Developing
Mass Public Transport in a Developing Nation
By
Anoka Abeyrathne
It has been said that
the state of public transport is a great indicator of a country’s development.
In a developed country, a car is mostly a want as opposed to being a need, thanks
to well connected, clean, timely and easily navigable subways, metros, coaches,
sky-rails, buses and trains. An age-old test is how easily a tourist can find
his or her way to get to where he or she wants to.
But in a developing
country, there is stark difference in the public transport system. Be it a bus,
train or plane, the inevitable delays, the hike in prices, sexual harassment
and the conditions inside a public transportation vehicle will put off any one,
who has other options, from using it. For tourists, it’s almost an ordeal. For
anyone with a disability, it’s a no go zone. Many tourists stick to using taxi
services or even renting a vehicle if they are staying in a country for a long
period of time. This may explain the 40 billion rupees1 annually
lost to Sri Lanka’s economy.
With India creating the
cheapest car, and other companies jumping on the bandwagon of creating cheaper
“fully loaded” compact cars, people are willing to get loans, get in debt and
spend more than the retail price to get their hands on a car because of the
ease of transport. It has been estimated that one in every four persons, mostly
in the urban area in Sri Lanka, has a car2. With more than 4.4 million
vehicles registered, with almost 3 million on the streets of Sri Lanka daily and
no regulations curbing the amount of vehicles that can be imported, the end
game of the vehicle drama can only reach a predictable end. The end will most
definitely not be positive, with traffic congestions that last for hours, traffic
control police deployed to ease the traffic and the vile amount of toxic gases
produced leading to hazardous air pollution. Although fuel prices have been
decreased as of September 2014, the issue of transportation remains due to the
influx of vehicles, mostly carrying just one passenger.
For people living in a
country with a national poverty line of Rupees 38083 a month, effectively
living below a dollar per day (per February 2014), buying, maintaining and refueling
a vehicle is not a tangible option. A solution in the form of office
transports, mini transports and other transports has come up but affording no
flexibility, taking one only from point A to B. If one wants to shop, or get
down from different locations, public transportation is the one that makes more
sense. However getting down and getting back in costs more due to the walking
back and forth to get to the other stop as well as paying a fee based not on
the stop but the town, making the passenger pay the same fee that one going to
a town’s last stop would pay even if he/she is getting down at the first stop. These
results in a cycle of delay and poverty that needs to be broken by clever
planning and clever solutions which are small but with bigger impacts.
In a post conflict
country, transportation infrastructure is important. But planned infrastructure
even more so as this will ensure that getting to and fro is made simple,
uncongested, fast and efficient. Good infrastructure while being the foundation
for good transport would be fruitless without supplementation from better
transport mediums. Well-planned
transport can save billions4 a year with costs related to tardiness,
extreme fuel consumption, car repairs/maintenance, traffic regulatory forces
deployment, health related savings and create sustainable development while
contributing to the development of the economy as seen with India’s metro
system5. Effective cycling lanes as well as bus lanes would ensure
that people can travel safely and save money while getting some exercise!
Our transportation
needs to be cleaner, more efficient and very importantly sustainable. If our
transportation over-consumes and has an over- output of toxic gases, our air
quality and health will be affected negatively with respiratory and physical
diseases as seen in Beijing, China and Paris, France6.
Instead we should
invest more in alternate energy powered vehicles as seen in Germany, Japan and the
United States of America7, car sharing services of the genre of ZipCar;
an affordable car rental system, and efficient mass transport of the like of the
Singaporean mass rapid transport system which is similar to the subway of the
United States. Singapore’s transport sector is generating an income unlike any
other system in the world. They have linked their system to the airport, to the
malls and any building of interest, creating easy transit, ease of access, and
ease of maintenance while providing a world-class service.
With these options taking
a considerable amount of time, investments and planning, the small things like easy
of pay without fighting to get the balance fare back through Near Field
Communication devices10 - a short-range,
low power wireless radio-frequency identification transfers small amounts of
data between two devices held a few centimeters from each other, cycling
lanes, Braille/vocal instructions, real time transport mobile applications, bus
stands situated on opposing sides of streets, transport time-tables, easy crossings
and underground crossings for pedestrians would ensure that public transport will
be used by anyone. This would not only reduce pollution but also ensure that
people are healthier in the long run. It will only be a matter of time that we
end up on the loosing side of the health, environmental and economical bargain.
Whether we will or not, will depend on no one else, but us.
