NEGOMBO GROWTH AREA TRANSPORT STUDY

Dr. Amal S. Kumarage Genevieve Connors

June 26, 2000

1 Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION

2. BACKGROUND TRANSPORT PROPOSALS & DATA COLLECTION

3. TRANSPORT SECTOR ANALYSIS ( Chapter 06)

4. TRANSPORT SECTOR PROPOSALS ( Chapter 16)

2 List of Tables

2.1 Anticipated Growth Rates for Transport in CMR

2.2 Pedestrian Flows in Town per 12 hours

2.3 Intersection Flows (Total vehicles per hour)

2.4 Travel Times and Average Speeds on Major Roads

2.5 Demand for Parking in Negombo Town per 12 hours

2.6 Interviews for OD Matrices

2.7 Bus and Bus Passenger Counts in (12 hours

2.8 Motor Vehicles Licensed in NGSC area by type of vehicle

2.9 Socio-Economic Indicators

3.1 Flows, Travel Speed and Modal Shares on the A3 Corridor

3.2 Traffic Composition on A3 Highway

3.3 Trip Purposes A3

3.4 Private Bus Trips from Averiwatte Bus Stand

3.5 Estimated Link Flows on Selected Road Links

3.6 Intersection Flows

3.7 Traffic Composition on Regional Highways

3.8 Licenses issued by Vehicle Type, 1998 (Percentage of Vehicle Fleet)

3.9 Analysis of Modal Share of Public Transport (Boardings from Negombo)

3.10 Traffic Composition on Roads in Negombo Town Area

3.11 Intersection Flows in Negombo Town Area

3.12 Accidents in Negombo Police Division, 1996-2000

3.13 Daytime Bicycle Demand by Traffic Time

3.14 Bicycle Traffic Volumes by Street over 24 hrs

3.15 Daily Bus Passenger Movements in Negombo

3.16 Bus Routes and Passenger Volumes

4.1 Provision of Off Street Parking Lots

3 4.2 Future Intersection Flows (Vehicles per Hour)

4 LIST OF FIGURES

2.1 Proposed Inter-Regional Transport Axis

2.2 High Mobility Corridors in CMR

2.3 Links and Intersections in Negombo Town Road Network

2.4 Road Network of NGCSA

2.5 Bus Routes in Negombo

2.6 Survey Locations

3.1 Passenger Flows with Distance on A3

3.2 Historic Passenger Movements at BIA, 1990-97

3.3 Historic Freight and Mail Movements at BIA, 1990-97

3.4 Tourist Arrivals at BIA, 1970-1998

3.5 Hotel Locations and Development Strategies Proposed in the CTB Study

3.6 Transport Facilities for the KEPZ

3.7 Photo- Averiwatte Bus Stand at

3.8 Photo- Averiwatte Bus Stand at Katunayake

3.9 Proposed Trace of CKE and Southern Highway

3.10 Photo- Baseline Road Column

3.11 Road Linkages in the NGCSA

3.12 Travel Time Contours for BIA/ KEPZ

3.13 Present One-Hour Travel Time Contour for Negombo Town

3.14 Features of Negombo Town Road Network

3.15 Photo- Narrow Talduwa Road

3.16 Photo- Coppara Junction

3.17 Photo- Green’s Road and St Joseph’s Street Junction

3.18 Photo- Railway crossing at Main Street

3.19 Photo- Corridor Blocking at Lellama Fish Market

3.20 Photo- Morning School Traffic down Sea Street

3.21 Photo- On Street Parking on Sea Street

5 3.22 Photo- Former Parking Lot, Now Shopping Complex

3.23 Hourly Parking Demand in Negombo Centre

3.24 Photo- No Pedestrian Sidewalks in Town Centre

3.25 Photo- Inadequate Facilities for Pedestrians and Cyclists

3.26 Pedestrian Counts over 12-hour period, Negombo Town Centre

3.27 Bicycle Demand by Traffic Time for Negombo Town

3.28 Photo- Passengers Waiting for Bus in Town Centre

3.29 Photo- Hawkers encroaching on ANMF Mawatha opposite Bus Stand

3.30 Bus Storage at the Negombo Stand

3.31 Photo- Waiting area in Negombo Bus Stand

3.32 Photo- Passengers alighting in Bus Stand Parking Area

3.33 Photo- at St Sebastian Bridge

3.34 Photo- Hamilton Canal at Main Street

3.35 Photo- Unloading of fish in Negombo Lagoon

3.36 Photo- Negombo Docks in State of Disrepair

4.1 Road Improvements to Provide for Proposed Economic Zone

4.2 KEPZ and Transport Linkages

4.3 Proposed North South Highway

4.4 Regional Railroad Improvements Proposed

4.5 Traffic Circulation Plan for Negombo Town

4.6 Proposed Parking Areas in Negombo Town

4.7 Bicycle Paths in Negombo Town

4.8 Orbital Route Proposed for Negombo Town

4.9 Photo- Bridge at St. Sebastian’s Crossing

4.10 Development Of Lewis Place

6

7 CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION

The Urban Development Authority (UDA) was the primary Government body engaged in preparing the Negombo Growth Center Detailed Development Plan. The project was put to tender by the UDA in 1999, and was subsequently undertaken as a planning consultancy by Bulankulame Associates, Urban and Regional Planners, in conjunction with DPM Consultants and AMC Architects of Singapore. Dr. Amal Kumarage of the University of was asked to serve as transport consultant for the project, and to undertake a study and recommend growth strategies for the transport requirements of the Negombo region. He was assisted by Ms. Genevieve Connors. This transport study is the result of this undertaking. The duration of the entire project was March to September 2000.

1.1 Background & Objectives

One of the strategies of the 1998 Metropolitan Regional Structure Plan (CMRSP) is to develop seven Growth Centers in the region that were identified during the course of that study. Seeking to curb the haphazard manner of current urban sprawl in the CMR, the Structure Plan articulates strategies and action plans to overcome these problems. One of the main strategies advocated is the idea of spatial development as a catalyst for economic development. The development of the seven growth centers is the main articulation of this spatial strategy.

One of the second order centers identified by the CMRSP is the region surrounding the urban agglomerations of Negombo and Katunayake. This is referred to as the Negombo Growth Center Study Area (NGCSA). Situated in the northwest corner of the CMR 28 km. to the north of Colombo, it is well connected to the Colombo economy. This is due in part to the presence of the airport and the Katunayake Export Processing Zone as well as the CMR’s most important fishing center. With vast additional resources such as agricultural lands, building materials, beaches and lagoons, the success of Negombo as a growth centre is an important opportunity and vital to the overall development of the CMR. The CMRSP further proposes that in the future, the region be connected to the North South Highway to increase accessibility to Colombo as well as to the other growth centers. The region’s own proposed functions would primarily depend on industrial activity, tourism, high-density residential areas and airport-related development.

In 1999, the UDA embarked on the process of developing detailed growth center plans by putting the planning process out to tender. Bulankulame Associates, et al., who have brought together and coordinated an entire team of specialists, have undertaken the Negombo Growth Centre Study. The objective is to prepare a detailed development plan for the NGCSA within the framework of proposals made in the CMRSP. The total extent of the study area is 10,500 ha., of which nearly 4,000 ha. are available for development. The primary issues concern the two main urban areas of Negombo and Katunayake developing in an unplanned manner with

8 insufficient infrastructure facilities leading to environmental degradation and social problems.

This particular report compiles the work undertaken by the transport team and is here presented as a stand-alone report for the transport requirements of the region. In its original form, it is but a part of the overall development plan for the NGCSA, which includes economic, land use, environmental, physical and social infrastructure, and architectural guidelines, strategies and designs.

1.2 Scope of Work

As per the Terms of Reference given by the UDA (Annex I) and developed by Bulankulame Associates, the scope of the transport study has been defined as follows:

(A) Previous Reports

• Consultants are required to study all previous reports with respect to transport plans for the region, including but not limited to the CMRSP

(B) Field Studies & Surveys

• Carry out field investigations to form a clear understanding of existing development, the potentials, constraints and linkages to the CMR • Conduct necessary surveys such as traffic counts & pedestrian surveys

(C) Roads

• Work in coordination with local authorities • Have a thorough knowledge of existing conditions, on-going projects, and future proposals • Formulate future distribution networks, capacities, management proposals and cost estimates for new projects as well as priorities

(D) Traffic & Transport Management (including Buses and Railways)

• Analyze necessary surveys and studies to determine existing journey patterns and mobility • Determine the present problems and recommend solutions • Consider future land use patterns, and future traffic and transport requirements • Coordinate with other responsible individuals and organizations • Consider present and future traffic flows on an intra and inter regional basis • Recommend integrated projects to improve the level of service by way of a better system, modes, technologies, new highways, new links and new traffic management

9 • Present a project list with preliminary cost estimates according to priority and time duration

1.3 Study Team

The transport study team was led by Dr. Amal S. Kumarage, Senior Lecturer in Civil Engineering at the University of Moratuwa, Head of Transport Engineering Division. He was assisted by Ms. Genevieve Connors, Assistant Planner and Ms. Pradeepa Jayaratne, Technical Officer at the University of Moratuwa. Further contributions were made by graduate students in transportation engineering at the University, including Ravindra Wijesundera and Namalie Sirisoma with regards to intersections and bus services respectively.

10 CHAPTER 2 : BACKGROUND

2.1. Review of Studies on Transport

Several transport sector studies have been carried out for the CMR in the last few years. The Colombo Urban Transport Study Stage I (CUTS-1) was completed in 1996 (Halcrow Fox Associates, 1996) This was followed by the report on Transport Infrastructure and Service Requirements for the Colombo Metropolitan Region (Kumarage, 1997) that was used as an input to the formulation of a land-use based transport strategy for the CMR as set out in the Colombo Metropolitan Regional Structure Plan (CMRSP) (UDA, 1998).

The CMRSP was followed by the Colombo Urban Transport Study Stage II (CUTS- 2), which was completed in November 1999. This study funded by the World Bank developed among other things, a working paper on a masterplan for transport development in the CMR 1. It is observed that this Working Paper closely follows the land use strategies set out in the Colombo Metropolitan Regional Structure Plan (CMRSP 2). The Masterplan is also influenced by other recent policy and strategic planning documents namely the Bus Transport Policy 3 and the Traffic Management Action Plan 4.

2.2. Transport Policy and Masterplan

The Inter Ministerial Committee for the Co-ordination and Planning of Transport (IMC-CPT) of the Ministry of Transport & Highways has further developed the Transport Masterplan for adoption as a policy and strategy document. The Masterplan has also been formulated in keeping with the broad policy framework of the Transport Policy presently being discussed by the IMC-CPT 5.

The main issues raised in the masterplan applicable to the CMR and the Negombo Growth Centre Study Area (NGCSA) are set out as follows:

Present Issues: The transport problems in the CMR may be summarised in three primary areas as discussed below:

• In the first instance, are the problems associated with the unplanned land use and ribbon development along the radial road corridors that are carrying heavy traffic flows centred on the Central Business District. It is observed that any further development within the CMC areas or along these corridors

1 WS Atkins and UoM, Working Paper #25,’ A Masterplan for Transport Development in the CMR”, Colombo Urban Transport Study- Stage 2, June 1999. 2 Prepared and published by the Urban Development Authority, Colombo, 1998. 3 The Bus Transport Policy was prepared by a Committee appointed by the Secretary, Ministry of Transport and Highways. It was published in November 1998. 4 Prepared by a Sub-Committee to the Working Group on Land Transport, National Development Council and ratified by the Ministry of Transport and Highways in 1998. 5 Proposed ‘Policy for Land ’, a policy document presently before the Ministry of Transport and Highways for adoption.

11 would lead to even greater pressure on these radials, which are even at present over-saturated in most instances, resulting in a further loss of mobility.

• Secondly, there is inadequate access to develop land lying between these radial corridors. This, is a feature that would need to change if the CMRSP proposal to encourage the formation of satellite town centres is to succeed. If orbital routes are opened up, a much higher rate of growth in traffic flows can be anticipated in the orbital directions compared to the radial directions over the next two decades.

• Finally, there are the transport problems associated with travel within the CMC area. These are centred on the growing concerns of congestion, environmental pollution and limited opportunities for road expansion .

