Positive signs for public transport

Here in Sri Lanka, widely recognized as an emerging economy, we have a curious case of public transport getting weaker and private transport getting stronger by the day. A staggering 62,000 vehicles were registered in July 2015 alone. This trend is likely to continue and experts say that in just 20 years, there will be three times more vehicles on Sri Lanka's roads than there are today.

Buying a car or motorcycle is a basic right and as a democratic nation, Sri Lanka does not impose any restrictions on vehicle purchases or usage (for example, there are no congestion taxes for cities). Every family naturally aspires to own a vehicle. Once you have a motorcycle, the next step is to buy a small car and then, a bigger car. It is a never ending circle. But the result is an explosion in vehicle numbers that our existing roads cannot handle.

Downside

The downside is that more people are getting away from public transport. Actually, half of all journeys are now done by private transport. The moment someone buys at least a motorcycle, he or she feels "liberated" in the sense that public transport is no longer needed. But with rush hour travel speeds especially in Colombo reaching an abysmal 8 kph, this is obviously not a very wise step. One can just imagine the amount of fuel being wasted in traffic jams and given the fact that we are a net oil importer, it makes more sense to depend more on public transport. In fact, in many developed countries people do not wish to own a car because the public transport network is so good and there are many associated costs such as parking and congestion charges which do not make car ownership worthwhile.

But the state of local public transport leaves a lot to be desired. The bus and train network is far from satisfactory. Private buses, a law unto themselves, are a primary cause of accidents. It is hard to find one at night and they shun most uneconomical rural routes. Our trains still run on diesel when most other countries have gone fully electric and the condition of some carriages is far from ideal. There is no coordination between bus and train timetables either. In short, there has been little investment in both bus and train infrastructure.

Rectified

Still, the best answer is public transport if these matters can be rectified. The focus should essentially be on the Western Province since it is the most crowded province (in terms of population as well as vehicle numbers). In this context, the much talked-about Colombo Metropolitan Regional Transport Master Plan must be more widely publicized and debated.

This is not a short term or inexpensive project. Implementation will require more than Rs. 1,700 billion over 20 years (if the project begins this year, it should be completed by 2035). This will spread across all modes of transport with buses and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) getting a 12% share. Bus rapid transit (BRT, BRTS, busway) is a bus-based mass transit system. A true BRT system generally has specialized design, services and infrastructure to improve system quality and remove the typical causes of delays. BRT is not even a new idea - The first BRT system was the 'Integrated Transportation Network' in Curitiba, Brazil, which entered service in 1974. As of October 2014, 186 cities in all continents have implemented BRT systems.

Under this plan, railway will take 33%, monorail 17% (akin to Bangkok's Skytrain) and roads 23% (more expressways and rural roads are already under construction). City planning will also be an inherent part. The systems could be gradually introduced to other provinces such as Central and North Western, which are also facing a traffic crunch. We do not have look far to see what good public transport systems can achieve - many Indian cities have successfully implemented BRT and other systems that have taken thousands of vehicles off the roads.

Efficient

The aim should be developing a high quality public transport that enables faster, cheaper, cleaner, more efficient transport. Completely new rail routes will have to be introduced and this is a golden opportunity to go fully electric - rail lines have been proposed to Malabe and Horana, two of the most congested road links. If there is a very good train service, chances are that many people will opt to keep their cars at home at least on weekdays. We hope that the new plan will also take into account developments with regard to autonomous (self-driving) cars and 'intelligent' roads which can communicate with cars.

The authorities should not forget the "other" public transport service - taxis. Right now, the majority of taxis comprise three wheelers, more than 12,000 of which were registered in July this year. Three wheelers are not an ideal solution and proper cars are much safer and more comfortable. There is not much of a difference between their rates either. A proper car based taxi service is essential for a city that strives for hub status.

We have seen how the recent tax cut on small cars has already resulted in more cars entering the roads as taxis. Further tax concessions should be granted for companies wishing to import small cars for use as taxis. It has also been suggested to grant loans for three wheeler drivers to purchase cars, which should also help in phasing out three wheelers.

Integrated

A better and integrated public transport system will benefit the country in so many other ways. Fuel consumption can be cut down, there will be less pollution, more man-hours can be saved for productive work, the accident rate will come down as there are fewer vehicles on the roads and people will also be able to engage in leisurely pursuits too with the time thus saved.

Our authorities should study the successful implementation of mass transit systems in other countries, especially developing countries, to take certain cues. It might not be possible to "transplant" all those solutions to our roads, but at least some solutions will be viable because public transport is the wave of the future.