Roads to prosperity

Roads are vital for any nation, developing or developed. They are virtually the lifeline of a country, moving goods and people from place to place. Indeed, it would be hard to imagine a modern economy without roads. Smooth, well paved roads help people travel faster, saving time and money. This is vital for development. It is also necessary to widen many roads to cope with the ever-increasing vehicle population.

In Sri Lanka, there was a common complaint that there would have been no roads in the country if not for the British. There was some truth in this generalisation, but not any longer. The Government has embarked on a massive, unprecedented road and bridge development drive all over the country. Among them are the Kandy-Colombo, Colombo-Matara, Outer Colombo Circular and Katunayake expressways and numerous bridges and flyovers over busy intersections.

There is no doubt that these initiatives will drastically reduce travel times across the board. If it takes four hours to reach Matara now, the expressway will enable motorists to reach that goal in two hours or less, hopefully at speeds of up to 120 Km/h. This is a great stimulant for the economy. The Government should identify more cities for linkage via expressways.

They are initially hugely expensive to build but the benefits are far greater. Another plus point is that a reasonable toll can be levied from road users to recover at least part of the investment and for regular maintenance.

In the meantime, the maintenance and re-development of existing roadways should be given priority. Sri Lanka has thousands of kilometres of A, B and C class roads. While A-Grade roads comprise the major trunk roads (A2 - Colombo-Galle/A4 - Colombo-Batticaloa and A9-Kandy-Jaffna are the main examples), B and C roads are often inter-provincial and rural roads. Another confusing factor is that some of the latter roads belong to the Provincial Councils and local bodies, which may not always have the funds required for upgrading such roads.

Nevertheless, it is vital to upgrade these roads in line with modern trends. The Government has built many all-new concrete roads while applying concrete on existing tarred roads. This is a very good approach which will give a longer lifespan to these roads. Normal carpeting is also being done. The authorities should turn their attention to rural roads.

There still are many remote villages where the residents have to walk through shrubbery or jungle for several kilometres to reach the nearest main road. This is not an acceptable situation. There are other villages where the access road is so dilapidated that vehicular movement is nearly impossible. This leads to a vicious cycle where bus and transport operators refuse to ply on these routes, compounding the problems of the village community. It is thus vital to turn the authorities' attention to these roads. There should be close coordination between the Central Government and Provincial Councils in the maintenance of rural roads run by the latter. The Government's road budget should take all these concerns into account.

There are many other issues apart from repairing roads. Many roads in the country, even some of the major ones, do not have street lights. This is a hazard for both pedestrians and motorists who use these roads at night. This is mostly the responsibility of local bodies, but the Central Government should intervene where the local body in question may not be able to carry out the task.

Many roads also do not have clear lane demarcations and Cat's Eyes for easy lane identification at night. Road signage is another important factor. It is important to keep the road signs up to date and also give proper directions and distances to motorists.

These signs should be clearly visible in darkness. Unfortunately, not many motorists know the meaning of most road signs and even fewer care for them, but that is no excuse not to have them. It is therefore essential to educate motorists on these signs. Distance indicators and pointers should also dot the roads at regular intervals.

Signal lights are also essential to help the traffic flow.

However, only Colombo, its suburbs and a few other provincial cities have traffic lights. There still are many major intersections, cities and towns which do not have traffic lights. This leads to congestion especially at peak hours. Traffic lights are now being manufactured locally and are not so expensive as they once were. There is no longer any excuse not to have them at more places. This will also take a load off the police.

Another annoying issue is the digging of roads frequently for water supply, electrical cable, sewerage and telecom repairs. Clearly, there is no coordination among these utility providers. When a road is repaired after one party digs it up, another one comes to do the same thing again. A little effort at coordinating these repairs will be less costly and less inconvenient to road users.

Sometimes a tussle develops over who is exactly responsible for repairing a road which has been dug up. A mechanism should be evolved to coordinate roadworks and excavations and in general, the utility company that had dug up the road should provide funds for covering it as well.

Some local bodies also effect 'patch-up' jobs in place of comprehensive repairs. This does not pay in the end as the road gets damaged again in a short period. Then it usually costs more to repair. Many people cite a nexus between contractors and local bodies for this state of affairs. It is far more effective to undertake a more thorough repair that can withstand several years of use.

All major roads should also have sidewalks, drains and an emergency lane. One major problem in most towns is that traders have invaded the pavements, compelling pedestrians to use the road per se. This makes them sitting ducks for reckless drivers.

Action should be taken on this issue. With the Uthuru Wasanthaya and Negenahira Navodaya under way in the North and the East, rebuilding the roads in these two provinces has become a priority. Better roads will make a difference to the lives of the residents there, including the newly resettled.

The A9 road has already spurred the Northern economy and a better North-East road network would be a major boost. Colombo and Kandy should be only a few hours away from the major towns of the North and the East.

The need has arisen for a national road policy which takes into account all these considerations and many other factors. Better roads are our path to a bigger economy and a more prosperous future.