Root Problems : The problems that have lead to these three primary issues discussed above, have been identified as:

• The deteriorating quality of public transport experienced over the last several decades that has resulted in an increased shift to private travel, which has been the primary contribution to the rapid increase in demand for roads space- the cause of congestion in most instances.

• With increasing incomes, private vehicle ownership has increased. This is a world-wide phenomenon. However, most cities now restrict vehicle ownership, by restricting or discouraging its use to limits that are sustainable when compared to population density and road density. Colombo has yet to adopt any such measures.

• The road-widening program experienced in Sri Lanka over the last two decades was led by demand for private motorised travel. This virtually ad- hoc development has made most roads unsafe for all users, in particular for cyclists and pedestrians. It has also led to reduced priority for public transport.

• The absence of transport-sensitive planning guidelines and building guidelines has led to unlimited access from major roads, excessive roadside parking and ribbon development, all of which have resulted in the disruption to the intended functionality of existing transport systems.

Overall Strategy for Land Use Development : The Colombo Metropolitan Regional Structure Plan (CMRSP) was developed against the backdrop of these issues facing the planned development of the CMR. In this context, it has identified the critical transport facilities alongside other infrastructure required to achieve this planned development.

12 The CMRSP proposes to develop the core area defined as the Capital Territory as mixed high-density land use and to facilitate the planned formation of six satellite city centres, Negombo being one of these. The proposals are based on these centres being well served with transport access, thus providing a boost to the natural growth pattern. The transport sector objectives for the CMR are identified in the CMRSP as:

• to provide a mobility (higher speed) oriented limited access road network for inter-regional transport requirements for travel through the CMR;

• to redesign the existing corridors of the CMR by improving the facilities and quality of public transport in order to maximise limited transport right of way within the region and thereby to increase speeds and flow along these corridors so as to ensure a balance between mobility and access;

• to provide improved access to the under-developed areas of the CMR, peripheral growth centres and industrial centres in order to facilitate their rapid development as planned cities and

• to develop a multi-modal transport system for the inner city (within CMC) that will be socially acceptable, economically viable and environmentally sustainable

The Transport Masterplan taking the lead from the CMRSP suggests several distinct strategies, following land use patterns, for planning transport in the CMR. These are discussed as follows:

Managing the radial traffic flows , which are medium to heavy at present and can be anticipated to increase with increasing land use density within the CMC area and with roadside ribbon development. However, due to congestion on these corridors, the rate of increase in traffic is anticipated to gradually decrease over time from 4% p.a. at present to around 1% p.a. by the year 2020.

Planning for the orbital traffic flows , which are relatively, low at present. Due to the changes in land use proposed in the CMRSP, these flows in the immediate future, can be anticipated to increase at a much faster rate than the present radial corridors.

Solving traffic circulatory problems within the CMC area . These would centre on mitigating growing concerns of congestion, air quality, parking and limited opportunities for increasing of road space. However, each urban area has a particular level of traffic sustainability. The parameters of population density, road density and the historical performance of public transport determine this level.

Managing the supply and quality of public transport. In order to keep vehicle and traffic levels within sustainable levels, the following rates of growth in public transport have been recommended for the CMR.

13 Table 2.1: Anticipated Growth Rates for Transport in CMR

Region Anticipated Growth Rates (% p.a.) Public Transport Private Transport CMC Area 4% to 6% 2% to 3% Colombo District 4% to 6% 5% to 7% CMR 6% to 8% 7% to 9%

The recommendation of the Bus Transport Policy (1998) to increase both quality and quantity of bus transport is clearly a most urgent first step. Reduction of presently excessive load factors is another stated priority. It also recommends introducing bus priority measures in the form of bus lanes on major corridors. Park and Ride services are also recommended with locations for such to be carefully chosen and reserved even if immediate operation is not possible

A new inter-regional road network. A network of inter-regional roads with limited access has been proposed in the CMRSP. This network has been recommended so that it would not interfere with the intra-regional commuter flows within the CMR. The network is identified as the North-South Highway (NSH), the North Eastern Highway (NEE); Highway between and ; Moratuwa-; Southern Extension of Southern Highway; Northern Extension of NSH; Extension to from NEE etc. The basic axis for development as given in the CMRSP is shown in Figure 2.1.

High Mobility-Corridors : The concept of High Mobility Corridors (HMCs) was introduced in the CMRSP to convey the need for reasonably fast mobility between Colombo as the core area and the CMR as the surrounding catchment. This is vital to facilitate the fast movement of commuters between residences and workplaces. It is considered equally important for the movement of industrial goods between the industries scattered throughout the CMR and the Port and trading houses in Colombo. In the CMRSP, eight (08) corridors (Figure 2.2) have been identified as HMCs. Some typical engineering and planning measures required for the conversion on these roads to High Mobility Corridors have been discussed in the CMRSP.

14 Figure 2.1: Proposed Inter-Regional Transport Axis

15 Figure 2.2: High Mobility Corridors in CMR

16 Suburban rail system: Even though the rail system in Sri Lanka has lost its passenger share over the years, it continues to possess the essential features that can provide a competitive means of transport in the CMR.

The Puttlam line that serves the NGCSA presently carries around 3% of the corridor flows. If improved, it can maintain competitiveness with road traffic. The Transport Masterplan suggests that it appears worth preserving even in parallel to a Light Rapid Transit (LRT) for the purpose of supplementing passenger capacity as well as for goods transport, particularly container traffic that is heavy on this corridor. Moreover, it is noted that the demand-based requirement for a LRT on the Negombo corridor would not materialise until the year 2020. Hence, an improved railway would then have a substantial life span even if it were eventually made redundant by a LRT system. It is therefore noted that the long-standing plans for electrification of the suburban railways should be reconsidered in the light of these long-term issues and of course the possible introduction of LRT on these corridors.

Mass rapid transit systems: Light Rapid Transit (LRT) systems in most cases present more comfort, convenience and are less of an environmental problem. They are also generally considered to convey an improved image to a modern city. They represent a sufficiently competitive mode of transport that can even attract people who own cars. This is an important element that is desired from a public transport system, particularly if traffic restraint measures as discussed elsewhere in the Masterplan are to be imposed.

A grade-separated LRT appears to be most justifiable when the daily corridor flows exceed 240,000 trips per day in both directions. On the other hand grade-separation also becomes a critical requirement if speeds are to be maintained at or over 30 kms per hour. Thus a grade-separated LRT is proposed for four of the eight radial corridors in CMR.

Of these, there are three corridors namely the Road Corridor; Sri Jayawardenapura corridor and the High Level Corridor that appear to justify a LRT within the next 10 years. The full potential of these systems may take a further one to two decades to develop. In the case of the fourth corridor, the Negombo line, the additional capacity that would be introduced by the proposed Colombo- Katunayake Expressway (CKE) would prevent the construction of a LRT in the near future. It is suggested that it appears better to develop the existing suburban rail line in this corridor, for the next two decades and examine the prospect of a LRT thereafter. The Negombo Road LRT Corridor has been proposed as follows:

Fort/Pettah – Armour Street – Ingurukade Junction – – – Ja Ela – – Katunayake EPZ – Airport (BIA) – Negombo.

Freight transport : An important element of the transport network within the CMR is the movement of freight. However, the only area where freight traffic comprises a

17 significant proportion of the road space is with respect to port related traffic. In this context, a rail based Inland Container Depot at or Hunupitiya is anticipated to solve most of the problems.

2.3. Current Transport Sector Projects and Action Plans

There are several transport sector projects that have been identified for funding and implementation that would have an impact on transport in the NGCSA. These are discussed as follows:

Colombo-Katunayake Expressway (CKE): Tenders have been called for the construction and operation of a 25-km four-lane limited access expressway from Peliyagoda to Katunayake. Construction is scheduled to commence later this year. The government anticipates commercial funding on a credit basis for this purpose. The lowest tender value has been nearly Rs 10 bn. Even though the proposed tolls are not considered sufficient to provide pay back of all costs, the Government is keen on this project as a matter of priority due to the importance of the road linkages it provides.

However, it has been pointed out that no economic feasibility study has been carried out to justify this road 6. Other alternatives such as (a) an improved railway, (b) the development of the Uswetakeiyawa – Hekkita - Ja ela Road have also been proposed. Moreover, the CMRSP favours a more easterly located north-south highway as a means of connecting the growth centres and opening up of inaccessible land areas, as opposed to providing another radial corridor to Colombo City, which it argues will increase traffic congestion within Colombo City.

Road Development Masterplan for District: The Ministry of Highways together with the Road Development Authority is presently in the process of developing a masterplan for the highways in . This will primarily focus on the roads that should be upgraded from provincial administration to be included in the national network.

ADB Assistance on Low Income Housing: Negombo Town has been identified for assistance under the UD&LIHP funded by the ADB. This assistance includes the widening and upgrading of the road from Kurana Road (north of the BIA) up to Lewis Place a total length of 6.2 kms. This section of road is made up of a number of shorter sections namely Sri Wickrema Rajasinghe Road, Convent Road, Temple Road, Mosque Road, Andrew Road and Kanatte Road, and Cemetery Road. These roads are to be widened to 7 metres, as a continuous two-lane highway. The consultancy for detail design of this road is to be awarded in the near future. The estimated cost for this project, which includes two bridges, is Rs 100 mn.

6 Kumarage A.S., ‘Report on the Colombo-Katunayake Expressway’, submitted at the request of H.E. the President, April 23, 1998.

18 Southwest Coast Tourism Development Study: The UNDP and WTO funded study on Negombo town under the Southwest Coast Tourism Development Study is also nearing completion. Under this study there are a number of transport related proposals that have been made. These are:

• Make Lewis Place a traffic restricted area, so that road use is restricted mostly to pedestrian and non-motorised traffic and so that it is more consistent with the need to open up more land area for hotels and greater tourism activity on the eastern side of the road.

• In order to provide a by-pass for present traffic using Lewis Place, to develop the western side of the Dutch Hamilton Canal for a 10 metre wide road to accommodate a two-lane highway with separate right of way for non- motorised traffic.

• Simultaneously to develop a number of east-west oriented cross roads between Lewis Place and the Road/A3.

• To pedestrianise the conservation area within the city core.

Double Tracking of the Railway : The Sri Lanka Railway has included the double tracking of the track between Ragama and Negombo in its present six year development plan. This work is presently held up due to a shortage of rails. It is expected that once the rails are received later this year, the work would commence. Double tracking up to Negombo is scheduled for completion by the end of 2001.

Railway Electrification: A substantial section of railway track within the CMR has been identified for electrification. Although many reports and studies have been concluded, the absence of a comprehensive economic feasibility study has hampered the progress in recent times. A committee appointed and chaired by the Secretary to the Treasury is to make a recommendation to the Government for appropriate action. Meanwhile, recent transport studies including the proposed Transport Masterplan, question the adequacy of railway electrification for the future challenge of attracting private car users to rail travel. These studies appear to favour LRT as a more appropriate long-term investment.

World Bank Package 3 Road Projects : The Katunayake-, Toppu - Dankotuwa-Giriulla, Seeduwa – and St Joseph’s Street and Chilaw Road (both within Negombo Town area) have been undertaken under World Bank funding. Even though the Contractor has given Notice of Arbitration and some works have been suspended, all roads have been issued with substantial completion certificates.

Bridges: The Mankuliya bridge on the Negombo-Pamunugama Road over the Negombo Lagoon is presently under reconstruction. This is to be rebuilt at a raised elevation to enable the through movement of larger boats into the lagoon.

19 2.4. Transport Networks

2.4.1. Road Network in Town Area

There are approximately 65 roads totalling a length of 71 kms of roads maintained by the Negombo Municipal Council (Table 1 of Annex I). These are generally lower traffic roads carrying a higher composition of bicycles and motor cycles. The heavier traffic radial roads such as the Archbishop Nicholas Marcus Fernando (ANMF) Mawatha, St Joseph’s Street, Main Street, Old Chilaw Road, Pamunugama Road etc are all maintained by the RDA. In addition, other relatively busy roads such as Ave Maria Road, Sea Street and Lewis Place are administered by the Provincial RDA. Figure 2.3 shows the intersections and links of the road network within the Negombo Town area and the numbers assigned for these for the purpose of the study.