This will be an ideal situation where we can think about in future. As per the data in the document 40 Billion rupees annual loss is just 0.45% of annual GDP of SriLanka, and in which period that 4.4 million vehicles registered is questionable because as per the RMB details published, total vehicle population in Srilanka was more than 05 million in 2013, and ,when thinking about the transportation mode of school children in developed countries, around 70% school children are living less than 05 Kms away from the school ,so they are trying to walk to the school and other transport modes as per the document are suited to their economy, but Srlankan context is entirely different, not only from the distance factor but from the other factors also; like security factors and at the same time it is needed to consider the cost benefit and effectiveness, economic losers (taxi owners ,vehicle sellers, repairing centers etc..) and their implications on economic and impact on political and other economic institutions.
ReplyDelete(Sepala)
The lack of incentives for people to shift from private to public transport is one of the main reasons for continued increase of private transportation. This has increased our energy bill, ecological impact and poor quality of health. Options such as car pooling, more use of train services remain stifled due to regressive thinking on the part of consumers and state alike. Until policy makers are able and willing to plan for long term, this scenario is likely to continue and worsen.
ReplyDeleteEranga Amunugama MDS 2014 / Stu/05
As author mentioned in the article mass public transportation can play a vital role in solving many transportation and related issues in urban areas, especially in regionally important nodal cities. As a cooperative option parallel to of all these, it is essential to integrate two other main components, pedestrian walk ways and PARK & RIDE” facilities with the any kind of public transportation master plan. Park & rides should be well planned and to be located after a mobility analysis, otherwise it can be fail as Park & Ride at Ratmalana.
ReplyDeleteIt is quite difficult to implement clean and comfort mass public transportation at once in countries like Sri Lanka, but we can implement few models within catchment areas of 1st and 2nd order cities like Colombo, Gampha and Kandy which are having daily commuter population from their suburban and rural areas. Daily commuters therefore can travel by their private vehicles up to intersections and take public modes in travelling very congested city spaces. In implementing this, cities will be need safe parking areas and paved, shaded and clean walk ways, cycling paths that interconnected public transitions, high density office, commercial areas and interchanges. Cycling can be encouraged in cities like Vavuniya, Jaffna (2nd order congested cities) which are already having cycling in their daily practice.
Public transportation system in SL is to be integrated with other regional transportation systems while enhancing mobility. And also we have to be promoted the inter-modal connectivity (connection between rail and road, road and cycling, cycling and pedestrian paths) to gain much more advantages.
W.P.U.K.Perera
MDS - 20 (2014/2015)
Author has emphasized one of most important thought that we need to pay attention in developing cities, urban congestion in Sri Lanka. Under the well planned mass public transportation, MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) System, BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) have already proven it success in many similar countries. We can take more lessons from the Bogota even from cities like Ahmedabad and can attempt to implement at least in selected urban centers.
ReplyDeleteThese systems are designed to move large numbers of people at one time in considerably high speed than ordinary public transport modes. They are usually local in scope but need specific tracks or designated routes. By operating these we can have positive impacts while solving the traffic, air pollution, accidents, etc. Very importantly, here service is frequent enough and scheduled.
These BRT systems also can run on city streets, providing flexibility to serve changing community needs. Communities can use signal prioritization, queue jumping, and other technologies to increase speed and enhance service when vehicles are operating in general traffic. With the advantages people will tend to use them over their private vehicles because they are smart, clean, comfort, efficient and safe in its nature.
Mass public transportation can operate successfully and efficiently with minimum negative impacts to society, economy and environments of cities if it plans with appropriate components. But in planning management and operation both professionals and ordinary community has their role to play to achieve best outcomes.
L.P.Gangabada
MDS - 10
Currently Sri Lanka spends about 3% of its GDP for transport action and most of it goes for building roads and highways. A substantial part of this money should be diverted to build public transport systems which are expensive now partly because of the delays in building a proper system.
ReplyDeleteHowever, Ministry of Transport has completed basic designs a build Multimodal Transport Hub in Pettah facilitating the following functions;
1. Inter-Provincial Bus Terminal
2. Intra –Provincial Bus Terminal
3. BRT Stations
4. Monorail Station
5. Railway Station
6. Taxi and Three-wheeler Bays and waiting Pools
7. Drop-off and Pick –up Area(Kiss & Ride)
8. Car Parking /Bicycle parking
In addition to the above waiting areas, rest rooms, café, shopping malls etc. are included.
