High fuel prices: Is car-pooling an option?

[CSE.SAS]

“Is car-pooling the solution to beat the fuel price hike and also reduce the number of vehicles on the roads?” asks Prasad Sachitha, a student in international transportation and logistics management at the CINEC Maritime Campus at Malabe.

In this article, he analyses why this may be the solution:
About 200,000 cars daily enter Colombo from suburban areas with 60% of the cars having two occupants during peak hours and increase demand for roads. This result in severe traffic congestion on the main roads connecting to Colombo.

Traffic congestion and pollution are slightly reducing due to the increased use of public transport. There is an alternative to minimize the burden of fuel price and to past daily car travelers: car-pooling which is sharing of car journeys so that more than one person travels in a car.

By having more people use one vehicle, car-pooling reduces each person's travel costs such as fuel costs, tolls, and the stress of driving. Car-pooling is also seen as a more environmentally friendly and sustainable way to travel as sharing journeys reduces carbon emissions, traffic congestion on the roads, and the need for parking spaces.

Car travellers clubs could be set up in residential areas like Athurigiriya, Horana, Panadura, Gampaha, Negombo. This will reduce the capital cost of buying a car and its insurance, maintenance etc. Today, buying a good reconditioned car costs more than Rs. 2 million and the other expenses except fuel cost is also a considerable amount that needs to be bare by a car owner.

Car clubs are the community organizations in the residential areas and they can hire or lease cars for the use of members. When residents travel to the same destination, the club cars can be offered for sharing the ride. It can cut down a substantial cost of travel while maintaining the similar condition of car travel. The same concept can be practiced in high occupancy buildings in suburban areas of Colombo like Sethsiripaya complex in Battaramulla.

When there is function or a meeting in downtown Colombo, government officials can use large number of vehicles from the building premises to reach the meeting point, reducing unnecessary car travel on saturated roads and reducing the demand for parking.

Parking and Riding (P&R)
Car-pooling is commonly implemented for commuting but is also popular for longer one-off journeys, with the formality and regularity of arrangements varying between schemes and journeys. A person can travel by car from home, park the car at P&R locations with security for the car and travel in the city using a shuttle bus service.

Acceptability
Car-pooling is important because it reduces travelling expenses and improves travel times through use of transit lane for individuals. And for the community reductions in vehicle emissions, reductions in traffic volumes and congestion, provides an alternative and cost effective choice as well as improving the environment.

Car-pool members can include work or school associates you already know, or people who live near you and work at a nearby employer.

Some issues
Car-pooling is a safe method. Although there are no crime statistics kept specifically for car-pooling at least one nationwide study concludes that car-pooling is very safe. However, you must keep your personal safety in mind. If you are considering car-pooling with people you do not know, you should meet with them in person before-hand.

In Sri Lanka, there may be social problems of riders as against western culture (because Sri Lankan females may face problems with strangers). In such situations, it is suggested to use Sri Lanka motor vehicle registration data base for recognition of car riders and avoid any complains. In identification of registered car riders a specific symbol for the pooled cars (colored sticker, identification tag for example) can be introduced.

Feasibility
You do not have to car-pool everyday unless you want to. Car-pooling is flexible enough so you can choose the number of days you’d like to share the ride. Considering all these facts, car-pooling can help the country in many ways, such as reducing traffic congestion, accidents, and pollution.

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