Figure 2.3: Links and Intersection in Negombo Town Road Network

20 2.4.2. Road Network in NGC Study Area

There is an extensive network of roads within the NGCSA. These roads are made up of 66.42 kms of A and B class roads maintained by the RDA (Table 2 of Annex II) and a further 46.69 kms of Class C and D roads administered by the Provincial Councils (Table 3 of Annex II). At the bottom of the road hierarchy are the roads maintained by the urban local authorities (Negombo MC and Seeduwa-Katunayake UC) and those maintained by rural local authorities. These have been summarised in Table 4 of Annex II. The major road network within the NGCSA is given in Figure 2.4.

2.4.3. Bus Route Network

The bus services in the NGCSA are operated by the State owned Regional Companies and the private sector. Most of the State owned buses operating within the study area belong to the Negombo depot of the Gampaha Bus Company. Numerous individuals own the private buses in service. The Western Provincial Road Transport Authority regulates them. There is a regional office at Mahabage, which supervises the operations of private buses in the region.

Figure 2.5 shows the major bus routes from Negombo. The Negombo Depot operates around 60-70 buses per day on 41 routes. Even though the depot has around 120 buses on record and is expected to operate a scheduled 101 buses, it cannot meet the targets due to an ageing fleet and inability to effect timely repairs. The basic route details such as class of service, frequency, distance and travel speed of the services are given in Table 5 of Annex II.

21 Figure 2.4 Roads and Network of NGCSA

22 Figure 2.5: Major Bus Routes in Negombo

23 2.5. Transport Surveys and Data

Existing data required for the transport study of Negombo was collected from a number of different sources 7 8. In addition, a one-day survey was undertaken in the Negombo Town area on 3/4/2000 to obtain: (a) traffic flows; (b) pedestrian flows; (c) origin-destination information of passenger and freight vehicles; (d) origin-destination information of bus and rail passengers; (e) bus and bus passenger flows; (f) parking demand. This was followed by an intersection survey at 11 junctions on 27 th May 2000. Geometric measurements of each intersection were also taken. A travel time survey of the road network in the NGCSA was done on 5 th June 2000. The details of each survey are discussed in the following sections.

In order to obtain the transport details in the Negombo area, the following traffic surveys were carried out in Negombo town.

• Manual Classified Counts (MCC) • Parking Count • Pedestrian Count • Passenger Vehicles & Goods Vehicle OD Survey • Rail & Bus Passenger Interview • Bus & Bus Passenger Count

All these surveys were carried out from 6.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. on a typical weekday.

2.5.1. Manual Classified Counts

Twelve hours-classified counts were carried out on the following roads

• Chilaw Road • St. Joseph’s Street • Main Street • Mankuliya Road • Archbishop Marcus Nicholas Fernando Mawatha (AMNFM) • Sea Street

7 ‘TransPlan Database’ , Transportation Engineering Division, University of Moratuwa. 8 `Development Plan for Negombo Municipal council Area’ , Department of Town & Country Planning, University of Moratuwa

24 Figure 2.6: Traffic Survey Locations in Negombo Town

25 These were done in both directions on Sea Street, ANMF Mawatha, and Mankuliya Road. However on St. Joseph’s Street, Main Street and Chilaw Road counts were alternated every 15 minutes due to the heavier traffic flows. These are flows are given in the tables in Annex III. The locations are shown in Figure 2.6. In addition, data from two previous surveys at Katunayake and Kochchikade on the A3 highway have also been used 9.

2.5.2. Pedestrian Flows in town area

Pedestrian flow counts of movements along roadsides were carried out several times during the day on all road links within the Negombo town area. The flows observed and expanded to estimate for the 12 daylight hours 6.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. are given in Table 2.2.

Table 2.2: Pedestrian Flows per 12 hours

Road Link # Observed Pedestrians Per 12 Daylight Hours

Main Street 1 2,064 2 7,392 3 12,528 4 5,904 Sea Street 5 2,784 6 5,568 7 4,992 St Sebastian Road 8 2,016 Chilaw Road 9 1,440 10 1,776 DS Senanayake/Station 12 4,680 Rd 13 3,276 Rajapakse Broadway 14 10,800 16 3,600 Greens Road 15 32,400 17 39,400 St Joseph’s Street 18 6,120 Custom House Road 20 6,120 21 4,284

2.5.3. Traffic Flow at Intersections in town area

Approximate intersection counts were taken on 28 th May 2000 in order to estimate traffic flows and capacity of intersections. These were done by 15 minute rotating counts taken throughout the day. The summary as the turning movements observed by each approach on each of the major intersections for a 12 -hour daytime period is given as Table 2.3. ) 10

9 TransPlan Database, University of Moratuwa 10 The approaches are showed in the Figure 1 of Annex V

26 2.5.4. Travel Speeds on Trunk Roads in the area

The travel speeds on the major trunk roads were carried out on 5 th of June 2000. These are given in Table 2.4

27 Table 2.3: Intersection Flows (Total vehicles per hour)

Location Location No. Approach Turning Movement Total Through Left Right 1 Coppra Junction N1 1 319 69 137 525 2 418 216 147 782 3 514 171 41 727 4 393 57 103 552 Sub Total (N1) 1,644 513 429 2,585 2 Ave Maria Junction N2 1 907 127 1,034 2 720 146 866 3 125 173 298 Sub Total (N2) 1,627 271 300 2,198 3 Main Street - N3 1 410 75 485 Greens Rd. 2 411 166 578 3 285 242 526 Sub Total (N3) 821 451 317 1,589 4 Main Street - Chilw N4 1 561 130 691 Road 2 86 151 237 3 569 151 720 Sub Total (N4) 1,130 237 281 1,647 5 Colombo Road - N9 1 478 86 564 Chilaw Road 2 507 485 993 3 384 67 451 Sub Total (N9) 986 470 552 2,007 6 Broadway - D.S. N10 1 219 303 522 Senanayake Mw. 2 318 51 369 3 267 75 342 Sub Total (N10) 486 393 354 1,233 7 Clock Tower N11 1 125 381 96 602 Junction 2 324 130 50 504 3 163 77 14 254 4 429 63 286 778 Sub Total (N11) 1,041 651 446 2,138 8 Tillanduwa N12 1 115 79 137 331 Junction 2 307 149 33 489 3 51 15 18 84 4 105 53 142 300 5 490 106 84 681 Sub Total (N12) 1,068 402 414 1,884 9 Old Res t House N14 1 54 27 6 87 Junction 2 153 6 60 219 3 81 36 483 600 4 123 396 6 525 Sub Total (N14) 411 465 555 1,431 10 Thelwatta Junction N15 1 837 34 871 2 82 247 329 3 614 276 890 Sub Total (N15) 1,450 358 281 2,090 11 Seeduwa Junction N16 1 1,032 213 1,245 2 190 206 396 3 840 93 933 Sub Total (N16) 1,872 403 298 2,573 12 St. Joseph Rd. - N17 1 108 90 96 294 Colombo Road 2 696 162 30 888 3 114 48 45 207 4 576 69 54 699 Sub Total (N17) 1,494 369 225 2,088

28 Table 2.4: Travel Times and Average Speeds on Major Roads

Section Time from Road Distance Speed Negombo Road Name No. (km) km/hr Town From To (mts) - Chilaw Road A3 Ja-Ela-Old Bridge 592901 Ja-ela Bridge Junction 592096 0.4 43.34 Ja-ela Bridge Junction 592096 Katunayake 593101 8.847 50.36 Katunayake 593101 Telwatte 590406 6.056 21.53 Telwatte 590406 Coppara Junction 590402 1.07 36.65 Coppara Junction 590402 Periyamulla Junction 590410 0.675 38.82 Katunayake - Veyangoda B208 Hadirana Junction 591401 Welihena Junction 523602 4.293 46.59 Road Welihena Junction 523602 Airport Opposite 591303 8.56 52.41 Airport Opposite 591303 591402 0.338 Negombo Miriswatte Road B324 Railway Station Junction 590409 Tillanduwa Junction 590408 0.492 25.69 Railway Station Junction 590409 Coppara Junction 590402 0.4 43.1 Coppara Junction 590402 Nugawela Junction 590403 1.991 25.8 Nugawela Junction 590403 Miriswatta Junction 523702 5.297 26.57 Negombo - Alutepola Road B321 Tillanduwa Junction 590408 Telwatta Junction 590406 1.15 23.61 Telwatte Junction 590406 Rukaththana Junction 590502 3.36 29.88 Negombo - Giriulla B322 Katana 1 590403 Nugawela Junction 590403 5.138 39.56 Negombo Kadirana Road B323 Negombo Galkanda Junction 590404 Kadirana 1.00 52.63 Baseline Road Giriulla Road jnct. to Minuwangoda Rd jnct. at Kadirana 5.3 31.80 Mosque Road & others Katunayake North RS to Lewis Place 2.8 25.85 Mankuliya Road Tillwaduwa Junction 590408 Old Rest House Junction 590405 0.65 23.33 Old Rest House Junction 590405 Ja-ela /Tudella 592801 19.3 30.08

29 2.5.5. Parking Survey in town area

A survey was conducted to determine the number of vehicles parked in the town centre on each of the road links within the town area. The average parking demand has been estimated for each link for the periods (a) morning (7:00 to 10:00); (b) mid- day (10:00 to 13:00) and (c) evening (13:00 to 16:00). The summarised mean parking demand by vehicle type for each link by time period is given in Table 2.5.

Table 2.5: Demand for Parking per 12 hours

Observed Mean Parking Demand Road Link # Morning Mid Day Evening 2 wh. Other 2 wh. Other 2 wh. Other Main Street Link 1 29 31 46 50 29 26 Link 2 63 57 95 76 78 50 Link 3 23 3 75 10 64 17 Link 4 67 13 130 50 98 32 Sea Street Link 5 29 26 38 29 22 14 Link 6 44 11 65 26 44 19 Link 7 4 4 22 2 11 5 St Sebastian Rd Link 8 1 2 5 3 3 1 Chilaw Road Link 9 0 3 4 8 9 9 Link 10 10 7 30 25 24 22 Ave Maria Road Link 11 19 16 28 34 26 17 DS Senanayake Mw. Link 12 13 12 13 10 10 8 Link 13 5 18 26 30 1 16 Rajapakse Broadway Link 14 23 30 66 42 44 36 Link 16 0 11 40 33 8 21 Greens Road Link 15 31 18 63 26 38 20 Link 17 42 37 40 28 36 22 St Joseph’s Street Link 18 18 14 18 31 19 26 Link 20 21 12 13 16 9 15 Archbishop NMF Mw. Link 19 17 6 40 23 34 28 Custom House Road Link 21 17 5 11 6 9 5 Link 22 3 1 2 3 2 0 TOTAL ALL LINKS 478 336 869 559 617 406

2.5.6. Origin-Destination Surveys

A survey was conducted to find out the O-D of the private vehicles in the town area. This was carried with the assistance of the Negombo Police. A total of 663 private vehicles and 186 goods vehicles were stopped and basic travel data with respect to origin, destination, trip purpose, vehicle type, type of goods carried were recorded. The numbers of surveys obtained from each of the survey locations are given in Table 2.6. The origins and destinations have been grouped into 9 zones as shown in Figure 1 of Annex IV. The resulting origin-destination matrices combined for all roads for private vehicles and goods vehicles are given as Table 1 and 2 of Annex IV.

Table 2.6: Interviews for OD Matrices

Road Number of Interviews Private Vehicles Goods Vehicles St. Joseph’s Road 54 34

30 Sea Street 116 26 Mankuliya Road 55 36 Main Street 224 34 Chilaw Road 143 20 ANMF Mawatha 71 36 Total 663 186

2.5.7. Bus Passenger Boarding Counts

A 12-hour count was made of all bus passengers boarding in Negombo. The count was made by identifying the operator type (i.e.: RTC; Private), service type (i.e.; normal, A/C) registration number and the route number. Counts were totalled for every half-hour period. A corridor wise summary that gives the number of buses and passengers observed at each of the survey locations and on Greens Road in both directions over a period of 12 hours is given in Table 2.7.

