad. He also actively spreads awareness through social media platforms.
Lokendra shared some of his experiences, noting that many people, especially pedestrians, are unaware of basic traffic rules. “We often see pedestrians crossing roads without considering the traffic flow. We try to educate them during our volunteering efforts,” he said. While changes in behavior are gradual, Lokendra takes pride in the fact that when they conduct road safety campaigns, over 90% of people at junctions follow the rules.
To improve road safety, Lokendra advocates for a balanced focus on what he calls the “Four Es”—Education, Enforcement, Engineering, and Emergency care. He believes these elements must work together to create safer roads for everyone.
