Make highway safety a priority

Saturday, 19 November 2011 00:30 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

SRI LANKA’s first-ever highway constructed at a cost of US$ 63 million could be a safety hazard, an international industry body has warned in a statement, putting fresh questions on development projects.

The Southern Highway is set to be opened in grand style, with days of celebrations marked out by the Government. Among the events planned is even a face-painting competition by school children as all stops are pulled out to make a mark on 27 November.

Meanwhile, global professional body Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Sri Lanka (CILTSL) has warned that changes in design and bad driving habits could create safety hazards. It has requested the Government to reduce driving speeds from the currently stipulated 100 kilometres per hour (kmph) to 80 kmph, terming the expressway as a “budget highway.”

“Highway lane width has been reduced to 3.5 metres, less than the international norm of 3.7 metres owing to budget overruns and design changes. Reduced lane width does not allow safe overtaking at higher speeds, especially when the flow is high and there are large vehicles,” the statement said.

It added that as most Sri Lankans have no experience in driving on highways and are notorious at disobeying road rules, the Government should take measures to train drivers and monitor safety standards effectively. The organisation has called on the Government to provide a 10-minute hands-on training session for all drivers before they take on the highway and advocate issuing a certificate that can be displayed for future driving needs.

Several points of concern have been raised, including the unavailability of an adequate number of safety lanes, broad enough bends and exit roads for the travellers. They point out that the safety lanes, due to budget cuts, are only wide enough for a vehicle to park on, but do not have safety for doors to be opened and for people to get out.

These concerns are all the more valid when one considers the rapidly escalating number of road deaths in this country. It is estimated that six people die every day from road accidents in Sri Lanka, with the numbers seeing a sharp spike between July-September 2011.

A total of 1,750 people have died in the first nine months of this year from 1,527 road accidents; out of this 680 were pedestrians. Disturbingly, 28,625 accidents have resulted in another 13,463 being injured and 13,590 properties being damaged.

To make the numbers even starker, the largest number of fatal accidents happened between July and September with a disconcerting 680 people dying in 632 incidents. This tally includes 72 cyclists, 220 motorcyclists and 315 pedestrians.

CILTSL certainly has a case if the pragmatic considerations are to be considered and it is disappointing that the Government is paying more attention to celebrations rather than the people’s safety. The Government has responded by pointing out that cameras will be installed to monitor drivers and a 500 strong Police force deployed to implement road rules. However, it is unlikely that this will be adequate unless a campaign of broad public awareness of safety is instigated.

In the usual way of things in Sri Lanka, this will probably not even be considered until someone meets their untimely death on the highway – another sacrifice to bad planning.