2.5.8. Bus Passenger Origin-Destination Surveys

Interviews of bus boarding passengers were made during the 12-hour period of the boarding counts. These interviews were made at the main bus stand as well as bus stops spread throughout the town area. A total of 829 completed survey forms were obtained from this survey. This represents a sample size of approximately 2% of all passenger boardings. The two-way balanced origin-destination matrix is given as Table 3 of Annex IV. The sample survey also showed that 39% of bus passenger trips were home based work trips as opposed to the balance being other trips.

2.5.9. Rail Passenger Origin-Destination Estimates

The origin-destination matrix based on season and ordinary ticket sales in the Negombo area and obtained from the Principal Costing Office of the is given as Table 4.1 and 4.2 of Annex IV. These matrices represent the estimated daily rail travel in the region.

31 Table 2.7: Bus and Bus Passenger Counts in (12 hours)

32 2.5.9. Road Details

The details of the road network within the NGSC Area are given in Table 1 of Annex V. This contains the road name, its length, width, roadside development etc.

2.5.10. Geometric Details of Intersections

Road geometric details were obtained from each of the intersections in the town area. These details are given as Figure 1 of Annex V.

2.5.11. Survey Forms

Survey forms used in the data collections are given in Annex VI.

2.6 Socio-Economic data

The essential socio-economic data required for the analysis of transport demand and trends within the NGCSA are discussed below.

2.6.1 Vehicles

The vehicle licensing by type of vehicles by DSD for the year 1998 is given for the NGCSA in Table 2.8 11 .

Table 2.8: Motor Vehicles Licensed in NGSC area by type of vehicle

Vehicle Type Motor Three Cars/Vans Freight Buses Total Cycles Wheeler Vehicles Negombo 5,718 790 2,297 722 73 9,600 Katana 7,329 807 2,744 953 117 11,950 Gampaha District 72,001 9,722 25,775 10,598 1,738 119,834 CMR 194,660 61,395 149,266 51,535 7,789 464,646 Sri Lanka 424,938 77,089 214,613 89,208 17,063 822,912

2.7 Regional Socio-economic data

The socio-economic data regarding population and employment for each of the DSDs in the study area is given in Table 2.9.

Table 2.9: Socio-economic Indicators

1994 2010 2030 Population Government # of HH Population 12 Labour Population Labour Employment Force Force Negombo DSD 145,813 4,539 31,695 181,449 64,666 190,496 67,962 Katana DSD 172,425 7,308 37,184 214,564 93,195 225,500 94,945

11 Source: TransPlan Database, University of Moratuwa 12 Based on a population growth rate of 1.2 percent p.a.

33 Gampaha 1,707,735 50,519 374,947 2,125,093 827,791 587,334 869,980 District CMR 4,690,407 268,099 996,351 5,626,546 2,177,150 1,495,848 2,269,843

2.8 Personal Discussions

Apart from the physical data collections discussed above, personal meetings and/or discussions were held with a number of officers from relevant organisations. A list of persons whose views have been sought is given as Annex VII.

34 3 ANALYSIS OF PRESENT TRANSPORT SYSTEM (FOR CHAPTER 06 OF INTERIM REPORT)

There are several issues that constrain development of the transport sector and its supporting role in transforming Negombo into a growth centre. Some of the present attributes of the transport sector are clear strengths for the purpose of sustaining accelerated growth in and around Negombo. On the other hand, many attributes are weaknesses, which even at present constitute major drawbacks to the development of the region.

These individual features of the overall transport network of the region are discussed as follows:

• Colombo-Puttlam (A3) Highway • Proximity to the Bandaranaike International Airport • Importance of the Export Processing Zone • Proposed Colombo-Katunayake Expressway • Internal Road Network in NGCSA • Puttlam Line of the Railways • Traffic in Negombo Town • Bus Services • Waterways

3.7 Colombo-Puttlam (A3) Highway:

The A3 highway is the most important feature of the internal road network in the Negombo Growth Centre Study Area (NGCSA), serving both as the primary internal transport linkage for the region and a major thoroughfare for traffic connecting Colombo with the north of the country. It runs through the NGCSA in a north-south direction. Currently, it is a substandard four-lane highway between Colombo and Katunayake, rehabilitated as a four-lane divided highway between Katunayake and Negombo, and thereafter as a two-lane highway north of Negombo. Due to the fact that Colombo is the provincial and national capital, the present travel desire lines for the NGCSA are in the direction of Colombo district, particularly Colombo City. The present rehabilitation has added significant highway capacity that could be advantageously used for growth in the NGCSA. Furthermore, it bypasses Negombo Town providing convenient access to the town centre and surrounding areas without further contributing to the congestion of internal circulation.

Passenger Flows: Passenger data summarised from previous surveys of the A3 corridor and given in Table 3.1 indicates a natural decrease in congestion in moving further away from Colombo. Average daily passengers decrease from 237,000 at the Victoria Bridge to 149,000 at Kochchikade. As bus transport assumes a higher modal

35 share towards Negombo and beyond, the number of other vehicles on the road decreases noticeably.

Road Speeds: Average road speed increases from 26 km/hr to 38 km/hr from one end of the region to the other. This suggests that regional development around Negombo away from Colombo related industry and traffic desire lines would benefit from increased mobility north of Katunayake (Figure 3.1).

Figure 3.1: Passenger Flows with Distance Negombo Rd.(A003)

350 40

300 35

30 250

25 200

20 Speed (km/hr) Speed

150

15 Pax. per day ('000) perday Pax. 100 10 Pax. Per day 50 Speed 5

- 0 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

Distance (km)

Table 3.1 – Flows, Travel Speed and Modal Shares on the A3 Corridor 13

Location Kms Pax. Modal Share (%) Vehicles (#s) Total Vehicles 000s Bus PV Rail Bus PV Goods Victoria 1.7 237 62% 35% 3% 3,816 37,461 7,749 49,026 Bridge Peliyagoda 3.0 289 59% 38% 3% 4,599 45,365 8,685 58,649 Wattala 7.0 213 64% 32% 4% 3,829 30,004 8,043 41,876

Tudella 17.0 138 69% 26% 5% 2,862 16,220 4,788 23,870

13 From 1995 and 1999 data in Colombo Urban Transport Study, Stage 2 (CUTS 2), p.4-5.

36 Katunayake 25.0 134 63% 33% 4% 3,138 19,429 6,367 28,934

Kochchikade 39.4 149 64% 33% 3% 2,230 22,381 6,971 31,582

Traffic Flow & Composition: The traffic composition on the A3 within the NGCSA is given in Table 3.2. It can be seen that the average traffic composition does not vary much throughout the A3 within the study area. After adjustments for the inconsistency in vehicles types included in the different surveys, it could also be noted that the traffic volumes also have not varied much, with the lowest volumes indicated within the Negombo Town Area. Bicycles make up around 11 percent, while motorised slow moving vehicles makes up a further 15-25 percent. Heavy vehicles make up around 25 to 30 percent with cars and vans making up the majority of around 45 to 50 percent.

Table 3.2: Traffic Composition on A3 Highway

Percent Composition of Flow by Vehicle Type Location Total Bicycle Motor Three Cars & Freight Bus Flow Cycle Wheeler Van Vehicle Katunayake 28,434 14 - 12.4 5.2 49.2 23.2 9.9 Negombo 22,504 15 11.5 17.2 8.6 47.5 15.0 - Kochchikade 33,633 16 12.1 18.2 4.3 43.3 21.0 -

Functionality: There are two main threats to the functionality of the A3 highway. The first relates to roadside development and the second to safety. Roadside development along the length of the A3 is occurring at all points along the corridor hampering its performance and capacity levels. Stalls and semi-permanent shops are encroaching directly onto roads forcing pedestrians, bicyclists and all standing traffic into the highway, which in turn forces high speed traffic from both sides closer to the median. Measures must be taken to ensure that side and back development for entrance to the shops occurs.

The second threat concerns safety and is in part correlated to roadside development. In addition, the recent rehabilitation of the stretch of highway between Katunayake and Negombo has greatly increased speed, at the expense of road safety. The sections that are of particular concern are the ones that have curves. Many accidents including fatal accidents are to be observed south of Seeduwa and north of Negombo where curvatures are to be found in what is otherwise a mostly straight section of road.

Short Distance Trips : Traffic Surveys at Kochchikade and Katunayake show that around 10-25% of cars and vans at those locations is travelling exclusively within the

14 Does not include bicycles and carts 15 Does not include Route Buses 16 Does not include Route Buses

37 study area. Motor cycles and three wheeler traffic short distance trips make up over 20%. In the case of freight vehicles this is around 15%.

Trip Purpose: Trip purposes of private vehicle users on the A3 highway obtained from traffic survey data 17 are reproduced in Table 3.3. This shows that work-based trips are greater in the Katunayake area, while the surveys at Welisara and Ja Ela indicate that home-based work trips make up around 30% on the A3.

Table 3.3: Trip Purpose on A3

Home Based Work Based Other Trips Work Trips Trips Welisara 26% 15% 59% Ja Ela 32% 07% 62% Katunayake 31% 35% 34%

3.8 Transport Requirements of the BIA

The Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), the Katunayake Export Processing Zone (KEPZ), and Air Force Grounds are all located in Katunayake, comprising 8.5% of growth centre land. The BIA and the KEPZ in particular are two of the largest transport and traffic generators not only for the NGCSA, but also for the entire country. As the only international airport in Sri Lanka, BIA needs to be well connected at the national level. Currently, it is easily accessible from the A3 highway, being only 1.5 kms inland from the turnoff along the Canada Friendship Road. The trip ends of its users are generally not limited to Colombo but spread throughout, particularly the southern part, wherein the majority of tourist nights are spent.

Passenger Movements: The passenger movements at BIA have increased from 152,600 in 1972 to 2.3 million in 1997. The aircraft and cargo movements have increased from 15,433 and 22,329 metric tons in 1983 to 22,568 and 96,134 metric tons in 1997 respectively. 18 The historic growth rate of passengers has been approximately 9% p.a., the cargo growth rate increasing at 13% p.a. They are projected to continue to increase as at annual rate of 8% and 13% respectively until 2010.

Figure 3.2 - Historic Passenger Movements at BIA, 1990-97

Historic Passenger Movements, BIA

1,500

1,250 17 Source: TransPlan Database, University of Moratuwa. 18 Embarked Report of the Committee1,000 Appointed by Her Excellency the President , April 1998 for the Development of BIA. Disembarked 750

(000s) Passengers 500 38

Figure 3.3 - Historic Freight and Mail Movements at BIA, 1990-97

As the only international airport, BIA provides for airport related developments that are increasingly seen at airports in other countries, such as transit hotels, rent-a-car services, freight forwarding agencies, aircraft servicing facilities, tour-operators and shopping facilities for transit passengers. Presently, however, most of these activities occur in Colombo, since Negombo is too small an urban centre to provide these services. In general, the airport reinforces ties with Colombo rather than Negombo. Even northbound traffic from the airport towards Negombo is obliged to return to the A3 via the Canada Friendship Road rather than exit the airport directly from the north.

Development Plans: Land immediately north of the BIA provides an opportunity for airport related development. This area is presently under high security as it contains

Historic Freight & Mail Movement, BIA

60,000 50,000 40,000 Loaded

30,000 Unloaded Metric Tons Metric 20,000 10,000 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 the Air Force Base. The Report on the Development of the Bandaranaike International Airport submitted to Her Excellency the President in April 1998, strongly recommends that (a) a second parallel runway be constructed 0.5 to 1.5 kms north of the existing runway and (b) that the Air Force base over the next 5 to 7 years be removed from Katunayake as it is noted that ‘ military operations should not go together with civil aviation flights at the same location as it is hazardous to civil aviation’ .

The new passenger terminals are proposed between the two runways, with cargo terminals towards the northern end of the second runway. The report also states that

‘even if a second runway does not become a reality, the present land area occupied by the SLAF would be required for the construction of a Terminal building together with Cargo Complex, Fire & Rescue facilities, Bonded Warehouse facilities, Water & Sewage systems’.

These proposals should be seriously considered since the growth of the airport and its related economic activities would be one of the major catalysts for growth in the NGCSA. The construction of the proposed CKE would be a threat in this regard, as it

39 would further strengthen the linkage with Colombo rather than with Negombo. Strengthening the northern linkage between the airport and Negombo area can however counter this threat.

The strategies for achieving these are further discussed in Chapter 4, Section 1.

