Colombo, Kandy and Kurunegala cities are clogged with traffic congestion
Transport issues in Sri Lanka are simply a symptom of a much bigger urban disease that one needs to understand to arrest it, said Nayana Mawilmada, the Head of Investment Western Region Megapolis Planning Project. Delivering the John Diandas Memorial Lecture 2016 on the topic “Exploring the Nexus between Land Use and Transport” at the Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo last week, he said unchecked development and migration of people to fringes of urban cities with low density housing on fragmented lands have led to environmental degradation. Huge settlements in the Western province have spread like a cancer. People watch when new areas emerge and then cut a road and begin by building on either side of the road taking away the marshes and forests all together.
“This pattern is unique to Sri Lanka as we do not control carefully who gets into these frontages”. A typical frontage 10 years later becomes a commercial frontage with residences and this kind of development is unsustainable from a urban planning perspective. ”We do have regulations but which are not tight enough. This applies not only to housing. We also do not regulate and control industries. This kind of haphazard growth can be witnessed in Kurunegala and in Kandy which does not portray a pleasant picture,” Mr. Mawilmada said. Referring to middle class migration of people, he said it affects them due to dysfunctionalities in housing and land prices. Limited access to mortgage financing and other factors forces residents to find affordable housing outside Colombo.
“If you live in the heart of Colombo you must be wealthy as high rise apartments are extremely costly for many. There is no financing mechanism for the middle class.” However the sale of land industry is booming and has become very lucrative with stupendous profits. Although people live away from main cities they come to back for jobs and education of their children, etc. He said successive governments in the past have failed to provide long term plan and solutions to housing problems that affects people. He said a new trend is emerging where people move away from cities to find shelter in newly built 10-15 million rupee-worth apartments in the suburbs. He said the state is now looking at developing public transport as people are fed up with traffic congestion.
“There is a huge opportunity to develop the railway and we are now looking at developing rail corridors. The railway system in Kandy is under-utilised with few trains to Peradeniya and Katugastota. Practically all schools, except Dharmaraja and Mahamaya Colleges, in Kandy are located less than 100-200 metres from the Railway Station.” The bus transport system is undergoing an aggressive change and the railway network system is being studied closely. He said around 65,000 students arrive in Kandy daily creating traffic congestion. “The bus system in the Kandy city is disorganised with three bus terminals where people have to walk long distances to board a bus. Vehicles parked on either side of the road all day also cause congestion creating a big problem.
” Referring to the environment, he said Kandy is one of the worst polluted cities in the country with poor air quality .”Transport is an urgent critical problem that has to be solved.” Referring to the Megapolis Development Plan, he said it was a very ambitious plan to consolidate Colombo as a global city. “How do we make it a premier destination between Dubai and Colombo with high quality transport system with specialised economic clusters? We are looking at Malabe to Homagama as a science and technological centre and at the Beira Lake and the Port of Colombo as a new development area. The land area from Lake House to the Lotus Tower, an expanse of 50 acre property is in a pretty shoddy state. The potential that can be unleashed from these lands is tremendous. State-owned land in Colombo can be freed for commercial enterprises. “