A fine line

If a foreigner were to ask for an authentic Sri Lankan experience, while food, beaches and local hospitality would be top of the list of essential activities and experiences, close behind would be a day out driving (or waiting) in Sri Lankan traffic. This would then be closely followed by a lengthy rant about the state of said traffic or, more specifically, the general disdain felt towards three-wheelers, motorcyclists, and bus drivers.

This is not to say that other countries don’t have similar problems, yet the existence of a Facebook page ‘Sri Lankan Traffic Violations,’ which has over 80,000 likes, illustrates that this is a problem that cannot be taken lightly. In fact, in 2015 it was reported that 2700 people had died as a result of traffic accidents – that amounts to 7.5 deaths a day. 

The Government therefore has taken it upon itself to rectify the situation before it gets any worse, with last week’s budget announcement including an increase of the minimum traffic violation fine to Rs. 2500. This has unsurprisingly created an immediate backlash, with Lanka Private Bus Owners Association (LPBOA) vowing to strike unless the fine is revised, though the strike was eventually called off following discussions with Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake. However, Karunanayake this week vowed that neither he nor the Government would budge on their stance. In response, the Inter-Provincial Private Bus Association (IPPBA) yesterday said that they too wouldn’t budge in their opposition to the increased fines and warned of an island-wide bus strike if the Government failed to acquiesce to their demands. 

The IPPBA charge that traffic police will have a field day with the new fines - implying that it might incentivise traffic police to dole out fines in an ad-hoc manner. Instead, they are calling for a revision in the fine until proper infrastructure is in place to ensure that police powers aren’t abused when handing out fines. This seems a legitimate concern as anecdotal evidence suggests that traffic police tend to be a little ‘overzealous’ in their duties.

However, on the flipside, large fines will no doubt prove to be a deterrent for those prone to traffic violations. And in turn, lead to much more peace for the daily commuter. While it’s easy to take sides and demand that bus drivers ‘buck up’ and simply drive better, the reality is slightly more nuanced. 

A more viable solution might be a tiered traffic fine system, as suggested recently by the Ceylon Motorcyclists Association, where the fine is tied to the value and class of the vehicle owned by the offender. This works twofold in ensuring that bus, tuk drivers and other low and middle income earners are not asked to pay a disproportionate fine in relation their earnings, while also ensuring that high income earners in luxury vehicles continue to abide by road rules.

While this may not prove to be an ideal solution, to simply disregard the concerns of bus drivers and force them into a situation where strike action is seemingly their only option, only serves to showcase this as yet another instance where Government is failing to address the root cause of a problem.