Tourism: Strengthening ties with Lewis Place along the Negombo tourist resort coastline from the BIA is an essential feature for tourism and its growth in the study area. Although national tourist numbers have fluctuated (Figure 3.4), recent years have seen a broadly positive trend that needs to be catered to.

Figure 3.4 – Tourist Arrivals at BIA, 1970-1998

There are also plans for an ADB project to upgrade the 6.2-km road running parallel

Tourist Arrivals at BIA

450 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 Arrivals (x 1000) (x Arrivals 50 0

to the A3 from the BIA turnoff heading north west towards Lewis Place. This is the centre of Negombo’s tourist hotel industry and is shown in Figure 3.5 as mapped by the UNDP/CTB Southwest Coast Tourism Project described in Chapter 2. However, the ADB project would only be useful if passengers can exit from the northern end of the airport. The proposed development of the second runway anticipates the passenger terminals between the two runways such that accessing Lewis Place via the A3 would still be easier than circumnavigating the airport to the road to be developed by the ADB. Strategies are further developed to provide for stronger linkages between the airport and the tourist area in Section 1, Proposal F of Chapter 4.

40 Figure 3.5- Hotel Locations and Development Strategies Proposed in CTB Study

41 3.9 Katunayake Export Processing Zone

The KEPZ generates over 60,000 movements through direct employment. Most of these employees commute to work as residential facilities within walking distances from these factories is limited. The KEPZ requires good access to catchment areas, from which workers can commute to work without unnecessary transfers. It also needs direct freight transport facilities to and from the Port of Colombo. Currently this is largely met by road transport along the A3.

Connectivity to the KEPZ : The KEPZ and the BIA are located in close proximity to each other and attract considerable work trips from around the region. Although subject to heavy congestion at peak periods, connectivity to Colombo in the south and Puttlam in the north on the A3 is good. Elsewhere, access to the KEPZ is severely constrained (Figure 3.6). Inland to the north, in the region of Baseline Road before it is interrupted by the Airforce and the BIA, the Minuwangoda Road (B323) is barricaded at Kadirana for security reasons, causing detours towards Kimbulapitiya on the Aluthepola Road (B321). In the east, connectivity is poor is due to the temporary closure of the A109/B208, Airport- Minuwangoda- Veyangoda Road just east of the airport at Andiambalama, for all heavy traffic including buses. These vehicles are required to do a detour of around 2 kms to emerge onto the Averiwatte- Yagodamulla Road just east of the KEPZ. The area to the south-east of KEPZ is also inaccessible due to the Dandugan Oya which is impassable except for a pontoon bridge at Kuswela, which in turn is entirely impassable for motorised vehicles, except two and three wheelers.

42 Figure 3.6 Transport Facilities for KEPZ

43 Transport: A large bus terminal is now operational at Averiwatte to cater to workers’ needs. It has an estimated 15 bus platforms. (Figures 3.7 & 3.8) The terminal is surrounded by rows of shops that function mostly at peak periods. Peak hours revolve around the arrival and departure of factory employees. Table 3.4 indicates the typical bus route distribution from Averiwatte. This clearly shows that the predominant linkage is with Colombo. Other linkages appear to be evenly spread with around 80 buses per day. On State Owned buses an estimated 4,000 KEPZ employees are departing towards Negombo, Veyangoda, Gampaha and Raddolugama. If a further 10,000 were estimated in the Colombo direction, this would still account for only 25,000 workers accessing the KEPZ by route buses, leaving 35,000 unaccounted for by bus services. It was observed that large proportions of workers walk home after work presumably to lodgings in the vicinity. Several factories also have chartered buses and van services are becoming popular. The closest railway station is the Railway halt named Export Promotion Zone (EPZ) located around 1.5 kms from the Averiwatte Bus Terminal. This is very poorly patronised since it involves a considerable walking distance for the employees. Railway time tabling also does not cater to KEPZ workers.

Table 3.4: Private Bus Trips from Averiwatte Bus Stand

Route Number Destination Trips per day 187 160 187 (Air Conditioned) Fort 306 240/3 Negombo 85 245/1 Veyangoda 84 270 Gampaha 78 904 Madawela 32 788 Raddolugama 70

44 Figures 3.7 & 3.8: Bus Stand at Katunayake, Averiwatte

45 3.10 Proposed Colombo-Katunayake Expressway

The proposed CKE is expected to commence operation within the next three years. It is presently under negotiation for tender as a commercially financed toll road. The CKE, which is designed as a four lane limited access highway, will extend from Peliyagoda to the intersection of the A3 with the Canada Friendship Road (Figure 3.9). Motorcycles, three wheelers, all forms of non-motorised vehicles and other slow vehicles such as tractors and slow buses will not be allowed on the CKE.

The additional capacity it will provide and the differential in time-savings will result in an attraction for more road based commuter traffic from the NGCSA to Colombo City. The TransPlan model estimates that the CKE will result in the following traffic features after 10 years of operation under moderate economic growth.

(a) Link flows are estimated to vary from 18,000 vehicles per day at the northern end to 43,000 at the southern end.

(b) The total traffic use is estimated at 550,000 vehicle kms (without tolls), which represents a 12 percent diversion from the A3.

(c) New traffic generated by the CKE appears to be around 10% or 4,300 at the southern end.

(d) As opposed to other projects such as the Outer Circular Road or the Southern Highway that have also been tested by TransPlan model, the CKE does not indicate a significant reduction to the overall system speed. This means that although there may be travel time gains when diverting to the CKE, the delays caused by the generated traffic would offset much of those gains.

These statistics show that CKE will be attractive for use to an extent that capacity will be suitably used over the first 10 years of its operation. This attraction will however be only in the short term, as extra capacity will soon be filled and saturation levels reached, unless toll levels are revised upwards in order to discourage traffic. However, the net contribution by the CKE to the performance of the road networks as a whole, by reduced network travel time or increased network speed, is found to be only marginal. For example, it would not substantially improve speeds of traffic not on the CKE, neither would it open up alternative land uses nor reduce trip lengths thereby.

The conditions that will be created could actually increase the function of Negombo as a ‘dormitory town’. The CKA will, however, provide a strong linkage between the BIA and Colombo City albeit at the expense of Negombo, which should ideally be the recipient of future growth of the airport and related activities. Moreover, the CKE’s western access to the airport does not provide an advantage for those who are accessing the airport from locations other than Colombo City. Since the BIA is a national airport it should be directly accessible from all parts of the country. The lack

46 of suitable direct access from the east, south and north will continue to constrain development of both the airport and the NGCSA.

Section 6 of Chapter 4 deals with strategies that can be developed to build on the opportunity that the CKE provides as well as to suggest alternative plans to either improve on the present proposal or supplement the CKE with other projects.

47 Figure 3.9: Proposed Trace of CKE & Southern Highway

48 3.5 Internal Road Network of NGCSA

The internal road network of the Negombo Growth Centre Study Area (NGCSA) is formed as an extension of the radial pattern of two lane roads centred on Negombo town. Overall, this arrangement of two lane roads provides an excellent arrangement for the development of Negombo as the epicentre of a growth area. The only developed orbital is the A3 that cuts across all these radial roads. The catchment area is large and, on the whole, the region is well serviced by 103 kms of A & B roads. The national rod density is nearly 1 km per sq. km within the study area. This is significantly higher than the average for the CMR as a whole.

Except for the A3, which is of four-lane standard in most parts, all other roads are between 4-6 metres in width, performing as sub-standard two-lane highways. In the Negombo and Katana electorates alone the PRDA maintains 15 and 75 km of C & D class roads. 19 These are mostly 4-5 metre wide and generally of poor maintenance.

Regional Connectivity : In the northern direction, the A3 highway runs via Kochchikade to Chilaw and Puttlam, both important urban centres of the North Western Province. , the provincial capital of the NWP can be accessed both through the eastward running Kochchikade-Pannala-Giriulla Road and also through the B322, the Negombo-Giriulla road, which runs in a north east direction from Negombo town. These two roads are on either side of the Maha Oya and provide important collector features in the NGCSA. The primary road in the most due easterly direction is that connecting Negombo and through , (the B324 until Miriswatta and later the B602). Just south of this, the B321 also extends eastward towards Aluthepola via Kimbulapitiya. All the above cities are in the NWP. Figure 3.11 illustrates their regional linkages.

The road in the south-easterly direction from Negombo is that which extends to Nittambuwa and Gampaha via Minuwangoda. This road is presently discontinuous at Kadirana due to security measured adopted for the Air Force Base and the BIA. The result is a detour of around 3 kms, from the B323 up Baseline Road to the Aluthepola Road until Kimbulapitiya returning southward to the B208. The southern most member of the radial network is the A3 through Katunayake and Ja-ela to Colombo, which has by far the highest traffic in the internal road network. The south-eastern quadrant of the study area is serviced internally by the Ja Ela-Ekala-Minuwangoda Road (B111) which is more popular for accessing Colombo from the Minuwangoda DSD area.

There are also less trafficked roads running in an orbital direction throughout the area. At the northern end of the NGCSA are the B228 and B468 both of which provide short cuts between the B322 (Negombo-Giriulla Road) and the A3. There is also the B289 that is in a north-south direction and spans as a discontinuous orbital

19 Source: RDA, Negombo as in study Negombo-Katunayake Growth Centre , by DT Dayaratne Perera.

49 between Giriulla Road at Katana in the north down to Minuwangoda. In the southern half there is the Canada Friendship Road (A109) which passes the BIA and then veers eastward as the B208 up to Minuwangoda providing the primary means of access to the southern half of the study area. This road is supplemented by the Seeduwa- Raddolugama- Kotugoda Road which meets the B111.

In addition, there are a further two north south roads within the study area. The first is the historic Baseline Road that extends as a straight line from as far south as Seeduwa up to the Giriulla Road at Katana West. It is around 9 kms in length. (See Figure 3.10) Unfortunately, the runway of the BIA interrupts its continuity making it significantly less attractive for continuous north-south traffic movements. The section north of the airport has a road reservation of around 20 metres, although the present road is not more than 6 metres. The section south of the airport serves the KEPZ as the primary access road. The road reservation in this section is around 18 metres. The section furthest south nearing Seeduwa is not straight with the road reservation available being much less.

The other road in the north-south direction is the collection of a series of roads from just north of the airport to Lewis Place on the Negombo coast, alternatively known as Mosque Road and Cemetery Road. This road has been earmarked by the ADB assisted UDLIHP programme for widening and upgrading. The road begins near the southern entrance of the airforce base, just beside the Katunayake North railway station. The upgraded road is more likely to start just south of the Kurana station. The road reservation is around 6-7 metres. It narrows, particularly north of Mirigama Road in the Muslim community, and widening will be difficult. Its parallel positioning to the A3 combined with readier access to the A3 makes the road of questionable use and relevance to regional growth unless the land adjacent to the road is developed simultaneously.

50 Figure 3.11: Road Linkages in the NGCSA

51 Capacity: The road network in the NGCSA is required to provide among other functions, the important attribute of accessibility to the growth nodal points. In the NGCSA, Negombo Town and the Katunayake areas (KEPZ and BIA) are the existing employment centres. Most work trips are of duration of less than one and half-hours one way. The present travel time contours for each of these two centres are given in Figure 3.12 and 3.13 respectively. The present link flows for the major roads estimated for the year 2000 using the TransPlan model, are given in the Tables 3.5.

Table 3.5: Estimated Link Flows on Selected Road Links

Road Link Daily Flow Capacity 20 Peliyagoda - Puttlam Road Katunayake - Kurana South 14858 (A3) Kurana South - Kurana North 15019 Telwatte Junction - Galkanda 14190 Junction Kochchikade - Welihena 12272 Junction Welihena - Katana Road Katana - Welihena 1929 (B468) Negombo - Giriulla Road Katana - Nugawela Junction 1527 (B322) Badalgama - 1393 Negombo - Miriswatta Road Railway Station Junction - 3022 (B324) Tillanduwa Junction Coppara Junction - Nugawela 3057 Junction Negombo - Kadir ana Road Galkanda Junction - Kadirana 1489 (B323) Seeduwa - Kotugoda Road Seeduwa - Kotugoda 2157 Negombo - Alutepola Road Telwatte Junction - 1206 Rukaththana Junction Rukaththana Junction - 1020 Dagonna Dagonna - Alutepola 408

20 To be included later

52 Figure 3.12: Present One-Hour Travel time Contour for BIA/KEPZ

53 Figure 3.13: Present One-Hour Travel time Contour for Negombo Town

54 Intersections: Table 3.6 gives the estimated intersection flows 21 within the region. It shows that presently, with the exception of Ja-Ela on the A3 (which is outside the study area), all of the major intersections have less than 40,000 vehicles per day and most significantly less. Except for Seeduwa junction and those in the Negombo Town area, other intersections do not appear to warrant signalisation.

