May the humble bicycle come into its own soon
BY CHANDANI Jayatilleke
GOSH!..no taxies hereafter! The tri-shaw guy charged me thirty rupees
extra today. A month ago also he increased the fare by Rs. 20 and now I
have to pay Rs. 200 for a single trip. How am I going to earn that much
money to cover my travel expenses?, a young working girl exclaimed
Monday morning.
She went on complaining about the poor bus service on her route and
she could not imagine how she was going to come to work by bus the next
day. "Buses are terrible enough and the taxi fares are sky rocketing.
Why can't someone think about a proper transport system?," she continued
to complain.
Soon, several others joined the conversation. They shared their
bitter experiences of bus travel. Many were of the opinion that the
transport issue was going to be a regular problem in this country. No
Government has been able to improve the situation so far.
Well...what about promoting bicycles?, suggested one, saying that if
we develop a 'bicycle culture' in this country, it will not only solve
the transport issue, but will also help build up a local bicycle
manufacturing industry.
Are you mad? You'll get killed in an accident. How could you think of
riding a bicycle in this mad traffic? Moreover, you'll get sick too by
inhaling vehicle emissions? Do we have proper road allocations for the
cyclists?, another asked.
Yes, I understand. But, if there is a proper policy, the bicycle is
'the answer' for urban travellers, the previous one said. And we have to
think seriously about this.
Well, this was a part of a conversation of a group of office workers
in a particular company. But, this is not only the experience of this
group alone, it could be the general view of many bus travellers in this
country.
The price of a barrel of crude oil in the world market is increasing.
This has resulted in the increase of petrol and diesel prices leading to
a fare hike in buses, taxies and three wheelers. This transport fare
hike has a direct negative impact on the economy. The high cost of
living is due to this.
Petroleum reserves are dwindling and the price of crude oil and
accordingly petroleum products is skyrocketing. Foreign currency spent
on importing such goods places a great burden on a country's foreign
earnings and reserves.
In Sri Lanka, the local land transport sector is estimated to consume
economic inputs of over Rs 170 billion a year outside state subsidies
and congestion costs.
Apart from the increase of fuel and fare hikes, pedestrians and
passengers of public and individual transport, have to bear the traffic
congestion, poor condition of urban roads, lack of parking space, jam
packed buses and trains at peak hours and the threat from road
accidents.
Now, the time has come to explore the possibilities of fuel
efficient, space efficient, environmentally friendly relatively accident
free non motorised forms of transport.
It is actually easy to start with urban sectors. The special feature
in urban transportation is the length of the trip. Most trips in urban
areas are short. On the other hand, points of origin and points of
termination both lie in the particular urban area itself.
Traffic congestion is a phenomenon in urban transportation.
Among all the available vehicles, the least expensive mode of
transport is a non motorised form of transport - the bicycle. The
average bicycle can be bought for a price ranging from Rs. 5,000 -
8,500. The maintenance cost is also very much less when compared with a
motor vehicle.
Although the use of the bicycle for short distances is dwindling in
an around Colombo and the suburbs, statistics show that there are over
two million bicycles used in Sri Lanka, mainly in rural areas.
Bicycle is popular among some urban centres such as Negombo, Kalutara,
Matara, Galle, Hambantota, Anuradhapura, Kurunegala, Polonnaruwa,
Puttalam, Batticaloa and Jaffna. However, the provision of
infrastructure to cater to the requirement of the cyclists is minimal.
In urban areas, the availability of route buses (public transport) is
highly restricted during the uneconomical/off-peak hours. When the
operators do not make a reasonable return out of a certain bus route
they withdraw their buses from the roads.
On the other hand, the comparatively high taxi and three wheeler
fares are prohibitive for any average citizen. Bicycles could be used at
any time of the day making it a more flexible and cheaper alternative.
Having a bicycle at hand enhances the confidence of its user in going
anywhere at any time of the day irrespective of the availability of
other modes of transport.
Although the people are willing to use the bicycle as a mode of
transport, the question here is the lack of encouragement.
There are no parking spaces in towns. Vehicle thefts are on the
increase and safe parking has become a burning issue. Running car parks
on a commercial basis has become a very lucrative business. Due to the
overwhelming demand for space high parking fees are charged within city
limits.
Parking tickets are priced as high as over Rs 20 per hour, and if a
person needs to park his/her vehicle at a few places during the course
of the day their parking bill for that particular day may be over Rs
100. It is noteworthy that as many as 20m bicycles could be accommodated
in a place where a single car could be parked.
Thus, the increased use of bicycles as opposed to the more popular
motorised mode of transport in urban areas will drastically reduce the
parking space requirements enabling commercial areas to be fully
utilised and developed.
Cycling can have many advantages as a short-distance means of travel
in urban areas. It is environmentally friendly. There is no emission or
noise nuisance; it provides cost-effective mobility, and offers an
opportunity for health and physical fitness by regular exercise.
If the authorities take steps to promote bicycles even school
children can find bicycles as an attractive mode of transport.
This reduces the Government's costs on issuing of bus and railway
season tickets. For those who live within an approximate 5 km radius
from schools/places of work, cycling contributes to the easing of
congestion to a greater degree while those who ride get many health
benefits too.
However, cycling policies and measures alone cannot bring about
sustainable travel systems in cities. Integration and coherence between
cycling policies and other policies addressing land use, environment,
physical health and finance are essential to get the full benefit of it.
Therefore, co-ordination among various levels of government and
private sectors, with input from cycling stakeholders including
national, regional and local governmental bodies, non-governmental
organisations, cycling associations and the bicycle manufacturing
industry is largely required.
Although, the successive Governments have been talking of promoting
better transport systems in the past, nothing has worked out to benefit
the ordinary people.
Although a number of new towns are being planned for the areas
affected by the tsunami, there are no reports of bicycle routes/lanes,
special parking facilities for bicycles in railway stations and bus
stands.
If the case is of lack of expertise on technology for development of
bicycle routes, Sri Lanka can request countries such as the Netherlands
that support the use of bicycles.
Turning Colombo and other main towns in the country into
cycle-friendly cities, is definitely a challenge. But if there is a
proper policy and a strong will to implement such a policy - tailored to
the country's specific needs, the bicycle could be the answer to many
issues facing the urban traveller today. That will certainly serve to
improve the quality of life for urban society as a whole. |