Traffic management specialists urge Government to implement Colombo metropolis master-plan
With population in the Colombo Metropolitan Region (CMR) surging to reach 7.9 million by 2035 from 5.8 million today and city roads chock-a-block with traffic, Sri Lankan traffic experts are urging the Government to implement an already-presented, scientfic road transportation master-plan
The Japanese-JICA initiated master-plan started in 2014 was recently completed by the University of Moratuwa and presented to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in July. It is now with the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Megapolis. “Within the city expressways are not going to solve the problem (of congestion). In our presentation we have mapped out an entire investment strategy for the western province. It is an integrated multimodal solution which will solve this transportation problem permanently,” noted Prof. Amal Kumarage, from the university’s transport faculty and widely regarded as Sri Lanka’s foremost expert on road and transport management.
As city traffic police grapple with traffic flows which is considerably slowing down vehicle speeds in Colombo while more fuel is being used, Prof. Kumarage said politicians should at least now (in the current traffic congestion backdrop) look at scientifically developing solutions rather than picking and choosing proposals due to vested interests.
The increasing car population as the number of public buses shrink, led to speeds in the city slowing down to12 km per hour last year from about 17-18 km five years ago with an average 1 km being lost per year (on speed of travel).
“In a way politicians have let us down while the people have not heeded the prophetic voices of what would happen, to pressurise decision-makers to provide long term solutions. In fact in the last few years, road users liked the short term methods like the one-way systems and flyovers because they felt it helped cars move faster. Nobody speaks of the deterioration or the neglect of investment in public transportation. In a way society let this fall upon itself. So the question is; what do we do about it?” he asked in an interview with the Business Times.
Asked whether the new outer circular network has helped ease traffic, he said: “Most of these new roads are open … yet we have congestion as never before. This circular network serves a purpose but not the city’s congestion issues.” (Feizal)
Deterioration of public transport.
What happens if nothing is done by 2020? | |