Table 3.6: Intersection Flows

Name of Intersection Flow per Day Kochchikade (A3) 25,010 Welihena Junction (A3) 25,231 Miriswatta Junction 1 6,361 Gamsabha Junction - Katana 2 6,960 Halpe (Madampe) 3,121 Kurana North (A3) 34,166 Kuran a South (A3) 32,530 Kadirana 1,260 Dagonna 3,400 Katunayake I.C. 39,476 Airport Junction (Opposite Cargo) 5,964 Seeduwa 37,822 Kotugoda Bridge Junction 14,378 Miriswatta Gampaha Rd. Junction 27,872 Miriswatta Waturugama Rd. Junc 24,580 Toppu Junction 23,126 Dunagaha Junction 6,330 Nugawela Junction 5,682 Tudella Pamunugama Rd. Jnc (A3) 37,888 Ja -Ela Bridge Junction (A3) 58,837

Safety problems : Most of the roads are already unsafe, particularly for pedestrians and cyclists for whom facilities are virtually non-existent. Intersections are also poorly designed. The Colombo-Negombo (A3) road even though just completing rehabilitation, is of particular concern requiring many safety improvements. The primary objective for the internal road network is to provide a reasonably fast access between the different urban centres within the NGCSA at an acceptable level of safety. Apart from the sections of road where curvature is high, the intersections on the A3 are of concern and have been discussed in Section 3.1. In addition, high accidents have also been noted on the Giriulla Road around 2-3 kms from Coppara junction in Negombo Town, as well as on the Mirigama Road. These roads are of poor geometric condition with improper camber and inadequate sight distance at curves. The road sections where curvature is high appears to be most vulnerable for accidents. The Giriulla Road in particular is reputed for accidents, since goods vehicles form 32 percent of the flow, the highest in any category ahead of even motorcycles and cycles.

21 From TransPlan v2 (university of Moratuwa)

55 Traffic Composition : The traffic composition on the internal road network appears to vary significantly from road to road. Table 3.7 gives the traffic composition between some selected roads.

Table 3.7: Traffic Composition on Regional Highways

Percent Composition of Flow by Vehicle Type Road Total Bicycle Motor Three Cars & Freight Bus Flow per Cycle Wheeler Van Vehicle hour Giriulla Road (Katana) 564 12.7 29.8 6.4 14.9 31.9 4.3 Mirigama Road 648 27.8 37.0 1.9 24.0 5.6 3.7 Bas eline Road 480 60.0 20.0 2.5 10.0 2.5 5.0 (Amandeluwa)

Vehicle Ownership: Vehicle ownership patterns in the Gampaha and Colombo Districts are given below in Table 3.8. Gampaha District has a higher than average percentage of motorbike ownership. This is likely to reduce as car, van, lorry and bus license registration in the region will begin to increase with increasing incomes and fall into line with the Colombo District thus contributing to increased road use. This is due to projected passenger and freight growth rates of 5% and 9% respectively along the A3 corridor at the CMC boundary. Significantly, as the internal network of the NGCSA is largely used by through traffic registered in Colombo, the roads will be subject to vehicle use more representative of Colombo District patterns of ownership where saturation levels are already very high. This is truer for the southern part of the NGCSA where road use by private vehicles is higher.

Table 3.8 - Licenses issued by Vehicle Type, 1998 (Percentage of Vehicle Fleet)

AREA Motor - 3 Wheel Car Vans Lorry Bus Land Bicycle Vehicle

Colombo 31% 16% 17% 19% 12% 2% 3% District Gampaha 58% 8% 9% 12% 9% 1% 3% District

Development Plans: The Road Development Authority together with the Ministry of Highways is presently preparing a Masterplan for the Gampaha District. This will be consulted when first draft is ready and summarised.

3.6 Puttlam Line of the Railways

The Puttlam Line is a single-track rail line northbound from Ragama up to Puttlam. It passes through the densely populated western part of the NGCSA. It has a total of seven stations within the study area. Southbound from the Maha Oya the six major stations are: Kochchikade, Kattuwa, Negombo, Kurana, Katunayake North, and Seeduwa. There is also a halt at the Export Promotion Zone (KEPZ). The stations

56 are sufficiently close to each other, but access is poor in most cases. Except for the Negombo station, the others though close to the A3 highway, are not visible from the road, and not adequately prominent in terms of access to be attractive enough to encourage alternative travel behaviour. There is also a 1-km feeder line to the airport. Though the station at the end of this line is close to the KEPZ and the BIA, it is unused for passenger traffic as only aviation fuel is carried up to the airport. However, the halt meant for the KEPZ on the Puttlam Line is around 1.2 kms from Averiwatte Bus Terminal and is therefore very poorly patronised.

Overall, the railway even though strategically located, is presently largely under- utilised. The origin-destination matrix given as Tables 4.1 and 4.2 of Annex IV shows that the area has approximately 5,000 passenger boardings per day. Of this around 2,000 or 40% are passengers destined for Colombo and beyond. Local travel within the study area is around 20%, while equal numbers leave northbound to Chilaw area and equal numbers travel to Ragama and areas. Statistics show that 57% passengers are season ticket holders, slightly below the CMR average of 62%. Season ticket holders travelling beyond Ja Ela are around 1,700. In other words, most of the Colombo-bound travellers are season ticket holders. Information from the Railway Station revealed that in addition to workers, this number also included university students. All other season tickets holders numbering around 1,000 are mostly made up of school children and Government employees working in the region.

Table 3.9 gives the comparative performance of the railway viz. a viz. buses on the Colombo and Chilaw corridors (i.e. on the A3), with respect to boardings from Negombo town.

Table 3.9: Analysis of Modal Share of Public Transport (Boardings from Negombo)

Corridor from Negombo Passenger boardings per day Percentage to by Rail

Bus 22 Railway Total

Colombo (beyond Ja Ela) 13,000 3,200 16,200 20%

Chilaw 6,000 600 6,600 9% (beyond Kochchikade)

22 Bus Route # 240 has been used for the Colombo corridor and Route #s 4 and 907 for the Chilaw corridor.

57 Even though only 4% of passengers use the railway for travel on the Colombo- Negombo corridor, when measured at the Colombo MC city limits, 23 Table 3.9 indicates that in the choice of travel to Colombo from Negombo town itself, the railway has a much better patronage which is as high as 20%. This shows the potential for rail travel particularly to Colombo. This is in spite of the Puttlam line being only single track from Ragama, and having a low frequency of trains, varying between 10 (on holidays) and 13 (other days) in one direction. Travel time is also higher than road travel with average schedule times ranging from 70-90 minutes. Reliability is also poor due to crossings on a single line. The significant gaps in scheduling other than morning and evening rush hour make this mode an unappealing and inflexible option.

However, the patronage potential mentioned above, the close proximity of several stations to Negombo Town area and the proposal to double track the line up to Negombo does enable the railway to be recommended as the primary commuter mode of travel between Negombo and Colombo and to a lesser extent as a commuter mode for travel within the study area (both north and south directions from Negombo). Strategies for this are developed in Section 4 of Chapter 4.

3.7 Traffic in Negombo Town

The detailed vehicular flows on the approach roads to Negombo town centre are given in Table 1of Annex II. A summary of the daily traffic flow on each on these roads is given here in Table 3.10. A total of nearly 90,000 vehicular movements are made through Negombo town area daily. The most populace vehicle in use is the bicycle at 34 percent followed by Cars and vans at 25 percent of this. The third most frequently observed vehicles are motor cycles at 22 percent. Three wheelers make a further 11 percent, while freight vehicles and buses makeup the balance at 4 percent each. It should be pointed out that motorised private vehicles make up the vast majority of the traffic flows and contrary to popular belief take up the majority of road space, thus contributing to traffic congestion.

Table 3.10: Traffic Composition on Roads in Negombo Town Area (two-way 24 hours)

Percent Composition of Flow by Vehicle Type Location Total Bicycles Motor Three Cars & Freight Buses Flow Cycle Wheeler Vans Vehicle Archbishop N.M. 13,861 31.02 21.43 8.83 28.17 N/a 1.71 Fernando Mw. Chilaw Road 11,758 32.42 24.57 10.30 20.56 3.36 8.17 Main Street 23,065 24.14 27.10 11.62 27.52 4.49 5.97 St Joseph’s Street 16,374 33.16 25.12 9.11 21.90 3.73 4.31 Mankuliya Road 9,821 25.48 24.49 9.71 11.74 9.63 0.64

23 CUTS 2, Working Paper 25: Transport Masterplan for Transport in the CMR , p.2-21.

58 Sea Street 16,385 55.65 15.95 12.81 11.18 2.35 0.59 Total 91,264 34 22 11 25 4 4

Road Network : The road network within the Negombo town is founded on a set of radial roads that originate from the town centre (Figure 3.14). They are Sea Street, Chilaw Road, Main Street, St Joseph’s Street, ANMF Mawatha and Mankuliya Road. Of these six roads, Main Street and St. Joseph’s Street serve as the main arteries. Sea Street also has a high volume of traffic, although this is mostly made up of bicycles at 55 percent and 29 percent motor cycles and three wheelers. All these roads are sub-standard two-lanes ranging between 4 to 8 meters in width.

Narrow roads are of a particular issue in the western part of the town centre in the Old Dutch town. Some cross streets are as narrow as 2 to 3 meters while many of the arteries near the commercial centre and beyond are only 3 to 4 meters wide, significantly delaying the flow of two-way traffic (Figure 3.15).

The orbital road capacity for Negombo town area is presently very small. It is basically composed of a connection between St Joseph’s Street and Sea Street, provided by three separate roads, namely Tammita Road, Ave Maria Road and St. Sebastian Road. However these roads are narrow, ranging from 2 to 4 metres and discontinuous at junctions (e.g. Ave Maria Road and St Sebastian Road intersects Main Street at a distance of about 30 metres apart). This has constrained traffic movement and consequently, the area east of the railway line in particular has not been developed for commercial activity. All development has taken place in a ‘ribbon’ pattern along side the six main radial roads.

Traffic Generators: Negombo does have the advantage of spread out generators: Railway Station, Bus Stand, the lagoon, the fish market, wholesale market, major schools (Maris Stella and Ave Maria in particular) and the Hospital. However, intense traffic accumulation does still occur throughout the day. Schools and the Negombo fish market (Lellama) provide particularly good examples of time specific traffic generators.

Internal circulation: As shown in Figure 3.14, the road network within the town area is extensive. However, it is poorly designed as a network of roads, and as discussed even more poorly managed at present. A number of bottlenecks are created due to poor intersection control, railway level crossings, on-street parking and trade activities encroaching on to the roads. As a result, much of the traffic congestion arises out of poor planning of road space sharing between traffic and pedestrian movements, rather than a shortage of road space itself.

Average traffic speeds within the town area vary between 10-20 kms/hr and traffic mix is high. Overall, the network provides reasonably good access and circulatory movements within the town area for a limited traffic volume. Heavy volumes of pedestrians are seen particularly on Greens Road heading south towards the bus stand. Slow moving northbound buses, frequently stopping to pick up these

59 passengers, cause further congested flow conditions. Congestion occurs throughout the day and throughout the town area. It is particularly severe during school opening and closing times. This occurs near Ave Maria School and near St. Mary’s school and convent on Main Street. Moreover, congestion occurs due to the frequent closure of the railway level crossings on St Joseph’s Street near Tillanduwa junction and Main Street

60 Figure 3.14: Features of Road Network in Negombo Town

61 Traffic Management: Except for some parking restrictions there are no forms of traffic management in the Negombo town area. Pedestrians, bicycles and motorised vehicles are mostly free to move and stop at will. There are no one-way streets, neither are there any turn restrictions. Except for one roundabout created by a clock tower none of the intersections are controlled. Areas adjacent to traffic generators such as the bus stand, schools are the obvious victims but the entire town is effected and unable to provide for fluid thoroughfare.

