Small changes for the big picture

Transport is one key sector that will lead the way to development. Infrastructure development is an obsession with the government and billions of loans have been sought and sunk into a multitude of projects around the country. However the day to day travel of most urban commuters have undergone little change, which begs the question, what are the small things that can be added to make the big picture better?

The Transport Ministry has received a new look with the appointment of business tycoon Dammika Perera as Ministry Secretary. On his first public outing he was keen to spread the message that efficiency would be the main contribution made by him with proposals from the private sector being welcomed and speedily dealt with. He also insisted during an address at the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce that the “balance sheets” of the nation have to be considered in maintaining these impressive highways and super-fast railway lines.

There has not been time enough for the new secretary to get his teeth into the multitude of transport problems but there are several suggestions that can be made so that simple changes to the existing system can result in direct relief to the masses. One simple point is the condition of the railway and bus stations. Facilities provided for passengers are insanitary at best and even though the Railway Department is making arrangements to add new carriages the question of maintenance remains. Admittedly strong steps need to be taken to ensure that the public are educated in taking care of the facilities provided and suitable monitoring needs to be done in this regard. This simple change alone will make travelling more palatable for thousands of commuters.

Another point is using railway to transport vegetables to Colombo. If Nuwara Eliya and Dambulla along with other economic centres could be networked to transport vegetables to Colombo not only would prices be lower but post-harvest losses, which are as high as 40% in Sri Lanka, would be significantly reduced. This would give direct relief to the consumers. Railway transport for vegetables does exist but the system is highly inefficient and needs a complete overhaul according to industry experts.

Perhaps the time has also come to encourage more freight transport via rail so that container transport can be taken off the roads. Even though the government has planned to connect all ports, airports and dry ports through a railway system this will not come into effect until the dry ports in Ratmalana and Veyangoda are set up two years later. Until then encouraging the various export processing zones to consider rail options and resurrecting old regulations to keep heavy vehicles off urban roads during rush hours would be a considerable relief to the common man.

Many are the people who applaud the government decision to give petrol subsidies to three-wheelers that use meters. This simple move has prevented unfair price escalation so that commuters are not “ripped off” by unscrupulous drivers. This partnership of the government and entrepreneurs has been successful and the Private Public Partnerships (PPPs) have the capacity to grow while providing a “good deal” to the consumer.

In Sri Lanka 2, 000 people die of road accidents every year while another 2, 000 are injured; this is one in every 50 deaths. Every day an average of 150 accidents occur. These are all reasons for the transport ministry to be more vigilant about road rules and understand that small changes can have big impacts.