Research - Transport research in Sri Lankan cities

Posted in Models, Research by fedwards on July 28th, 2008

The section below is republished with permission from the Going Solar Transport Newsletter #68, 15 July 2008, compiled by Stephen Ingrouille. Going Solar, www.goingsolar.com.au/transport.

Ultra Light Rail - Report for Sri Lanka
In 2007 I visited Sri Lanka and met with M.L. Mohamed Yehiya, the Assistant Director of the Urban Development Authority in Hambantota on the far south coast of the island. On December 26, 2004, Hambantota was severely damaged by a tsunami, and the short term solution was to relocate the residents a few kilometres inland.

Presently, much grander plans are in preparation to develop the region into a second capital, with the extension of the heavy rail and the creation of a seaport and international airport. Greater Hambantota is being planned for a population of around three million people.

Sri Lanka is particularly dependent on imported oil and dirty, noisy and crowded buses. A cursory glance at the plans for Greater Hambantota indicated the potential for a tram system running from renewable sources of energy and so I offered to prepare a report on the potential for cost-effective ‘Light Trams’. The report was completed by mid-2008 in time for a visiting delegation of planners from Sri Lanka as part of the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) Tsunami Reconstruction Project.

I would particularly like to thank PIA for their assistance in preparing the report and facilitating meetings.

Follow is an extract from the Executive Summary:

• New cities, such as Greater Hambantota, offer a rare opportunity to implement sustainable design at the planning stage. A key component of good urban design is the inclusion of sustainable modes of transport. This report puts the case for one mode, known as ‘Light Tram’ or ‘Ultra Light Rail’.
• Rising fuel prices, greenhouse gases, air pollution, demographic changes and rising expectations for increased mobility provide the imperative to consider innovative and cost-effective transit modes.
• Purchase of Light Tram vehicles is only part of the solution. The tram routes must be carefully considered to ensure they cater for both current and future demand.
• It is essential to make sure that all building and tourist development relates to the transit systems. The best way to achieve this is through clusters of urban villages connected by sustainable transport corridors – a concept known as ‘Pearls-on-a-String (where the ‘pearls’ are the urban villages and the ‘string’ represents the transit corridors.)
• The key reasons for considering good transport planning include: mobility; safety; sustainability; sociability; amenity; economics; and equity.
• Like many countries, Sri Lanka has a precedent of tram usage (in Colombo).
• Greater Hambantota lends itself to the utilisation of a tram system particularly given the establishment of the new sea port, the new airport, and the railway line extension. Also, with the establishment of a new town centre, it is important to maintain the connection to the existing township along with the amenities and commercial activities that the coast provides.
• The tram system could be used for commuters, incidental travellers, tourists, and for the movement of freight.
• A ‘Light Tram’ system is more cost effective than a conventional tram or light rail system, being less significantly expensive to install and operate.
• A ‘Light Tram’ system could be run from renewable forms of power (such as hydro, wind, solar and/or bio fuel) providing the most ecologically responsible way of facilitating people to move around Greater Hambantota.
• Light trams are commercially available from England but they must be designed and constructed to suit Sri Lankan conditions.

Tags: energy, Transport, Urban Design and Built Form
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