Singapore has a well-established advance transport system in which the information technology is extensively being used. Leverages on intelligent transport technology to optimize through put of traffic is complemented in Singapore’s transport policies too. Though Singapore does not have subway systems, MRT and LRT systems are available.
K.A.W.Fernando
MDS - 08 (2014/2015)
While I agree that the Singaporean system is a good example of a well functioning system, I do not think it is comparable to Sri Lanka. Singapore has the benefit of having a small land mass making logistics and networking much easier - this experience may be useful particular urban blocks in Sri Lanka. But again the level of investment needed to overhaul the existing networks in Sri Lanka would be too steep to attempt in the short run.
DeleteFor the short term though, examples such as how the Indian rail systems are being improved (especially in Mumbai) to provide better services to an increasing crowd would serve as a starting point for Sri Lanka to replicate.
Public perception also plays an interesting role on this point. In most Sri Lankan communities, owning and driving your own vehicle is seen as a symbol of status or achievement. However much we disagree with this view, the ground reality is that this perception contributes to having more vehicles on the road than they have been built to accommodate (as evident in traffic in most urban areas). This perception is a contributing factor as to why you can see a large number of people in the North and East indebted after trying to purchase bikes or vehicles they cannot afford or afford to maintain.
ReplyDeleteThis perception will be a source of resistance for the public or communal transport methods to achieve success. Therefore, as much as investing in better infrastructure an facilities, there should be a consideration towards how the public opinion can be maneuvered towards being more receptive to public and communal transport. This can take the form of disincentives or incentives based on what would be more practical.
Eranda Wijeiwckrama (MDS 01)
In a developing country public Transport plays an important role in the economy and this is a very timely and important topic for Sri Lanka which is aiming to be the “Wonder of Asia”.
ReplyDeleteReplica- Singapore
It’s sad to say that Singapore copied Sri Lanka in their initial development stage & now we need to copy them back. Most Singaporeans are satisfied with the public transport system and majority of the population travel by trains, buses or taxis. As Singapore is a relatively small country with limited space, the Government policy is to restrict private vehicle ownership. This policy is implemented by various financial disincentives which makes vehicle ownership an expensive and unattractive option in Singapore. Sri Lanka needs to develop the public transport system and also infrastructure in road development. However it is not something that could be done overnight, needs intense planning and re-modeling before implementing a given structure.
Doubtful areas :
1. Introduction of an Effective cycling lanes – Although this reduces pollution and increases health condition of people, can’t be considered as a tool to develop mass public transportation. At the same time, most urban areas of the country already being congested with only 2 lane main roads, introduction of cycling lanes would not be a feasible option, unless existing roads are expanded / widened.
2. Car sharing services of the genre of ZipCar - Although this is a great cost effective system, contribution of same towards developing mass public transportation is a question.
Good public transport sector will induce cheap transport cost will in turn bring down the cost of essential goods. This is great news to economic indicators; Inflation would be pushed further down & would positively impact on GDP growth rate, with increased confidence level of people in the economic system.
S.M.K.Weliwita
MDS 18
When we consider the transportation problem in Sri Lanka, the European model can be recommended as a solution. Along with that some actions should be done regarding the vehicle ownership attitudes of the people. In this scenario we can consider the methodology used in Singapore which is based on issuing limited number of permits per year. Or having to pay extra cash when entering to the city which is widely used in USA. These kinds of steps can reduce the vehicle usage in urban areas. Before taking any of these actions the mass transportations methods should be developed. The roads and the trains should be considered. Promoting mass transportation in tourism can also reduce the congestion. We can consider the cargo transportation paths through canals. For an example the Hamilton canal was used for cargo in the past. However the development process should be conducted to the proper standards.
ReplyDeleteM.J. Fernando
MDS 12
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with the author that there is a lack of incentives by the government to use public transport, because the public transport costs are extremely low than the fuel costs borne per kilometer by private transport users. In fact, majority of workforce residing outside Colombo uses trains to travel to Colombo for employment daily by purchasing the heavily subsidized railway season tickets. Same applies to bus season tickets used by the personnel living in outer margins of Colombo. For government servants these tariffs are further subsidized. Therefore, especially, the workforce residing outside of Colombo depends heavily on public transport driven by government incentives to use the same. Besides, trains are the fastest means of transport available to workforce traveling daily to Colombo for employment due to the absence of traffic, irrespective of the inconvenience caused by the fully loaded trains due to the inefficiencies in railway management. All in all, public transport usage is definitely encouraged by government, however is not properly managed and provided to its consumers.
