Mega projects to eliminate city traffic debacle

Ramani KANGARAARACHCHI

TRANSPORT: A recent study on Urban Transport Development for Colombo Metropolitan Region (CMR) has revealed that it needs an estimated 272.1 million USD for high priority projects to solve burning problems in the city due to traffic congestion and issues related to urban transport.

The forty seven high priority projects include 27 infrastructure, seven non infrastructure and 12 capacity building projects. The infrastructure projects alone cost USD 255.2 million.

As the financial and Government hub of Sri Lanka, Colombo and its metropolitan area (CMR) is expected to increase its number of inhabitants upto 8.4 million by 2030 compared to 5.4 million in the year 2004.

Dr. Chaiki Kuranami of Japan International Co-operation (JICA) study team said that rapid urban growth, increasing income and car ownership, low quality of public transport, incomplete road network, weak regulation and weak policy co-ordination mechanism have largely contributed to traffic congestion in CMR and it is necessary to promote use of public transport, better use of existing infrastructure and develop urban road system to reduce traffic congestion.

He said that all capacity building and non-infrastructure projects deemed as high priority projected due to their cost effectiveness and large positive impacts. JICA will undertake some infrastructure projects however the Government must take the responsibility of materialising the other projects, he said.

A seminar was held at Water's Edge in Battaramulla on Wednesday, to reveal these findings which was jointly organised by Japan International Co-operation (JICA), Ministries of Railways and Transport, Highways and Road Development Authority.

It was focused on the evaluation of short list projects and selection of high priority projects. The Government of Sri Lanka and JICA has agreed to implement a study on Urban Transport Development of the Colombo Region to assist implementing agencies on three aspects.

Firstly, to identify CMR's urbanisation and urban transport issues and formulate a strategic land use and transport development framework for CMR, Secondly, to clarify the high priority urban transport issues in order to formulate a high priority implementable urban transport improvement plan for CMR and finally to propose implementation metrologies to ensure realisation of the proposed high priority measures, including institutional financial, regulatory and legal aspects.