News
More rules to make trishaws safer
Concerned by mounting accidents, the government is adding more stipulations to planned laws that would compel three-wheelers to be equipped with fare meters and speedometers.
Three-wheelers, which comprise 16 per cent of all vehicles, contribute significantly to the accident toll with dangerous habits
Three-wheelers would not be able to go faster than 40kph and carry no more than the equivalent of three adult passengers according to planned new laws, a Transport Ministry official said. For the purpose of this regulation, two children under the age of 12 years will be counted as one passenger and two adults may accompany them.
It will be compulsory to have a 21.5cm gap between the driver’s seat and the passenger seat.
First, however, the ministry would place priority on converting the National Council for Road Safety (NCRS) to a commission to give it more powers to enforce trishaw regulations, Deputy Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Ashok Abeysinghe said.
“The Ministry has devolved its powers of regulating with regard to road safety to the NCRS, but with its current restricted powers the NCRS is unable to regulate three-wheelers,” Mr. Abeysinghe said.
He said the draft bill on converting the NCRS to a commission had received cabinet approval and will be presented to parliament by next month.
DIG (Traffic), Ajith Rohana stated that three-wheelers, which comprise 16 per cent of all vehicles, contribute significantly to the accident toll with dangerous habits such as loading vehicles with five to six people. Also, many drivers in rural areas lacked licences, which meant their driving skills had never been supervised and approved by an official.
All-island Three-Wheel Drivers Union President Lalith Dharmasekara said his organisation has campaigned strongly for increased regulation of the industry.
He said although three-wheeler regulations had in the past been drafted and passed in parliament they had never been implemented.
He said the initial step towards regulating three-wheelers had been taken in 2003 when the regulation was incorporated into the Motor Traffic Act, but unfortunately this was never implemented. Similarly, in January 2017 a gazette notification was brought out but officials failed to implement it and in September the same year, yet another gazette notification was produced with amendments and it was not implemented.
“We genuinely want the profession to be regulated but officials pretend as if they want it regulated, and the only thing we see is a postponement every year,” he said.
He said the administration of the profession was irregular and ineffective and that drivers needed to be screened, especially because many individuals connected with criminal activities “use the profession as a cover-up”.
The head of the All-island Three Wheel Drivers’ and Owners’ Association, Sudil Jayaruk, claimed the previous minister of transport had not been interested in implementing the 2017 regulations. “We have to transform the profession to one that is approved by society,” he said.