Intersections: The lack of intersection control is seen throughout the town area (Figures 3.16-18). As shown in Table 3.11 several intersections within the town area have traffic volumes in excess 10,000 vehicle movements per day. The busiest junction of Negombo town is the Tillanduwa intersection north of the bus stand, where Green’s Road meets four other two-way roads (DS Senanayake due north, St Joseph’s due east, ANMF Mawatha due south, and Custom House Road due west). This junction is often congested during the morning and evening peaks when the railway crossing adjacent to the junction is closed at frequent intervals.

Table 3.11: Intersection Flows in Negombo Town Area

Node Number Intersection Name Hourly Flow % Right Turns

N1 Coppara Junction 2,585 17%

N2 Ave Maria 2,198 14%

N3 Main Street/Greens Road 1,589 20%

N4 Main Street/Chilaw Road 1,647 17%

N9 Colombo Road/Chilaw Rd 2,007 28%

N10 Broadway/DS S’nayake 1,233 29%

N11 Clock Town Junction 2,138 21%

N12 Tillanduwa 1,884 22%

N14 Old Rest House 1,431 39%

62 N15 Telwatte Junction 2,090 13%

N16 Seeduwa Junction 2,573 12%

N17 St Joseph’s/Colombo Rd 2,088 11%

Some of these junctions will need to be signalised and widened to accommodate present and future demand. These will be discussed further in Section 8 of Chapter 4.

63 Figure 3.15 Narrow Talduwa Road

Figure 3:16: Coppara Junction

64 Figure 3.17:Tillanduwa Junction

(note the function of the tar barrel in controlling traffic)

Figure 3:18: Railway Crossing on Main Street

65 Fish Markets : The Lellama fish market is located on Mankuliya Road, the only access route from the sea side finger of land bordering the lagoon in the Wattala DS Division. It is active in the early morning (circa 5- 8am) and blocks the entire road in its activity. Police presence is necessary to keep traffic moving. Although no stalls encroach directly onto the paved road, all consumers mingle as in a marketplace. Oncoming vehicles must plough through these crowds and are significantly delayed (Figure 3.19) . Police officers state that the situation has improved by restricting parking on one side and removing trade stall directly on the road. However, ongoing pedestrian overflow, lack of parking, permanent structures encroaching on the roadside land and inefficient use of available space call for new and better planning. The old fish market at the southern end of Sea Street is also a traffic generator in its current function as a food market. Traffic is unable to proceed around the market at the base of Sea Street altogether. At the time of the survey around 6.30 a.m. the following number of vehicles were found parked; cars 2; vans 14; lorries 29; three wheelers 23, and motor cycles approximately 200.

School Traffic: As in all of the major towns in the CMR, popular schools are another major traffic generator. The two major schools in the Negombo town centre are Maris Stella located at Coppara Junction where the A3 meets Main Street, and the Ave Maria Convent on Chilaw Road. There are also other schools that generate fewer problems away from the town centre. Children on bicycles and in private vehicles, both cars and school vans, clog entire roads greatly reducing mobility in the near vicinity between the hours of 7:30 to 8:30 am, and in the afternoon between noon and 2:00. The narrow Ave Maria road in particular is virtually brought to a standstill. In Negombo many children go to school on bicycle or on foot, making safety considerations a particularly important aspect of traffic plans here. Sea Street in the morning, for example, is a one way stream of such children heading south against oncoming vehicles (Figure 3.20).

66 Figure 3.19: Traffic Blocked by Lellama Fish Market (6 am)

Figure 3:20: School Traffic on Sea Street (7.45 am)

67 Road Safety: Road safety is an important issue in Negombo town as much as it is in the NCGSA. Table 3.12 shows a recent increase in accidents as detailed by the Negombo police. 24 They believe the rehabilitation of the A3 highway is the cause of the recent increase in accidents. The majority of these accidents occur on the A3, B322 and B324 away from the town centre where speeds and curvature is both higher. Only 3-4 fatal accidents occur yearly within the town area. This is mostly due to the slow travel speeds rather than any form of improved road design. The vast majority of accident victims suffering fatal or grievous injuries are cyclists and pedestrians, clearly underlying the observation made earlier, that facilities for non- motorised users are non-existent.

Table 3.12 – Accidents in Negombo Police Division, 1996-2000

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 25

Fatal Accidents 25 20 30 24 20

Grievously Wounded 40 50 41 41 22

Slightly Wounded 111 65 120 129 64

Damage Only 382 328 512 605 302

TOTAL 558 453 728 799 408

24 Source: UoM Negombo Regional Planning Study, p.125. To be updated by Negombo police. 25 Only up to 31 st May 2000

68 Parking: There are presently no off-street vehicle parking areas developed within the town centre. The site of the earlier bus stand when converted to a supermarket originally allowed for a centre court car park. This is now being officially but illegally utilised for semi-permanent shops. Rows of busy shops on either side of the main roads, and houses on either side of the smaller roads prohibit safe parking in much of the town centre. Although the Police enforce parking prohibitions based on alternating odd-dates/even-dates on some of the town roads, clearly the demand for parking will increase beyond the road space available to provide for all parking requirements on the street. In any case, allowing any on street parking in a heavily congested town centre is always at the expense of improved traffic circulation and safety. The current pattern of unrestrained parking on most town roads causes severe disruptions on the free flow of all traffic, pedestrian and motorised (Figures 3.21 & 3.22).

The demand for parking was observed during the survey period and the average hourly demand is mapped on Figure 3.23. Demand is very high and concentrated in the commercial area and ANMF Mawatha. This concentration of demand around the bus stand is in conflict with the heavy movement of buses and pedestrians. Parking demand also remains high at the southern end of Main Street and in a radial direction from the town centre as vehicles are forced to move outwards to look for available parking space.

Pedestrians and Bicycles: Presently, even though there is a heavy presence of non-motorised road use, no attention is paid to their needs in Negombo town or elsewhere in the NGCSA. Consequently, motorised travel dominates all parts of the town leading to increased accidents, noise and air pollution. In most places, parked vehicles block the pedestrian paths, causing conflicting and often unsafe movements (Figures 3.24 & 3.25). However, bicycles account for 34% of traffic demand. The town also has a high pedestrian flow due to the relocation of the bus stand and other spread out generators within walking distance. Thus it is crucial that such high volumes be accommodated with sidewalks, pedestrian crossings and bicycle lanes.

Figure 3.26 shows the 12-hour pedestrian flows observed on each link of the road network within the town centre. It can be seen that the length of Greens Road on either side of Tillanduwa junction attracts by far the heaviest flows ranging between 30,000 to 40,000 movements per day. The majority of these are those trips attracted to the bus stand. Flows around 10,000 per day are observed near Broadway and Main Street areas. Elsewhere within the town centre pedestrian flows are moderate to heavy ranging from around 5,000 to 7,000 closer to the town centre and reducing to around 1,000 to 2,000 movements per day further away from the.

69 Figure 3.21: On Street Parking on Sea Street (Central Market)

Figure 3:22: Former Bus Stand- Now Shopping Complex

(note centre court meant for parking converted to more shops)

70 Figure 3.23: Parking Demand in Negombo Town

71 Figure 3.24: No Sidewalks- Pedestrians on Road Carriageway

Figure 3:25: Poor Sidewalks- Pedestrians prefer to walk on Carriageway

72 While non-motorised traffic prevails on Sea Street already, pedestrian walkways and crossings will need to be delineated. The commercial centre centred on Greens Road and Broadway in particular should be managed to accommodate extremely high pedestrian demand.

Another problem that daunts pedestrian movement is the widespread encroachment of traders into space provided for pedestrians. This phenomenon is a vicious cycle whereby traders are attracted to a heavy pedestrian presence, in turn obstruct their path to such an extent that pedestrians, at great risk of meeting with accidents, must start walking elsewhere, and follow pedestrians once again. Moreover, congestion increases and thereby all road users are greatly inconvenienced. Measures to consider here include restricted vehicle access for those unloading and pedestrianized streets. These will be discussed in greater detail in Sections 7 & 8 of Chapter 4.

73 Figure 3.26: Pedestrian Movements in Negombo Town

74 Table 3.13 - Daytime Bicycle Demand by Traffic Time

Sea St. Main St. St Joseph’s St. ANMF Maw. Chilaw Rd. Mankuliya Rd NEGOMBO TOWN IN OUT IN OUT IN OUT IN OUT IN OUT IN OUT Total Total IN OUT Morning School & 1042 583 684 395 694 439 620 293 574 233 614 239 4228 2182 Work 6:30- 9:30 Late Morning 707 1033 566 560 522 530 342 352 338 367 247 250 2722 3092 9:30- 12:30 Afternoon School et al 643 946 378 474 365 386 390 426 174 352 282 249 2232 2833 12:30- 16:00 Evening Work 818 658 262 420 358 353 430 430 193 310 170 144 2231 2315 16:00- 18:30 TOTAL 3210 3220 1890 1849 1939 1708 1782 1501 1279 1262 1313 882 11413 10422 12 hrs.

75 Bicycle Demand by Traffic Time: Negombo Town

5,000

4,000

3,000 Inbound

2,000 Outbound

No of Bicycles of No 1,000

- Morning Late Afternoon Evening School & Morning School Work Work

Figure 3.27: Bicycle Demand by Traffic Time for Negombo

The demand for bicycles as a mode of transit was also observed during the survey period. Bicycle flow volumes and demand by time of day and over a 24-hour period are summarised in Tables 3.13 & 3.14 respectively and Figure 3.27.

76 Table 3.14 - Bicycle Traffic Volumes by Street over 24 hrs

INBOUND OUTBOUND # Bicycle s Percent of # Bicycles Percent of Sea Street 4,494 28% 4,508 31% Main Street 2,722 17% 2,589 18% St Joseph’s’ 2,715 17% 2,391 16% ANMF Mawatha 2,495 16% 2,101 14% Chilaw Road 1,790 11% 1,767 12% Mankuliya Road 1,838 11% 1,235 8% TOTAL Negombo 16,053 100% 14,591 100%

It can be seen that Sea Street, Main Street and St Joseph’s Streets are particularly important avenues for bicycle traffic, and ANMF Mawatha, Chilaw Road and Mankuliya Road less so. Predictably, the morning rush hours of 6:30 to 9:30 constitute a period of heavy bicycle traffic. During this period Sea Street, Chilaw Road, Mankuliya Road and ANMF Mawatha have roughly double the amount of inbound bicycles as they do outbound, but the overall pattern is replicated on all streets even if on a lesser scale.

Conversely, outbound bicycle traffic is spread throughout the day on all streets and this is summarised for the entire town in Figure 3.27. In fact, with the exception of ANMF Mawatha, outbound traffic peaks in the late morning tapering off in absolute numbers throughout the rest of the day. The most urgent concern therefore is to meet the demands of large numbers of morning inbound cyclists. However, as bicycle travel is a common mode in Negombo and its overall demand more constant than peak-period related, an overall bicycle travel management plan is required.

Bicycles also perform an important function as an access mode for public transport in Negombo Town. There are several privately operated bicycle ‘parks’ for commuters to the bus stand and railway station who use the bicycle to travel to and from their homes to the bus stand and railway station respectively. Over a thousand of such parked bicycles can be seen on any weekday.

Inter-modal Transfer Facilities: Presently, the railway station and the bus terminal are around 450 metres apart. This leads to poor inter-modal connections between train and bus. It also increases pedestrian crossings into unsafe areas such as ANMF Mawatha leading to Green’s Road junction, and discourages the use of railways for incoming bus transfer passengers. The railway tracks are directly opposite ANMF Mawatha but there is no station to ease passengers in transit. This is further discussed in Chapter 3, Section 8 below.

77 3.8 Bus Services

The bus services in the NGCSA provide the backbone of transport in the region. An extensive network of bus routes provides access to Negombo with high frequencies in the direction of Colombo and Chilaw. However, their poor quality is evidenced by high overloading, increased travel times, unreliable start times and lack of conveniences at bus terminals. While the transport modal share of buses in the NGCSA is very high due to speed and frequency, safety and service levels considerations are pronounced concerns.

