Adjusting to the new normal

Tuesday, 21 April 2020 00:10 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

For a country to function well there are basic infrastructure needs that must be met. Sri Lanka, due to a variety of bad policy decisions, leadership, funding issues and circumstances, has not built the necessary infrastructure to the extent that is needed and the repercussions of this are being more acutely felt now.

Healthcare has received much praise in recent times and while the hardworking professionals engaged in the sector should be roundly applauded, there is plenty of space for improvement in terms of funding and systems support. The same can be said of transport infrastructure, which is especially vital during COVID-19. The Government’s attempt to return the country to its normal functions, at least in part, relies heavily on people being able to travel efficiently between destinations but this is difficult due to decades of neglect, especially of bus and rail services.

In the immediate post-conflict time the infrastructure discourse was dominated by highways, which were important but were constructed whilst largely ignoring other public transport needs that were needed in cities and particularly in capital Colombo. These highways, at least in part contributed to high debt, which Sri Lanka is still saddled with and have not necessarily increased the GDP contributions from the provinces to offset the expenses.

After 2015, though attention did shift to reducing congestion in Colombo, Kandy and other key cities, the focus was more on Light Railway systems, which are both expensive and time-consuming to implement. There was little effort to make the existing system more efficient or to attempt options such as a Bus Rapid Transit system or BRT, which have been successfully carried out with less expense in other countries and there were existing studies to justify moving in such a policy direction. ‘Park and Ride’ programs that were also started before 2015 were gradually abandoned as there was little support from the State and scaling up.

One of the consequences of these haphazard policies is the severe and unabated congestion on buses. The introduction of the route and permit system many years ago is now badly outdated and with no fresh investment, technology or upgrading of the industry the daily commute has become a daily hardship for the public. Railways have done no better and essential cargo it still mostly transported by road. As public transport has remained stagnant many people have opted to purchase their own vehicles, in part contributing to an increase in traffic. The silver lining in this situation is that it has led to a thriving three-wheeler and ride sharing industry that has been a game changer for the informal sector and stepped up to support COVID-19 countering measures recently.

But the reality is following COVID-19 containment measures within buses is all but impossible. A few buses may be caught and penalised but with curfew being imposed at specific times many people will struggle to make it to work or get home at the required times. This would be worse in highly-congested areas such as the Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara Districts that are still under curfew.

COVID-19 is providing new context to old problems and policymakers should pay fresh attention to finding

solutions.