Southern Expressway Police Division:

Making the 'Gateway to Wonder' safe

by Ranil WIJAYAPALA

As the 'Gateway to Wonder' or the Sri Lanka's first ever E grade road is set to open today by President Mahinda Rajapaksa the Police Department which is due to play a key role in the operational and traffic management aspects is ready with its newly established Police Division exclusively for southern expressway to make it more safer for the motorists.

Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police, Western Province, Field Force Headquarters and Traffic Administration and Road Safety, Asoka Wijetilleka in an interview with the Sunday Observer on the operational aspect of the Southern Expressway said that the Police Department is ready with their arrangements to live with the new responsibility vested with the opening of Sri Lanka's first ever expressway.

Experience

"To be frank it is a new experience for us. But it is an experience we will have to live with and work with and do our best. Day by day we have to learn, get conditioned and improve the measures that are required for the purpose of enforcement. So it is a challenging one. For that we need the support of the public", he added.

In the process of handling the expressway traffic, the Police Department has taken over four key responsibilities and for this purpose the Police Department under the directive of Inspector General of Police, has initiated a separate Police Division called Southern Expressway Police Division.

"We have four segments of duties involved under this Division which will be run by a Superintendent of Police and nearly 500 Police personnel", he added.

The first category is the traffic patrolling unit which will use radio cars and motorcycles for patrolling to observe the use of the expressway by the motorists and for any traffic violation.

"They will do patrolling and will be on static at the areas allocated as parking bays only for Police vehicles of the expressway. Like in any other foreign country there will be a bay where they park and observe and detect violators of traffic offences through the communication network ", he added.

The second segment will be manning the toll gates. "We will provide the security to the staff working at the issuing of tickets as a back up security, and be static there", the Senior DIG added.

The third category is fire and rescue units. "For the first time in our history of the Police service we have embarked on a new responsibility which the Police have never handled.

This is a new subject we have trained our officers after selecting them from the Special Task Force.

They have undergone an extensive training under the guidance of the Fire Chief of Colombo. We are now in a position to deliver what is required in terms of Fire and Rescue", the Senior DIG added.

The fourth category of responsibility of the Police personnel is the paramedics and the ambulance services. Police personnel with sufficient training in the related field and with all the facilities to meet any contingency will provide this service in an event of accident or any other incident.

"If we need further assistance we may have to look up to the hospital authorities in those localities", he added.

Interchanges

There are eight interchanges to the expressway. They are at Kottawa in the Kottawa Police area, Kahathuduwa in Kahathuduwa Police area, Gelanigama in Bandaragama Police area, Dodangoda in Dodangoda Police area , Welipenna in Welipenna Police area, Kurundugahahetekma in Elpitiya Police area, Nayapamula in Baddegama Police area and Pinnaduwa in Akmeemana Police area.

"Altogether there are eight exit and entry points where tolls have to be paid and these gates will be manned by Police officers.

The total strength requirement in all these four segments of duties that is patrolling, fire and rescue, ambulance services and toll gate duties will be nearly 500 strong Police personnel which will come under the Southern Expressway Police Division", he added.

The Divisional Headquarters will be at Headquarters at Gelanigama and there will be two other headquarters which have station skeleton strength to cover all these duties and they will be operational 24 hours a day on seven days a week.

They are exclusively used for this purpose and no other duties are entrusted to them as they are attached exclusively for the expressway duties.

Lodging

"They are under the command of the particular Police Division which is an independent body working independently performing an independent job without doing any other job particularly", the DIG added.

"At each point even their lodging facilities are very close to the place of work. So in any eventuality we can summon them in no time if there is a necessity for reinforcement", he added.

"We are for the time being utilizing six Radio cars, three ambulances, three tow trucks, three fire engines and nine Police motorcycles and three double cabs for duties related to the expressway", he added.

"In time to come with the developments we will have to increase the patrol cars, our fleet of motorcycles to meet the requirements to keep abreast of those needs. So our deliverance in turn will be very effective", he added.

"The offences related to the expressway is as same as the offences that come under the Motor Traffic Act. There are no changes except for one that is speeding where if they exceed the speed limit we will detect them. Other than that all the offences are covered and will be enforced under the Motor Traffic Act", the Senior DIG added.

But the Traffic Police will strictly enforce the law regarding lane traffic.

"If any vehicle is obstructing the passage unduly and unnecessarily the second lane which is on the right we will detect them. The only occasion they can do so is for the purpose of overtaking", he added.

Motorists must use the left lane and keep the right lane for the purpose of overtaking and once you overtake you must come back to the left lane again because only two lanes are there on each side. Outbound and inbound, there will be four lanes. So it is important all the time unless otherwise for overtaking purposes the right lane is kept free.

"I would advise the motorists also to keep a safe distance between the vehicle ahead of them so that in case of an emergency they are in a position to apply brakes and be without hitting the front vehicle", the DIG added.

