Traffic, Diesel Fume & Pedestrian Walks: Is Kandy Becoming Unliveable Without A Sky Train?
Dr. Siri Gamage
Kandy is the second city in Sri Lanka with pleasing climate and natural beauty located in the highlands attracting visitors from all around the world. It is home to a large number of professionals such as doctors, engineers in the public and private sector plus academics in the university, teachers and business people. Being home to leading schools and other education institutes, it draws a large number of primary and secondary students from feeder areas surrounding the city. Though some efforts are being taken by the authorities to provide better facilities for the resident and visitor alike, significant issues continue to impact on the quality of life, travel, and ability to enjoy what the city has to offer.
After my previous visit to Kandy in 2017, I wrote about these issues as well as Kandy Kassa (cough) that reflects the effect of diesel fumes coming from old style, degraded buses (both private and public) and other vehicles. Instead of improvement, the situation has further deteriorated by 2018 and people are badly affected. In this article, I elaborate the relevant issues further in the hope that the authorities will pay attention and take corrective action.
Kandy City: Is it People Friendly?
The situation has improved somewhat for the visitors –local and foreign- in the middle of the city i.e. the main road in terms of walking on both sides, and regulation of traffic with the installation of colour lights. Construction of tunnels to cross roads is a welcome sign. They are tidy too. However, a large volume of traffic moves through the main road/s in the city centre making the pedestrian walk on either side –though reasonably wide-congested. To make the place people friendly, more needs to be done with imagination.
In other countries, high volume traffic in city centres is diverted either by using by-passes, constructing driverless sky trains (as in Bangkok) or underground MRTs (like in Singapore, and even Indian cities). I am not sure if such ideas are being considered by those who are responsible for city development in Kandy? As you will see from the following issues, Kandy city centre and suburbs like Peradeniya are not people friendly. They are not vehicle friendly either. Commuters are struggling to reach the city and return on a daily basis.
Kandy-Peradeniya Road: Real Breeding Ground of Frustration
Movement of people-locals and visitors- between Kandy and Peradeniya should be a priority due to the location of the university, teaching hospital, and botanical gardens at Peradeniya as well as the location of private hospitals, schools, shops, temples and service outlets in Kandy city. I cannot see any progress is being made in this regard. Instead, what I see is further deterioration. Among others, this is a major concern for the people to adopt a negative attitude toward the current government also. People I talk to mention that their needs are not being addressed by the rulers.
The traffic situation between Kandy-Peradeniya is a major concern to the people, including dons at Peradeniya university and doctors in hospitals. Traffic moves at snail’s pace along the upper road releasing constant diesel fumes. At peak times, it is impossible to travel by degraded buses, car or even by three wheels. As the traffic on the upper road (Uda Para) moves very slowly, people are not able to go for appointments on time. Several dons at the university told me that they do not use their cars to visit Kandy anymore. Instead they use buses or hire a three wheel. The city administrators, traffic controllers and the government minister/s responsible for city development needs to find a long-term solution to this issue.
