Be passionate about being resilient
If we asked people about how they picture their ideal Smart City, probably one of the most recurring answers would be “without traffic jams”. And that would be no surprise. It is estimated that 10 per cent of the local road network is jammed on a daily basis.
The focus of Smart City development on transportation technology has become global. This is especially so for Colombo.
“I have witnessed in Colombo that a road which has three lanes turned into four during busy times and rush hours. This is smartness. I see a smartness in drivers who are trying to beat traffic by creating another lane. However this should be done without the risks associated with such an initiative. We need to have a structured system,” Rehan Bhana, Senior Academic at Birmingham City University and founder of Innovation Fest told the Business Times in an interview on Monday.
He noted that rush-hour traffic is a problem that needs to be solved. “We need to have teams (start-ups, innovators) working with drivers and maybe have one way directions during peak hours or narrow lanes during these times. The UK motorway system has narrow lanes,” he explained.
He pointed out that the smartest city in the world, Singapore, won the Smart City of 2018 award at Smart City Expo World Congress in part due to the high priority placed on transportation innovation. The city is already embracing autonomous vehicles, which are “the future of Singapore’s transport system,” according to the Transport Smart Nation Singapore Initiative.
A prototype bus of the future recently introduced in Beijing would allow reducing this nuisance by running above other vehicles, and could be operative in less than a year.
He noted that all emerging markets are looking at automation.
He commended the resilient nature of Sri Lankans. “Over the years that I have visited Sri Lanka, I started in 2014 – I have seen the resilient nature of your people. You need to be passionate about it,” he noted.
He also noted that Sri Lanka has been embracing technology beautifully. “Hatch, a space for innovation, growth and collaboration is in envious space that I want to work in,” he added.
Mr. Bhana who was a panellist at last week’s Disrupt Asia also noted that this event which was held for the fourth time this year is creating conversations with different government agencies. He stressed that Disrupt Asia should be the priority of all government agencies and not just the ICTA.
He noted that it important to bring thinkers and stakeholders in the region together for a visioning workshop where ideas can be exchanged and implemented..