ST1 - Traffic, Traffic everywhere just you stop and think

It has now become a fact of life. To avoid it stay at home. Or do not bother to plan your day. Get caught to one and your plans can literally fly out of your vehicle's window. Traffic jams are the bane of our lives. So, ST-1 decided to speak to Director of Traffic and Road Safety SSP Lucky Peiris.

He had quite a lot to say on the matter and some good suggestions as well. Following are excerpts from the interview. "People need to understand that there are more than two million vehicles on the road. Thus the present road infrastructure as I see it is not capable of supporting so many vehicles. This I believe is one of the reasons for traffic congestion especially in Colombo and its suburbs", said Peiris.

He added that jay walking was another reason. This he attributed to the fact that pavement space was taken up by vendors. "Sidewalks are for people, not to run businesses. Obviously when people walk on the road, vehicles have to slow down. And this in turn creates congestion," said Peiris.

As with many in the know; Peiris firmly believes that should the public transport system be improved it would ease traffic jams. "A strict time table should be made for both buses and trains. And they should also be able to provide some sort of luxury. By that I mean seating space and air conditioning. This would encourage some people to leave their vehicles behind and use public transport. At the moment nobody wants to use it because everything is so haphazard. One can dress up well. But by the time one gets to office one's entire attire is in a total mess. Thus it is obvious that those who own vehicles would rather use them," he said.

Being an island in a nation Sri Lanka is obviously surrounded by water. But as Peiris pointed out, boats are not properly used to transport people and goods. "This is one area that has been totally neglected. For example long years ago the Hamilton Canal was used as a docking point to transport people and cargo from Wattala to Chilaw and beyond. Now it is not used at all. Even trains are not used to their capacity to carry people and goods. The resources are there. But it is not being properly utilized. Thus people depend only on the road for transportation - congestion results, he added.

The Director added that people should keep the word POWER in mind before starting out on a journey. POWER stands for petrol, oil, water, electronics, rubber as in tyres and wipers etc. He said all these should be checked before the vehicle gets onto the road. "All vehicle owners must take it upon themselves to ensure that their vehicles are road worthy. If even one vehicle stalls on road, we all know the result. This is another factor. There are quite a few vehicles running which should put out to pasture. These vehicles not only contribute to traffic congestion, they also pollute the environment," added Peiris

When it comes to buses, Peiris said that owners should take in to consideration the drivers experience and record before hiring him or her. This was when we asked him about the reasons for the many accidents involving private buses.

In conclusion Peiris said; "We are using new technology to track traffic offenders. Furthermore every policeman on the road has been told to watch out for those who break road rules. But at the end of the day, we need the public's cooperation as well. Think of your fellow driver. Be alert when you are driving. If you drive for four hours, then take a half an hours break. Above all observe road rules and look after your vehicle. One person can set in to motion a domino effect. And this can only benefit everybody."