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Between the Blinds by Dr.Nalin Swaris

In my introductory essay I explained why I decided to call this column 'Between the Blinds'. I feel that we as a nation have become morally blind.

We look through the blinds and see only what we desire to see. The very first essay I wrote after that was about the callous attitude of civil society to the taking of human life by private bus operators. The most vulnerable group of road users are pedestrians. They are also the majority of voters who send people to parliament. I ended the essay on a hopeful note. "It is to be hoped that the new Minister of Defence who is also the Minister of Transport will act to defend the lives of our road users, especially our children from road maniacs.

Stop the Culture of Violence on our roads!" Several weeks and killings later, the media including the State Rupavahini have drawn attention to the alarming situation on our roads The Island of Wednesday 26th banner headlined: "Private buses kill 12 in two weeks". Several children were among the victims.

Since then. The Chairman of the Bus Operators Organisation resigned. He did the right thing for the wrong reasons. He made some damning admissions.

Crews are mostly recruited on a daily basis. About 200 hundred drivers are drug addicts. How in heavens name is this possible in a society that regards itself as civilised? The bus operators got their far hike. The Minister of Transport gave a press conference. TV news carried sound bites. The Minister sounded angry. Talked tough. In the future - drivers and operators will lose their licenses for life. if they kill anyone. Too late for the dead and their loved ones. The recklessness is due to competitiveness, the Minister said.

Whose fault is that? It's inevitable if the authorities allow different operators to run on the same route. Most people I asked are very pessimistic. How can you enforce the law, they ask, when many bus operators are supposed to be senior police officers and local politicians? With regard to special training for drivers and bus condutors: the former DIG Traffic did a survey of the performance of bus crews with the assistance of the Transportation Engineering Division of Moratuwa University.(See Report August 1999).

54% of the Drivers and 52% of the conductors on the surveyed routes had followed the National Transportation Commission course. The findings are depressing. There was no significant difference in the behaviour of those who had followed the course and those who had not.

Despite the killings, and the warnings, there is still no significant change in the behaviour of drivers and conductors. The bus travellers continue to suffer.

The UNP introduced this fatally flawed system of 'privatisation'. It is the lead partner of the UNF government. It must take the responsibility for radically revamping or scrapping this cowboy operation. Precious lives are at stake. Before evaluating the cost-benefit of the present system, the government has decided to privatize the remaining state owned bus companies.

The argument is that the state owned bus companies are running at a loss.

They would, if the government permits private operators to increase fares, but denies this right to state-run bus companies and the railway. What successive government have done is to reduce investing in public sector enterprises, let them run down and sell them off at giveaway prices to private companies.

The economic argument for privatising public transport is spurious. The economic benefits to the country of a subsidised, safe and efficient state controlled public transport system is incalculable - imagine the economic gain to the public and private sectors if the man hours lost on the road due to clogged up traffic is reduced, work productivity will increase, as people arrive at their workplaces on time and unexhausted. They will also do the full days work without playing truant to go home at a reasonable time.

Medical and funeral costs will decrease. Less peak hour traffic jams. Motor vehicle insurance premia will be reduced with lots of Love and Understanding.

The PA government commissioned the Swedish National Road Consulting Firm AB to do a study on Road Safety in Sri Lanka and to propose an Action Plan. A comprehensive study was done covering all aspects of Road Safety. The Action Plan was presented to the government in July 1996. It has probably been gathering dust since then. In the introduction the Report states that it is of utmost importance for the Government to accede to the Main Issue which the Report had singled out "The Road Safety situation is poor with a high level of road casualties and resulting fatalities.

The number of casualties is predicted to escalate substantially as a more motorized society develops if a comprehensive and active policy is not launched. It is unacceptable for the transport system intended to serve the public, being instrumental to so many deaths and human suffering. The consequences of road accidents are further so immense that there is a call for action even from purely economical reasons" (emphasis mine). The Report explicitly addresses the economic issue. "The annual cost of road accidents to Sri Lankan society is estimated to be about Rs.2.400 million. A cost of such magnitude is a heavy burden for the country. Moreover, cost of road accidents in a developing country is aggravated since they claim resources that are scarce and vital for the development of the country".

For the long term what is necessary is a comprehensive plan for road safety including a safety-centered road construction programme to be coordinated and implemented by a single authority as recommended by the Swedish consultants. Many foreign countries even in South Asian, have developed such policies and are implementing them. The most outstanding of these programs was developed in the Netherlands. It was called a long-term plan for Sustainable Road Safety. It was in response to sustained and massive agitation by citizens for safety on the roads. Succesive Dutch government cared enough to make a difference. Irrespective of the party in power, the long term programme was implemented. There has been a dramatic reduction of road deaths. Now even Ministers use public transport. I'll return to this next week.

There are two emergency measures that the government can take to save the lives of road users - especially of children. First, the government need not wait for a riot to make a particular pedestrian crossing safe. It is only the odd motorists who slows down when approaching a pedestrian crossing.

People have to cluster at pedestrian crossings, wave their hands and plead with motorists to slow down, stop and let them cross over. Let's ask the government to launch a Hundred Day Program to build speed barriers before pedestrian crossings in Greater Colombo - for a start. Compared to the cost of building high-speed-ways this is petty cash. But how could this be grudged considering the immeasurable value of a single human life. Yours for example.Secondly, governments spend millions of borrowed dollars to improve our trunk roads. These could be engineered to ensure safety. But in our country road improvement means widening and carpeting roads to 'quicken the economy'.

These improvements are solely for the benefit of motorists, who use them like speed tracks. Our trunk routes pass through residential areas and townships. But the road engineers do not seem to bother about the safety of the most vulnerable group of road users: no sidewalks are provided for pedestrians and no lanes for cyclists. First, the government need not wait for a riot to make a particular pedestrian crossing safe. It is only the odd motorists who slows down when approaching a pedestrian crossing. People have to cluster at pedestrian crossings, wave their hands and plead with motorists to slow down, stop and let them cross over.

Let's ask the government to launch a Hundred Day Programme to build speed barriers before pedestrian crossings in Greater Colombo - for a start. Compared to the cost of building high-speed-ways this is petty cash. But how could this be grudged considering the immeasurable value of a single human life. Yours for example. The Prime Minister promised a listening government. The loved ones of those killed mercilessly on our roads moan and groan with grief. Does anyone hear their cries?

The people will feel that pain of the fare hikes, every time they squeeze themselves into crowded buses. If the road killings continue the cost of living in Sri Lanka will be high in more ways than. It can mean sudden death on the roads. Today there are rumblings about the soaring prices. Today there are rumblings about the soaring prices. The rumblings are becoming roars of anger. People power is turning into mob rule. The new government must show it can make a difference in things that matter most to ordinary people. Like quality transport.

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