Supporting Sustainable Mobility in Sri Lanka
Think Bike!
When you think about the Netherlands, bicycles would pedal into one’s consciousness. It is well-known that the Dutch and their bikes are inseparable, making the Netherlands’ story of adopting cycling as a way of life an interesting example. This blog serves as a retrospective of some of the efforts the Netherlands Embassy in Sri Lanka pursued in the last year in supporting local stakeholders drive the sustainable mobility agenda which they now take over.
Cycling Back — Reflecting on the past year
The past year has seen Sri Lanka plunge into an economic crisis on the back of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the face of this crisis, rising fuel costs and shortages, people were pushed to explore alternate sustainable transportation options. The crisis is testament to the urgency of the matter and an excellent example that pointed out the necessity to adopt alternative transportation methods. The restriction of fuel imports left many vulnerable and resulted in the adoption of various ‘soft mobility’ transportation methods, indicating why the push for sustainable mobility is crucial for the development of the country going forward. In addition to battling the repercussions of this predicament, we find ourselves dealing with poor air quality rates owing to the release of harmful pollutants into our atmosphere. An article published by Daily News indicated that around 50% of the total carbon emission in Sri Lanka is said to be produced from road transport, with 80% of the total amount said to emanate from the city of Colombo alone resulting in severe air pollution and the spread of various diseases. Aside from these pressing challenges, Sri Lanka’s transport system has invariably proved to be overloaded (and in some cases outdated) for some time, not only contributing to increased pollution but also decreasing quality of life and productivity. Controlling traffic congestion has been one of the major challenges we face, partly due to the steady increase in the number of vehicles over time and limited road space to accommodate these vast numbers. This was pointed out in a recent article published by Watchdog Sri Lanka which provides a critical analysis of Sri Lanka's transport system and explains that while some cities have attempted to mitigate congestion through various measures such as public transportation improvements and ride-sharing services, the most immediate and effective solution to counter congestion is to promote sustainable transportation options, such as cycling and walking. The article goes on to state that the promotion of sustainable transportation will greatly help to reduce the number of vehicles on the road and improve the quality of life in cities. However, in order for this to happen, the cooperation of government agencies, transportation companies, and citizens is required.
Cycling for Diplomacy
Last year was also the period when the Netherlands Embassy in Sri Lanka decided to focus its Public Diplomacy efforts on Cycling. In January 2022, as a unique way to celebrate 70 years of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and the Netherlands and a shared culture of cycling, the Embassy launched a call for proposals — on practical solutions to stimulate “Bike to Work” cycling within an organization (Sustainable Mobility Call for Proposals | News item | Netherlandsandyou.nl). The Embassy received an overwhelming response, receiving many in-company solutions as well as public-focused solutions to encourage Bike to Work.
The winning Bike to Work proposals were chosen with the support of two Dutch organisations that support shifts to sustainable mobility worldwide, namely the Dutch Cycling Embassy and the Iganga Foundation, and the local organisation Ride for Life that advocates for adopting cycling as a lifestyle mobility option in Sri Lanka. The winner of the call for proposals, WishQue, proposed to develop an open-source app solution focused on ease of use, and safety to incentivise cycling to work for companies and organisations to use. Citizens Development Business Finance PLC was awarded second place, having already adopted Bike to Work within their organisation and in recognition of the solutions and incentives developed such as a concessionary loan scheme for purchasing bicycles. The third place was shared among Ecoware, Save a Life, Green Life Generation, and Gampaha Wickramarachchi University — Faculty of Indigenous Social Sciences and Management Studies, all of whom were awarded consultancy hours to support the further development of their proposed solutions. These solutions included community-focused mobility solutions that coupled cycling with waste management, entrepreneurship, and advocacy for sustainable mobility solutions.
When two wheels are better than one — Cycling together
The overwhelming interest in the Bike to Work call for proposals prompted the Embassy to convene an initial discussion round to bring together the different applicants and interest groups to support them to move forward on sustainable mobility initiatives. This first informal discussion was part of the award ceremony on June 3rd 2022 — World Bicycle Day!
During this initial discussion, the Embassy too was able to share the story of how the Netherlands' cycling culture began. Today, the Netherlands is the world’s leading cycling nation. However, this was not always the case: an oil crisis in the 1970s contributed to a mindset shift leading to many Dutch people adopting cycling for daily activities and their commute — rain, snow or shine. This shift was supported by urban planning that promoted safer roads for cyclists, parking facilities and incentive schemes.
In initiating formal discussions as a result of continued interest in cycling, the Embassy agreed to support a short series of Design Thinking sessions, facilitated by Citra Social Innovation Lab. These discussion cum workshop sessions looked to unpack the challenges of implementing sustainable mobility solutions as well as brainstorming workable and citizen-centric solutions. The co-design sessions saw the participation of key stakeholders to explore how these entities could come together to implement sustainable mobility solutions and create a conducive environment for mainstreaming sustainable mobility solutions in Sri Lanka.
Given the challenges posed by lockdowns and the fuel crisis over the last year, the sessions were conducted both virtually and in-person, with a wide range of stakeholders including Ride for Life, Uber, PickMe, cycling groups, the Department of Motor Traffic, the Road Development Authority, the Urban Development Authority and others including banks and private sector companies.