The other offence the Police will be very concerned of is drunken driving. Police officers stationed at the entry exit point will check all the vehicles that are entering from the toll gates for the drivers smelling of liquor and use breathalyser to detect them.

Prosecute

If anyone is drunk the Police will not allow them to proceed but will prosecute them at the entry point itself.

"Since this is an expressway we are not in a position to check them when they get in. We will check them beforehand to prevent serious accidents. Actually it is a preventive measure and safety for their own self and the rest of the motorists who are using the roadway and to the passengers going with him or her", he added.

Whilst doing the patrolling, the Police personnel will also be mindful to observe that no pedestrian trespasses the expressway since this is very important aspect. The Road Development Authority has erected fences on either side and there are guard rails preventing such intrusion.

"But still for all, we will not rule out the possibilities of some pedestrians trying to cross from one side to the other. If it happens we will have to take them into custody and send them to the nearest Police station and prosecute them for trespassing the expressway which is an offence and the Court can impose a fine of Rs.5000", the DIG added.

At the same time, it is an offence if somebody throws any object out of the windows from a moving vehicle. It is very dangerous and that will even lead to accidents.

"Police will detect them at the next interchange and prosecute them in Courts for which a fine of Rs. 5,000 will be imposed by the Court", he added.

Senior DIG Asoka Wijetilleka also emphasised that no driver should be when using the expressway.

"There is a maximum speed limit and you know that you can reach the d impatient estination faster than using the normal trunk roads, this being the expressway. But people must be careful", he added.

The other important factor for the motorists is about the night driving. The eyesight of the motorist must be good, as other than for the toll gates and bridges the rest of the areas are not lit.

"In any part of the world in motor highways this is the situation. So we have to be mindful about it as well, because if you are driving in the night your eye sight should be good. If you have medical impairment there again such persons should not use the expressway to drive.

This is very important and they must think of this for their own safety and the safety of others", he added.

Motorists using the expressway should also be careful in their driving during wet weather conditions as sometimes it would not be suitable to take chances.

"This is also important because from what I have gathered, in other countries the rainy weather the wet conditions have made more accidents in expressways and motor highways", he added.

Wearing the seat belt is also compulsory when using the expressway. "The motorists might think because of the speed the Police will not be able to see whether they are wearing the seat belt. By doing so they are not hoodwinking us. They are hoodwinking themselves. The danger is for them and the onus is on the motorists to use the highway in a proper manner adhering to the traffic rules" he added.

In an event of an accident they can call an emergency number 1969 and the rescue teams will come. Police patrol cars, rescue teams will come depending on the necessity and if there are injured they will be dispatched through the ambulances to the nearest hospital.

"We will take appropriate action to swiftly remove the vehicle from the site so that any obstruction coming could be avoided. We have towing truck with the RDA and we will be in a position to move casualties out and take them to the nearest hospital. The hospitals in these Police areas are not far away. They are very close by. So I don't foresee any problem", he added.

When motorists commit a traffic offence they will be detected at the entry exit points by the expressway police unit and will be referred to the nearest Police station.

"We will detect them and refer the notes to the nearest Police station coming under the relevant area. They will be prosecuted through the area Police station," he added.

Arrangement

"If the Expressway Police Division gets involved in filing action in Court their time is taken for such duties. We are trying to avoid that and we have instructed them to send the notes to the nearest Police station and the Traffic OIC of the relevant Police station will take appropriate action. It is the same arrangement with regard to the vehicular accidents," he added.

"Stopping of vehicles we will do at the toll gates. Because of the speed I don't think it will be advisable for both safety of the Policemen and the motorists to abruptly stop the vehicles and check them like we do on the trunk roads", he added.

"We are doing this invariably at the toll gates. They have to slow down and pick up again at that point and we will be detecting them. So any offence committed between two toll gates the next gate will detect," he added.

"We are satisfied with the safety measures in place. But the number one should come from the motorist himself. It is important that they seriously consider this as an issue of paramount importance. They must take note of it and they must follow the road rules and adhere to the signboard directions.

They must know to control the speed. That is why we have drawn a maximum speed limit," the Senior DIG added. Motorists must also be mindful about the condition of his vehicle. If it is not suitable they must not take it to the expressway.

"Of course if the vehicle cannot proceed more than 30 Kmph you are obstructing the other users of the road.

It is not a racing track but you have to keep to that pace. If you are a weak driver who always drives slow, this is not the road to use", he added.

"Drunken driving, obstruction, not adhering to lane traffic and exceeding the speed limits and the seat belts, are the most important. Driving safely is the onus of the driver observing the road rules. Motorists must realise the importance of driving safely because it is an expressway.

That however does not mean that you have to fly. Keep to the maximum speed limit and drive", he added.