A few commonsense solutions to traffic congestion
Traffic congestion along main arterial roads – A1, A2, A3 and so on – especially at peak hours, has reached unacceptable levels. The average incomeearner who commutes to work and back home using public t r a n s p o r t spends hours on the road. Those who live 20 to 30 kilometres outside Colombo spend between five and six hours a day on the road.
There are studies to show that people suffer daily economic losses because of road congestion.
The negative effects of urban motorised mobility growth should be addressed in any country with a large population that com- mutes to work. A well- thought out strategy for managing and mitigating these negative effects should run parallel with development and other economic activities. If we can find economically affordable and sustainable options for most things, why shouldn’t we find such solutions to mitigate congestion?
There are several problems that await immediate action. For example, consider the traffic inflow on A1 and A3. Are we effectively using the available corridors to distribute incoming and outgoing traffic flow ( see Diagram 1)? We can easily siphon off traffic along the A1 and A3 into available transport corridors. We could also use a high- speed passenger boat service along the Dutch canal to ease motorised traffic congestion.
The accompanying photographs show that bridges 1 and 4 are under- utilised. They carry less than 20 per cent of their capacity, even at peak hours. The new rail bridge that was completed in 2006 remains unused because there are no approaches. An alternative approach to mitigating urban congestion is to go for affordable intelligent transport demand management strategies.
Once the Colombo- Katunayake expressway is completed, the state of congestion we experience today at the New Kelani Bridge will remain unchanged, but timely completion of the affordable options suggested here will reduce congestion at the Kelani Bridge to some degree.
My next concern is why professional organizations with so many transport planners, economists and designers cannot develop a country- specific integrated transport development strategic plan and a prioritized action plan.
Professionals are being henchmen to politicians, bending in all directions to please, saying “yes” to anything a politician says.
It is high time our so- called professionals, public and private sector, got real. Tharaka Uduwithana,
via email