At the first virtual session in September 2022, participants noted an uptick in the number of cyclists commuting to work due to the fuel crisis, but over time, numbers have again been in decline in part due to practical challenges that cyclists face. These included (and were not limited to) the weather, lack of supportive infrastructure at their workplaces (parking and showers), the road system in Sri Lanka not being conducive or safe for cyclists and the rising cost of cycles both due to supply chain issues and the increase in demand. It was flagged that besides cycling, transitioning to electric vehicles might be a better long-term plan, however, the challenges in doing so were also identified, which included the increased cost, misinformation, access to charging ports combined with regular power cuts and the unavailability of vehicles and parts. Additionally, the participants noted that road safety was a key challenge with but a few regulations or policies that looked to protect cyclists. Several other roadblocks such as the lack of high-level political leadership and buy-in, and increased costs and taxes on solar panels, e-bikes etc. were also identified. Participants further identified other key stakeholders that would need to be part of the effort to introduce and encourage Sustainable Mobility solutions in Sri Lanka.
The session concluded with a quick brainstorming activity where increased advocacy and awareness on safety and benefits, dedicated cycling lanes and car-free roads on certain days were among the suggestions put forward by participants.
In the second in-person session in November 2022, having previously focused on many of the challenges, participants looked instead at the available solutions, why they may not be working, and then moved to brainstorm new ideas for implementing and encouraging the use of sustainable mobility solutions in Sri Lanka.
Representatives from Uber and PickMe spoke about their experience in introducing a fleet of cyclists to support deliveries. However, while this initiative was considered a positive step, several challenges persist regarding safety, supporting infrastructure, and rising costs. Additionally, it was noted that in Colombo, there is no longer a prevalent culture of cycling to school or work. This situation can be attributed, in part, to the urban environment, road systems that lack provisions for cyclists, increased traffic congestion, poor adherence to road rules, and inadequate protection afforded to cyclists.
While alternate solutions have been provided, they are not widespread, are combined with little awareness and are often not mainstreamed. For instance, e-bikes saw an increase in popularity in 2022, but very little was done to mainstream their use, and this combined with the high cost, supply chain issues and the lack of supporting infrastructure meant that the bikes were easily available to a relatively small group and that users reverted to using cars. The group also spoke about the need to shift mindsets and behaviours and that this needed to start with school children, and highlighted the need to incentivise users — for e.g., tax incentives, flexi hours should you choose to bike to work, etc.
Meeting once again at the most recent session in March 2023, representatives from WishQue — the Bike to Work proposal winner, presented the latest features of their completed app; while PickMe, Uber and Ride for Life provided additional updates. For example, that the number of delivery personnel on UberEats that use cycles reduced (owing to the fuel distribution system which allows easier access to fuel than before). However, it was noted that those who continue to deliver on bicycles are twice as likely to get tipped, making this an incentive to be promoted. Furthermore, issues pertaining to road safety- the lack of integration of cyclists when using main roads, no strict enforcement of regulations, and the unavailability of bike routes for continuous connectivity were also flagged. These key insights could be integral when considering leverage points to mainstream sustainable mobility solutions in Sri Lanka.
Speaking on their pilot initiative to increase the use of bicycles for daily transport in the city of Colombo, representatives from WishQue presented their newest app — a booking system for bikes that allows users to book a bicycle or e-bike for their commute to and from their place of work or any other daily activities via a smartphone or computer. The app, which is currently in the process of being developed and fine-tuned, is being tested by internal staff to obtain feedback on the system and its workability. WishQue will be launching the app soon when they move to their new premises.
Cycling forwards — the stakeholders take it forward
As a next step, both PickMe and Uber indicated their interest in working with UNDP, the Ministry of Power and Energy, and others on conversion modules and to advance the movement to the next stages. Furthermore, it was discussed that the various groups, including PickMe and Uber, could rally their fleets for larger-scale advocacy events, such as cycling parades, reviving car-free Sundays, or working to introduce cycling-only roads for a few hours on weekends and also for events around world bicycle day. It was also suggested that some infographics or materials be developed on safe cycling, existing routes and the rights and protections available to cyclists that these groups might disseminate among their fleets and partners to create more awareness on road safety for cyclists.
Through the Embassy’s support in gathering these stakeholders, and seeing the participation of several key institutions who play a valuable role in the transport system- particularly in supporting a cycling culture, as well as the participation of organizations that rely on the smooth functioning of such systems, has helped to identify several grey areas, clearly indicating whose expertise will be needed and where it will be most effectively put to use. The challenges, facts and solutions presented at these discussions are also to be collated and shared with the general public for review.
In celebrating World Bicycle Day, it is up to Sri Lankan stakeholders to continue to further a cycling culture in Sri Lanka.
If you would like to join in and find out more about sustainable mobility in Sri Lanka, connect with Ride for Life Sri Lanka at rideforlifesrilanka@gmail.com
Happy Cycling!
References:
Fernando, S. “ ‘Sustainable Transport’ Strategy” — Daily News, (2022)
https://www.dailynews.lk/2022/11/19/features/291426/%E2%80%98sustainable-transport%E2%80%99-strategy
Wijeratne, Y. et al. “Too Slow Too Furious”- Watchdog Sri Lanka, (2022)
https://longform.watchdog.team/observations/too-slow-too-furious#8a05687839b34378b21407fb13347114
