Taking a step towards reducing Government expenditure through sharing the burden of maintaining and building infrastructure with the public, the authorities have come up with an initiative which charges a toll for the use of main and inter-Provincial roads.

Named the Road Maintenance Fund (RMF), this initiative involves making all main and inter-Provincial roads toll-paying roads and aims at using the income generated through that to maintain and renovate existing roads and to construct new roads and bridges. As The Daily Morning reported yesterday (11), the RMF will be established under the Road Development Authority (RDA), as per a proposal put forward by Transport and Highways Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardana and with the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers which has already been granted. The need for this initiative was explained by Dr. Gunawardana recently, where he told the media that owing to the adverse impacts of the economic crisis, road maintenance has been neglected and that therefore, with the income generated by the RMF, the country would be able to maintain a better road network without being a burden to the Treasury. 

This initiative is still at the conceptual level and is to be discussed further with the relevant stakeholders including the Treasury. Regardless, it requires a great deal of planning both in terms of its practical implementation, the policy environment that is required for its implementation, and in terms of identifying the priority related needs that should be fulfilled through the project. In addition to the question as to how ready Sri Lanka is for such a project, the question as to the ways in which such a project could be beneficial to the country should also be asked. That is because the country’s road sector is in dire need of investments, scientific and modern improvements, and most importantly, a proper policy environment that prioritises the public’s comfort and safety.

Sri Lanka has a large number of roads that need to be renovated and improved, while the residents of many areas suffer due to the lack of even the most basic road facilities. In some areas, even newly built roads that are suitable for fast vehicles do not have a pavement, which has the potential to put pedestrians' lives at risk. Needless to say, the number of roads that do not have traffic lights, road signs, properly functioning and safe drainage systems, and electricity bulb based lighting facilities is too many to count. On many occasions, road accidents have been attributed to poor road quality. In this context, while improving main roads and inter-Provincial roads, the said Fund needs to also allocate some amount of money for the development of newer, safer roads. Making roads safer however, is not just a matter of vehicles or drivers. It has more to do with pedestrians and street vendors who are very likely to be affected by road development or renovation projects.

This initiative is a good one on paper. However, it has to be practical and systematic in reality. The authorities should not consider or maintain this initiative as a mere income generating method, but instead as a financial resource management method which charges money to provide better services for the public. As was pointed out during heated arguments on tax rate hikes during the past few months, while new taxes or increased tax rate hikes worry the public, what worries them more is not knowing how their tax money is utilised. Even in this case, there should be transparency and accountability on the part of the authorities, and a part of this process should be voluntarily providing details about the utilisation of the collected money.

The said project is likely to attract public opposition, because, to put it simply, it is another charge. Therefore, the authorities need to pay attention to dealing with the public in this regard, and the best way to do that is to explain to the public how their tax money would be spent and how they could benefit from the project.