ReplyDeleteH.M.N. Fernando
MDS-28 (2014/2015)
Mobility of people and of goods is an essential part of all social and economic activities. In most countries of the world,even developing countries, passenger cars and trucks have become the most important transport modes. In many developing cities high growth of the vehicle fleet has taken place in recent years.
ReplyDeleteHere, I agree with the author’s statement which “Car is mostly a want” than a need of human being which id driven by the motivational factor of keeping up with the Joneses which can be perceived as demonstrating socio-economic or cultural inferiority. Further, the argument has a contemporary value at a time concerns being there on the interaction between the general traffic and public transport modes running on city streets, which in practice covers most public transport services even in the largest cities.Since, both the operating costs and quality of service of street-based public transport modes strongly dependent on the characteristics of the traffic flow. Thus the ideal solution is to opt for sustainable transportation which is eco-friendly as well as a time-saving option. But to attain that I would suggest we should at least Decrease the demand or at least mitigate the increase of demand for motorized transport of people and goods, for example by establishing transport avoiding spatial structures, by applying fiscal incentives and other policy instruments to promote short distance access and Shift transport demand from unfavourable transport modes (in terms of environmental, social and economic impact) to those with less negative impact on people and nature. Further, government should ensure the use of best available technology both for the transport vehicles and for the management and communication tools in transport and should promote responsible behaviour of individuals and responsible decisions by enterprises.
But even in this case, though the author urges that gov. should invest on this matter, it is noteworthy to mention that transport policy too has has major implication for gov. finances. Scarce development funds spent on expensive other projects, for example, could be spent on more cost effective approaches such as bus rapid transit, with the resulting savings invested in health, public space and educational facilities to benefit the poor.
K.A.D.A.Ekanayaka
MDS 19 (2014/15)
Until there is more investment in our public transport system to upgrade it to where there is no congestion and is hassle free, it would be very difficult to convince car owners to use public transport as an alternative. We should also consider investing in an underground tube network as a means to easing traffic and the current public transport congestion.
ReplyDeleteA.Manisha M. Ruwanpathirana - MDS 24
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDeveloping Mass Public Transport in a Developing Nation like Sri Lanka is an essential theme to talk about. We all can feel it when we get in to the road to travel. Massive traffic jam is the biggest headache we all have to reach to a destination. As Anoka discussed in the article very high volume of vehicles are registered in RMV and most of the people are willing to use their own vehicles for their day-to-day travel needs due to lack of efficient public transportation in the country. It is not worthy to spend much on fuel consumption over private vehicles. There are many negative impacts due to this. I too completely agree with the writer because if we have an efficient public transport, then we can save a lot. Not only saving money but also saving time that we can utilize in many productive ways.
ReplyDeleteThis article is well focused on the real requirement of this mass public transport in order to achieve effective transportation in the country. The hardest problem of all is that of contentment with low-cost, low-quality equilibrium that we are stuck in. Those who are unhappy find their personal workarounds and do not support the upgrading of the public system. The existence of multiple low-cost and low-quality alternatives prevents momentum being built up for the reform of any one mode.
Sri Lanka incurs a huge economic loss of around Rs. 40 billion annually due to road traffic congestion and air pollution with too many vehicles on a limited road network. Unless the authorities take measures to modernize and improve public transport, the country cannot curb this massive, unproductive cost. Therefore it is high time to take necessary actions to establish and develop proper town plan, friendly public transport facilities and a sufficient operational traffic system to resolve the current congestion in the transportation in the country.
M.P.K De Silva (PgDDS)
(Madushanka De Silva)
I would like to add few words from a different angle to this interesting article written by Anoka. It was estimated that 627 persons were killed due to fatal road traffic accidents in the first three months of this year (2014) and this has opened up the debate once again on whether our roads are able to sustain rapid development and heavy traffic. The number of accidents and deaths are reported in higher numbers each year. Statistics show that a significant numbers of accidents took place due to poor condition of roads & vehicles, traffic jam and attitudes of drivers. Loss of lives and damage to property need to be analyzed as a loss to the country and also a loss to the economy. Customs recently said due to the continued issuing of duty concessions and permits given to government officials has caused high importation of vehicles to the country. If we have a good public transport system established in addition to the other direct and indirect benefits for the development, it will reduce the traffic jam significantly, reduce the fatal RTAs and at the same time people will think twice before importing vehicles in to the country.
