RIO Update: 175 Billion For Public Transit
Colombo traffic.
I don’t know exactly what this means. Can Sri Lanka get a few mill for public transit? Cause we need it. Everybody needs it. Here’s a quote from intrepid reporter Amantha Perera, from Rio – “Experts here say that Rio’s summit-related traffic woes are yet another example of decades of planning that prioritised cars over efficient public transport networks” (IPS). So basically, not only is traffic bad in the world, it’s bad at the conference where they’re debating this issue.
Sometimes I sit and just watch the traffic go by. It’s such a waste. Most cars have one driver, or two, yet they are full sized cars. And then you have to park that troublesome hunk of metal. And then you have to somehow extricate yourself from that parking spot. And it makes people so angry. Driving is great outstation, but in the city it’s mainly angry making.
The trouble is that Sri Lankan public transit has been woefully neglected. Like Amantha wrote, we’ve prioritized cars, from the one-way system (piping commuters in from out of Colombo but fracturing Colombo bus routes) to the terrible neglect of our buses. I think people take cars to escape bad regulation as much as anything else. Our buses have government set fares and routes so competition largely amounts to seeing who can race their Soviet era hulk as fast and as dangerously as possible. The government imported some AWESOME Volvo/Micro modern city buses, but I only see them, just managed to catch a ride once.
Anyways, back to Rio,
The combined cost of congestion, air pollution, road accidents and transport-related climate change could be as high five to 10 percent of GDP per year…
To address this problem, eight of the world’s leading development banks, including the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, have pledged 175 billion dollars in loans and grants for sustainable public transport systems to cut down on congestion and emissions over the next decade…
“These unprecedented commitments have the promise to save hundreds of thousands of lives by cleaning the air and making roads safer, cutting congestion in hundreds of cities. They will create more efficient passenger and freight transportation, spurring sustainable urban economic growth,” said Joan Clos, executive director of UN-HABITAT, announcing the commitments.
Which is great. My only question is how much money does Sri Lanka get, and when?
Posted on Thursday, June 21st, 2012 in International, Nature.
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[...] agreed on 20 years ago. And never quite did. That said Rio+20 has made some strides, including allocating 175 billion USD for public transit. However, our reporter on the ground Amantha Perera is now quoting the head of Greenpeace saying [...]
What I don’t understand is why the government can’t spend some money buying decent buses for the country seeing as so many people use them. Yes, they do cost more than the ugly contraptions that currently ply Sri Lankan roads, but it would be a simple move that would improve the daily grind for thousands of people.