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TIMES POSTCARD
In the transport sector, it's the future today
By Rajpal Abeynayake
It’s year 200_. Newspaper Editorial screams "Slaughter of the innocents''. This is as bad - - or worse than the accident which took place in 2005 April.
The future President of Sri Lanka sends a message of condolence. "I am shocked and saddened,'' he/she says.

That morning's paper informs that police statistics show that between 2005 and 200_, around 8 lakhs of people have been apprehended for parking in wrong places. The 200_ level crossing accident claims around 55 lives.

The future President of the Private Bus Owners Association says: "there was an accident in 2005 April, but that was due to bad time tables. Now the timetables are in order -- but the problem is that buses still race each other for the fun of it. This is the fault of the government. If the national television channel provides proper dishung-dishung type entertainment, bus drivers will not have to be entertained by chasing each other for the fun of it.''

The Private Bus Owners Association also issues a communiqué:"The reason for this accident today in 200_ is that in 2005, the Private Bus Owners Association didn't take proper action. This time, we will take proper action. If the government does not provide proper dishung entertainment for bus drivers, we will launch a strike beginning tomorrow. It is inhuman that passengers have to die for it because bus drivers and conductors feel compelled to chase each other for lack of entertainment.''

Meanwhile, Kurdus Perera, the award-winning journalist is doing a story on the 200_ bus-train collision at the level crossing. A driver had zig-zagged past the open area of the barricaded railway line."This accident has happened in almost the identical circumstances as in 2005 April" he writes.

At that time, in 2005, he records, the Lanka Private Bus Owners Association President Gemunu Wijeratne was quoted as saying in the front page of the Daily Mirror of April 28 2005, that "according to information he received the bus had been racing with another bus at the time the accident occurred. This is the result of improper timetables. Buses run as they please and end up competing with each other and getting into accidents.''

"He (Mr Wijeratne) said the authorities should work out feasible time tables for private buses so that tragedies such as what happened yesterday could be avoided.'' In 2005 April, we understand that this same Gemunu Wijeratne was almost interviewed by a foreign television channel.

He was preparing to answer the most probable questions in the following manner -- but we are not sure whether the interview actually took place or not. Interviewer: This accident is truly horrendous. As the President of your association whom do you blame for this accident?

G. W: Of course the authorities for not having timetables - why I told this to the Daily Mirror yesterday no?? Interviewer: So the bus driver is not at fault you say? G. W: Of course not. He was only racing no? He was compelled to race no?? Why won't he race when the authorities have no proper timetables?

Interviewer: So in the future would the drivers of buses belonging to your association continue to race and zig-zag past barricaded or closed level crossings?? G. W: Of course they will, is that a question to ask? They will be compelled to race no, until the timetables are revised.

Interviewer: Timetables may be revised or not by your country's authorities, but is it ethical to race like this and send passengers to their deaths through criminal and irresponsible driving of this sort?

G. W: Ethical?? What is that word, ethical? Ahh, ethical. Yes I have heard that word once. Ethical is for politicians. We do not do ethical. I told you, no, it is unethical for the authorities not to provide proper timetables.

Interviewer: Mr. Gemunu, let me then put this question to you in another way. The pedestrian crossing, near your house, let us assume for sake of argument, is at the wrong place. You feel it is not a good place to have a pedestrian crossing because you cannot park your car properly due to its presence. Let us say you have even complained to the authorities about it. The authorities have done nothing. In that case, do you run over all the pedestrians who are using that crossing, and do you kill them with your fast car?

G. W: Well, the short answer is, if the authorities do not have crossings at proper places, they are unethical. Authorities in this country are always unethical. What can we drivers do -- we are compelled to kill these passengers because of these unethical authorities.

Interviewer: One final question. Even if the time tables were bad as of April 27th 2005 this week, wasn't it upto you to start the journey on time and end the journey on time - - according to the exiting time table as long as it exists?.

G.W: That's true, that's true. Only you foreigners understand it. We have to wait hours on end at bus stands until these buses are filled to overflowing. Then we have to race like rabbits no??

I say, to hell with timetables. Let us run as we please, and come and go anywhere we please. In fact, we are going to strike if we are not allowed to run anywhere anytime as we please. If we strike, they can close the rail-gates if they want, there won't be buses to go zig- zag go through these gates then, isn't it? At least it will be a temporary solution to this problem.

Interviewer: What problem are you talking about? G.W: Of course, of trains unethically running down our buses.

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