ReplyDeleteSumudu Hewawasam (2014 / MDS / 16)
In relation to highways and Sri Lanka the Airport highway is making good money while the southern highway isn’t. But still it contributes a lot from the development perspective. The time saved as a result of these highways can not be measured in monetary terms.
ReplyDeleteThese two highways are a good source of income to the government. For example according to one of the terminal staff in the airport highway, on average 300 vehicles pass through each main terminal every hour during the day time. There are a total of four main terminals in the airport highway which generates millions for the government. But only a few people who own vehicles enjoy this highway along with the passengers of some buses that use the highways. Why doesn’t the government improve our public transport system? The railway system in particular has to be improved to benefit a large proportion of the general public using it.
The public transportation system plays a vital role in the development of a country. As we are a developing country, it would be beneficial to look at the developed countries’ public transportation networks. Japan and England provide good examples of providing punctual metro train services to the public. Thailand also has a very efficient Sky train system between the tourist destinations. As Sri Lanka is focusing on tourism in the post war period, We must have a very efficient public transportation network to attract more tourists. If we can have punctual trains in the existing network it will greatly help the commuters. The morning trains from the south to Kollupitiya are overcrowded and commuters can’t find even standing room at times. The third class compartments in the Colombo-Kandy trains are also crowded. The Colombo to Puttalam train is almost empty after the Chilaw station because of the long hours taken to reach Puttalam due to so many stops in between. This is a clear sign that our train system is gravely in need of improvement and more compartments. Who knows, if we improve our railway system even private vehicle users might opt for the trains to reduce travel time and cost.
http://island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=102380
Imthath Basar (PgDDS)
By Anoka selected topic is on currently most hot, capital city of Sri Lanka have huge trace port problem with road traffic game. She describes it well.
ReplyDeleteHer justification is well.
Motorcycle taxis are proliferating across Sri Lanka as a much-needed form of affordable public transport. But this important new form of mobility must be made safe.
Upul Weerawardana
2014/MDS/03/C-03
Transport is one of the basic requirements of a country. The development rate will depend on the quality of transport system. In our country transport has been modernized due to invented of new technology. That includes ground, air and sea also. Having a good transport system directly hit on economy. Transport system includes so many criteria’s. Those are road and highways, railways, ports , harbour and air port. The main transport medium is in our country the bus service. Bus service is provides by the Sri Lanka Transport Board as well as the private sector. Both the sectors buses running in rural as well as city area.
ReplyDeleteManjula Rajapaksha (MDS/2014/2015/15)
The writer has favored the development of the country through upgrading of the public transport system. Transport problems caused by heavy traffic is seen only in a few cities including Colombo and Kandy. Solutions proposed by the writer may be applicable in those main cities.
ReplyDeleteSisira Ekanayaka 2014 / MDS / 06
As Anoka has discussed throughout her article good public transport systems are an essential part of safe, clean and affordable transport for development. But the most challenging part is the creating and maintaining sus¬tainable public transport systems in the developing world, and balancing the affordability for passengers with long-term eco¬nomic viability of services.
ReplyDeleteA good public transport system must be easy and convenient to use, fast, safe, clean and affordable. As an example Seoul, Singapore and Hong Kong are known for their excellent transport systems and the key feature is that they integrate multiple technologies, such as metro rail, light rail, Bus Rapid Transit and basic bus services. A common ticket or fare card serves all the systems, making it easy for passengers to transfer from one mode to the other. Passenger information systems enable users to know when the next service is due and to understand the routes easily, and high frequency of service reduces the hassle of a long wait for the next bus or train.
Basically, in most of the developing countries there are large number of small operators engaged in providing public transport services which allows for low-cost services but the quality is poor due to severe competition. Other disadvantages include dangerous driving practices, pollution and a tendency to have too much service on profitable routes and virtual¬ly no service on non-profitable routes. At the same time if the single publicly owned entities engage in providing public transport services then they may offer higher quality of service but costs tend to be high and the quantity of service is often inadequate. Therefore, for developing countries as I see the method of providing public transport services should falls somewhere between the above two. Also, by having a single public entity that plans the network and determines the quality of service, with a small number of private operators providing services under struc¬tured contracts, may allow a balancing of public good needs with the operational efficiency of the private sector.
Therefore, as a developing nation and as Sri Lankans with the cooperation of Government entities and the private sector entities we should pay more attention to develop the existing public transport system in a more appropriate way by reducing the unnecessary cost, saving time, by being environmental friendly and to provide more fast, safe, clean, affordable service which is convenient to use.
I A T D Wanniarachchi (Pg.DDS)