MOBILITY AMID FUEL CRISIS     

Janaka Perera suggests alternative means of transporting goods and people

Of late, depleting foreign reserves have worsened Sri Lanka’s transport services. Over 70 years ago, bicycles were a common feature in both urban and rural areas when the country had fewer privately owned cars and motorcycles.

From the early 20th century until the 1950s, tramcars and trolleybuses were used in Colombo. Tramcars didn’t need diesel and ran on electricity, and were replaced by trolleybuses (both double and single-deckers).

Currently, there are some 300 trolleybus systems operating in cities and towns in about 40 countries. But since successive governments in Sri Lanka lacked foresight, these services were discontinued in our country by the 1960s. With the ongoing power crisis, it will be impossible to revive these modes of transport – even if we want to.

Priority was given to building motorways instead of developing the railway network and metro systems. The result has been increased fuel consumption by passenger and freight transport services, as well as increased vehicular congestion.

When some petrol stations imposed a cap of Rs. 2,000 for diesel purchases, President of the Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association Gemunu Wijeratne said: “This is not practical because a bus requires Rs. 6,000-7,000 worth of diesel daily to operate short distances. For long distances, it’s about 10,000 rupees – and this cap is severely affecting us.”

The world is now gradually moving away from diesel power as alternative energies are becoming more viable. Today, all development is pushing to increase mobility. And it is necessary to explore the possibility of systematically replacing fossil fuels with electricity and other renewable sources of energy for all modes of transport.

There are many eco-friendly means of transportation that have minimal environmental impact and include bicycles (both electric and ordinary) for short distances. It’s also one of the best ways to keep oneself physically fit.

A bicycle is one of the most practical, cost-effective and eco-friendly options – because it gives off no emissions, doesn’t require vehicle insurance or any type of fuel, needs very little maintenance and won’t require expensive parking space.

Developed countries have cycling paths and even bike sharing programmes, which allow people to get around without having to buy and maintain bicycles of their own.

In addition to electrically operated buses and cars, there are bio-buses in use in the UK and Norway. The bio-bus, which entered service in South-West England in 2014, is powered by biomethane gas that’s generated through human sewage and food waste processed at a plant in Avonmouth.

When compared to diesel-powered buses, the bio-bus produces 20-30 percent less carbon dioxide. One tank of such fuel will power the bus for 300 kilometres!

Transport has already replaced industry as the primary source of air pollution. It is responsible for a large part of greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. According to National Geographic, “vehicles are America’s biggest air quality compromisers, producing about one-third of all US air pollution.”

Vehicular movement has other harmful effects too – such as its impact on natural spaces, increasing noise pollution, and damaging marine and air ecosystems.

Climate change is forcing countries to develop alternative methods of transport. Cities around the world are increasingly experiencing the repercussions of vehicle focussed development and have begun to experiment with integrating sustainable options into city plans that range from bicycle lanes and better sidewalks to cycle sharing programmes. Increasing traffic jams at peak hours are being called ‘moving car parks.’

Fifty years ago, Egypt’s capital Cairo was characterised by long delays and enormous traffic jams. And then in 1962, the government began to operate a water bus along the Nile River. Sri Lanka can take a cue from this.

There’s every possibility of launching a coastal ferry service from Panadura to Galle Face to ease traffic congestion on Galle Road. When the Dutch occupied the Maritime Provinces, they built a network of canals along our west coast. In the Netherlands, in addition to road transport, canal transport is used to ferry both passengers and goods.

In fact, this idea was mooted several years ago but never got off the ground. It is time for new thinking to manage the current fuel crisis. The global focus is on battery-powered ferries and the largest of those were inaugurated in 2018 – Tycho Brahe and Aurora from ForSea Ferries.

It concluded a multi-year project to convert conventional diesel engines to battery power. This technology cuts emissions by about 65 percent or the equivalent of 23,000 tonnes of CO2 annually.

The Minister of Fisheries announced last November that due to the fuel problem, steps would be taken to introduce electric motorboats for fishermen from this year. Let’s hope that happens.