Maintaining road discipline – a must, says CMTA Chairman
View(s):The Ceylon Motor Traders Association (CMTA) says the time has come for the Government to draw up a concrete plan for managing traffic on the road and start implementing the laws strictly and amend traffic laws where necessary so that it makes the laws more effective to accommodate the increasing number of vehicles on the road.
There is also a need to expand road space, and manage the traffic flow on the road to reduce time wasted by commuters on the road.
It has become impossible driving in the key cities in Sri Lanka due to lack of discipline on the road and lack of facilities for parking, etc while owning a vehicle has become a basic need for each family in today’s complex economic and social situation.
“Today in urban areas most families are looking at a second vehicle be it a three wheeler or a two wheeler and this is also an indication of the improving social status in the country,” CMTA Chairman, Gihan Pilapitiya said.
There is also a pressing need for the number of traffic policemen to increase with better traffic management expertise especially in city areas, using new technology such as CCTV cameras for dealing with errant drivers.“Why not open up a Facebook page and get the general public to post evidence of instances of breaking the law and amend the law to cover this legally,” he suggested.
It is also timely that the points system introduced on the driving license few years back comes into practice so that there is discipline maintained to the letter.The CMTA also proposed that the authorities appoint traffic management committees for each sector in Colombo for managing road traffic, and also get the help of independent facilitators such as the university students for helping the police manage traffic better.
He further stated that it is not a case of the rising number of vehicles on the road but due to the fact that the road infrastructure had not developed to cater to the demands on the road.
CMTA also requests the authorities to prioritise government spending in order to develop the most necessary infrastructure facilities as done in the other developing countries.It may also be timely that the country introduces a scheme for scrapping of old vehicles, and introducing incentives for proper vehicle maintenance to make the road experience better for all those hit the road every day, he added.
It is also necessary that the Police check and inspect all vehicles for proper functions of signal lights, brake lights, worn out tyres, etc.