In the absence of signs dictating speed limits on Colombo and suburban roads, reckless driving has been on the increase, and so is the incidence of road traffic accidents.

While the Traffic Police wait for the Road Development Authority (RDA) to put up speed limit signs so they can take action against speeding motorists, reckless drivers continue to violate the law, killing and maiming more people than ever.

There has been a clear increase in the number of road accident victims.” – Dr. U. P. Ariyawansa, director, Accident Services, National Hospital, Colombo

In the past five months, 111 deaths and 395 cases of serious injury in road accidents were reported from the accident service of the National Hospital, Colombo. One year after the Supreme Court set guidelines for enforcing the law relating to speeding vehicles, government authorities are still putting their act together.

Meanwhile, the Traffic Police are helpless in this matter until the RDA takes action. The most the police can do now is charge drivers for “dangerous driving”, and this can be a debatable charge.

In January 2008, the Supreme Court delivered a judgment in a fundamental rights case in which the police were ordered to pull down all unauthorised signboards giving speed limits. It was found that motorists were confused by signboards ordering different speed limits along the same main roads. Court ordered that traffic behaviour and patterns be observed and speed limit signs put up accordingly in Colombo and suburbs.

Meanwhile, speeding offences are on the increase, while the police are standing on the sidelines, powerless to act.

According to a senior City Traffic police officer (who requested that his name be withheld), most municipal councils are showing little or no interest in putting up speed limit signs.

“According to the court ruling, roads should carry uniform speed limit signs all the way, from where a road begins to where it ends, and a new sign be put up at the point where a new road begins,” the police officer said. “Prior to the court ruling, signs with different speeds could be seen all over the city.”
He said some motorists were taking advantage of the situation and driving at high speeds, especially at night. “When the signs were up, drivers were careful. There were traffic officers armed with speed detectors. These days you even see car races on the streets, but the police can’t do much,” the officer said.

Meanwhile, hundreds of unused speed detectors are gathering dust in the city’s police stations. The Motor Traffic Act states that the maximum speed within municipal city limits for heavy vehicles is 32 kilometres per hour, and 56 kph for light vehicles. In the suburbs, the maximum speed for heavy vehicles is 56 kph, and 72 kph for light vehicles.

Since January 2008, not a single charge for speeding has been made by any city or suburban police station. The police say they are waiting for the Road Development Authority and the local authorities to get on with the job of putting up road signs.

More than 3,000 signboards are required for all the main road networks coming under the RDA. The cost is estimated at between Rs 70 and 80 million. The RDA is in the process of completing a report, based on research done over the past year.

“After the court ruling, the RDA initiated a study on speed limits for all townships. We have put together the findings of our provincial directors, and our action plan will soon be ready,” said RDA deputy director (planning), R. A. Sudath.

The RDA will forward the action plan to the Ministry of Transport, and once the ministry has given its approval, the plan will be gazetted.

“As soon as the plan is approved, we will call for tenders to have signboards created,” Mr. Sudath said.
Minister of Transport Dullas Allahapperuma promised that all Colombo roads would have signboards before the end of the year.

“I presented a Cabinet paper two weeks ago, proposing that the transport ministry, the RDA and the local authorities work together on this matter,” the minister said, noting that speeding on roads had become a dangerous trend.

“There has been a clear increase in the number of road accident victims,” said Dr. U. P. Ariyawansa, director, Accident Services, National Hospital, Colombo.

Police powerless

Motorists appearing in court on charges of speeding say they are unaware of speed limits, while the police say they are powerless to enforce the law because the Road Development Authority has still not put up road signs specifying speeds.

SSP Lucky Peiris, Director of Traffic, said the police were unable to take action against speeding motorists because of a Supreme Court ruling last year. “However, we can take action in cases of reckless driving,” he said.

SSP Peiris said the local authorities should put up signboards as soon as possible, so the police can get on with their job of enforcing the law.

Crushing blow for accident victim dancer

Nineteen-year-old Sampath, from Palagama, Polgasowita, winces in pain as two nurses dress his wounds at the Accident Service of the National Hospital, Colombo. He met with an accident on Thursday night while heading home on his motorcycle.

“I was blinded by the headlamps of a vehicle that was speeding towards me. The next thing I knew, I was thrown off my motorbike and both my legs were bleeding,” he said. Sampath gazes down at his fractured bandaged legs and tears fill his eyes. He is a member of a social dancing group, and wonders when he will be able to get up and start walking again. Meanwhile, he thinks sadly about the dancing classes that he will be unable to attend for a long time.