Financial Times

Beating the fuel crisis
Bicycles soon for all Sri Lankans
By Quintus Perera
A bicycle for every family in Sri Lanka is the goal of Ranatunga Rajapakse, Managing Director of Samson Rubber Industries, part of the DSI group, in one man's vision to help the country beat rising fuel costs!

Rajapakse whose company produces bicycles for the local market and exports to the Raleigh company in Britain, wants to popularize the use of the bicycle and is working out a plan to provide 2.5 million bicycles in the next four years.

His factory at Kelaniya has an average output of 1,500 a day. The company is in discussions with the Colombo Municipal Council and the Dehiwela-Mount Lavinia MC to demarcate large bicycle parking sites so that people can use the bicycle as their mode of transport for everything from traveling to the workplace or going on a picnic.

Rajapakse's vision is that if Sri Lanka becomes a bicycle-riding nation, then the nation would be a healthy one as the population is prone to many health problems due to lack of exercise and sport.

That would also reduce the health costs to the nation, he said adding that with fuel prices skyrocketing, the country's economy would be benefited while air pollution could also be reduced.

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