As an important town connected to the A3/Puttlam Railway corridor, Negombo is a significant bus regional transit point. As shown in Table 3.15, a total of 45,296 26 outbound passengers board buses in the town centre daily, 78% of who board at the central bus stand to secure a seat. Likewise, a total of 59,130 passengers enter Negombo daily, but 50% alight before reaching the central bus stand. That means that over 90,000 daytime passenger movements (outbound and inbound travel) are processed daily by the Negombo bus stands, the central bus stand processing 95% of the boardings and 38% of the alightings. The survey results have been summarised in Table 3.15.

Table 3.15 – Features of Daily Bus Passenger Movements in Negombo 27

Total Bus Passenger Movements e ntering Negombo Town Area - 45,000 Total Bus Passenger Movements entering Negombo Bus Stand 22,500

Percent of Bus Passengers alighting before the Bus Stand 50%

Total Bus Passenger Movements leavings Negombo Town Area 45,000

Total Bus Passenger Moveme nts boarding at Negombo Bus Stand 35,000 Percent of Bus Passengers boarding after the bus stand 22%

Total Passengers Processed by Bus Stand 57,500 Total Passengers alighting/boarding in Town Area 32,500 Total Bus Passenger Movements 90,000

Work Trips as % of all trips 39% Transfer Trips as % of all trips 40%

26 This amount is subject to correction from a review of the data analysis presently under way. 27 Ibid

78 Location of New Bus Stand: The Negombo bus stand was shifted to the south- eastern end of the town area some years ago. Presently, it stands around 450 metres from the geographical and commercial centre on Green’s Road. The former location was in this geographical centre and within 100 metres of the railway station. The former site has since been converted to a supermarket. Most bus routes even at present pass within close proximity to the old bus terminal. As shown in Table 3.15, a significant proportion of bus passengers still alight in the vicinity. For those alighting near the Green’s Road shopping complex, their business within the town requires them to radiate outwards as pedestrians to the various locations such as the administrative areas to the west, commercial areas to the south and schools in several directions.

On completion of business within the town centre, most passengers head towards the bus stand. It was observed that many of them walk hopeful of meeting a bus before they actually get to the bus stand. When this happens, buses stop wherever the passengers signal for them. As a result, bus drivers drive in anticipation of such passengers and linger at bus stops within the town area waiting for them. These activities contribute towards traffic congestion as well as delays and inconvenience to the previously boarded bus passengers.

Moreover, although the present bus terminal can be accessed by road more easily through ANMF Mawatha, the bus routes still follow the circuitous route through the congested town area, where further bus passengers are to be found. As little as 8% of inbound and 7% of outbound buses choose the route along ANMF Mawatha. As a result, over 90% of all buses pass through the Greens Road/St. Joseph’s Street intersection on their way to and from the bus stand, making it an extremely congested junction. Numerous small shops have also sprouted along this Green’s Road adding to congestion on the busiest road in the town centre. Another reason for the bus routing through Main Street is the presence of the Base Hospital and Maris Stella College at Coppara junction.

Bus Routes: The Negombo Town area has over 2,500 bus movements recorded per day. According to Table 3.16, it is observed that all northbound buses use Chilaw Road. Main Street is used by the east bound bus routes, while St Joseph’s Street and ANMF Mawatha is used by the south bound buses. It can be seen that south bound buses mostly use St Joseph’s Street since it is more developed and there is a greater likelihood of better passenger patronage when compared to the Archbishop NM Fernando Mawatha. This arrangement however puts enormous pressure on Greens Road and the Tillanduwa junction whereby over 2,000 bus movements have to pass through.

Table 3.16: 12 hour Bus and Passengers Volumes by Route 28

28 Ibid

79 Road Number of Bus Passenger Movements Movements (both directions) Chilaw Road 822 19,500

Main Street 955 29,201 St Joseph’s Street 508 18,865 Archbishop NM Fer nando 179 3,270 Mankuliya Road 53 4,261 Sea Street 67 2,966 TOTAL 2584 78,063 Pedestrian Access: The new location of the bus stand also requires more pedestrian movements, which in addition to congesting road space has also led to the gathering of large numbers of passengers at a few additional bus halts in the town area (Figure 3.28). Moreover, these pedestrian movements are concentrated on Green’s Road and not diffused adequately. Since over 75% of outbound passengers board at the bus stand, and, since it is estimated that, 40% is made up of transfer passengers, the other 25% must walk from the town area to the bus stand. Almost all these pedestrians have thus to take Greens Road and cross the Tillanduwa intersection. As a result, daytime movements of over 40,000 pedestrians on Greens Road north of the bus stand and the road behind the bus parking area. At the same time, hawkers have encroached on this land between the railway and the road. This further obstructs traffic just south of the Greens Road/St Joseph’s Street junction, both physically and by creating excess pedestrian crossings to and from the bus station for food and refreshments (Figure 3.29). A greater percentage of buses should be encouraged to use ANMF Mawatha to access the bus stand, particularly outbound buses which leave mostly full and do not need to compete with pedestrians for road space to access the centre for more passengers. Strategies for this are discussed in Section 12 of Chapter 4.

80 Figure 3.28: Passenger waiting for buses at Town Centre (near old bus stand)

Figure 3:29: Trade Stalls encroaching road on ANMF Mawatha Opposite Bus Stand

81 Figure 3.30: Storage of Buses (In and Out Curves for Bus Stand)

82 Expansion of Bus Stand: The bus stand itself is sufficiently spacious for Negombo’s present needs. Visits both in the afternoon and at peak morning periods reveal relative calm. The stand itself consists of 18 platforms in a saw tooth arrangement where buses have to reverse out. Of these 9 are dedicated for Regional Transport Companies and the others used by private sector buses. Orderly queues form behind winding rails and an elevated platform provides for convenient access to buses. However, most of the time, this arrangement does not function, and passengers board away from the queues. Passengers are also seen alighting behind parked buses in the bus parking lot, a very unsafe practise that has apparently led to several accidents in past years (Figures 3.31 & 3.32).

There are around five roadside platforms parallel and adjacent to the ANMF Mawatha. During peak periods there is a tendency for buses to double park resulting in blockage of the road. Police presence is needed during busy times of the day. The stand itself though spacious is poorly planned in terms of circulation, as bus movements and passenger movements are often in conflict. A number of improvements with regards to maintenance, ventilation, mode of alighting, and protection from rain, as well as use of space for future berths will be discussed in Chapter 4, Section 11.

Bus Passenger Travel Patterns : The bus passenger origin-destination survey results indicate that only 9 percent of all bus trips are made within the town area. The majority of trips around 51 percent are made between the town area and the surrounding areas, both within and outside the study area. The majority of trips to the town area are linked to the DSD’s of Colombo, Katana, , Gampaha, and Minuwangoda and Ja ela. The balance 40 percent of bus trips observed in the Negombo town are all transfer trips at Negombo. That is trips that do not have either their origin or their destination within the Negombo town area. In this case the transfer trips have ends in either Colombo or Gampaha DSD's. These statistics indicate the heavy transfer function of the Negombo bus stand, where around 32,000 bus passenger trips (or an equivalent of 1,000 buses) circulate the town area carrying passengers who do not have a trip end in Negombo town itself.

In the case of work trips, only 22 percent of all bus trips are made for purposes of work within the Negombo town area. This amounts to around 9,000 trips. Work trips made by bus out of the region are around 6,400. Even if rail trips are added, no more than 10,000 work trips by public transport are made outside the Negombo town area. However, it is observed that a large number of trips from the rest of the study area are made from Katunayake, Seeduwa areas direct to Colombo without travel through Negombo town.

83 Figure 3.31: Waiting Area in Negombo Bus Stand

Figure 3:32: Passengers Alighting and Walking through Bus Reversing Areas

84 Bus Parking : Bus parking is a recent problem seen in many town centres. This is caused primarily by idling private buses that are reluctant to pull out when demand for passengers is less. Until regulations with respect to private bus operations change to avoid this, it will be necessary to provide parking space for these buses. This is a difficult and costly exercise. Figure 3.30 shows the total buses entering and leaving the Negombo Bus Stand throughout the day from 7: 00 am to 6.30 p.m. The difference in the two lines, representing inbound and outbound movement, indicates the storage of buses in the stand, in other words the number of parked buses at that time. It can be seen that at most times this is around 40 buses, increasing to around 60 during peak times.

3.9 Waterways

The NGCSA has a network of waterways comprising the lagoon that extends from the town area southwards and the Dutch Hamilton Canal which has a north-south direction starting at the southern end of Negombo town. The harbour, the lagoon and the canal combine to offer a potential for recreational and leisure based travel activities that has hitherto not been utilised.

The Dutch Canal: The Canal is particularly scenic and has great potential for urban design and recreational transport for tourists, particularly because it runs the length of Negombo providing access from the tourist strip at Lewis Place to the town centre. It is around 5 to 6 metres in width. It is currently used by fishermen for parking of boats and access to the lagoon and is not navigable for larger vessels (Figures 3.33 & 3.34). Although it is unlikely ever to serve a major transportation purpose in Negombo, its banks can be developed for pedestrians and bicyclists away from the traffic on main roads. Particularly scenic areas such as near the St Sebastian Bridge crossing can be developed as public viewing and gathering points.

There is presently a UNDP/WTO funded study that is proposing a 10 metre wide motorable road alongside the canal bank from Kattuwa Road to the Negombo Canal. However, the high density of buildings, especially dwellings, and elevation problems are unlikely to make this proposal feasible in the short term. The combined effort to provide tourists with recreational activity and residents with leisurely transport facilities makes the canal an attractive asset that should be retained. These proposals will be further discussed in Section 13 of Chapter 4.

The Lagoon and Harbour: The lagoon and harbour are presently used exclusively for fishing and are of major economic importance to Negombo. They are used by all types of fishing boats with no system of formal docking. What does exist is in a state of serious disrepair (Figures 3.35 & 3.36). The result is very poor condition and management of the waterways in and around Negombo. The fishing harbour has spread throughout the waterfront, with no plans or opportunity for the development of leisure based transport or a modern fishing harbour. It is particularly inefficient for the fishermen who in turn help propel Negombo’s economic growth. Lorries are forced to

85 load fish directly on the roads. The traffic on Custom House Road, in particular, that skirts the northern end of the lagoon is frequently disrupted by such activity.

86 Figure 3.33: Hamilton Canal at St. Sebastian’s Road Bridge

Figure 3:34: Hamilton Canal at Main Street Bridge

87 Figure 3.35: Unloading of Boats at Lellama Fish Market

Figure 3:36: Negombo Lagoon Docks abutting Customs House Road (note the dilapidated condition)

88 4 MAIN TRANSPORT PROPOSALS AND LINKAGES (FOR CHAPTER 16 OF INTERIM)

The main transport sector proposals will be discussed under the following headings:

• Facilitate Transport Linkages from Proposed Economic Activities Connected with Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) to the NGCSA

• Improve Catchment Area of the Katunayake Export Processing Zone (KEPZ)

• Develop a highway to the east of the NGCSA to access other Growth Centres

• Develop the Railway as the primary mode of commuting to Colombo

• Improvements to the Colombo-Puttlam (A3) Highway

• Management of Traffic on Colombo-Katunayake Expressway

• Traffic Policy for Negombo Town

• Traffic Management in Negombo Town

• Development of Internal Intersections in NGCSA

• Development of Internal Road Network in NGCSA

• Development of Bus Terminal

• Re-planning of Bus Routes

• Development of Canal and Lagoon for Recreational WaterTransport

• Redevelopment of Lewis Place and surrounding area for Tourism

4.1 Facilitate Transport Linkage to Proposed Economic Activities Connected to the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) with the NGCSA

The proximity of the BIA to the Negombo town centre has to be exploited for the future growth of the NGCSA. This is the most stable form of long-term growth that will underpin the economic growth of the study area. As discussed in previous sections, the present transport linkages of the BIA are mostly with Colombo to the south, and not with Negombo and the surrounding region to the north.

89 Improving selected transport linkages will be a means of gradually establishing Negombo as an alternative urban centre for the airport and its related services. In addition to transport, other infrastructure, high quality housing, and services such as health and education will also need to be made available.

This transport proposal assumes the following with respect to future potential of economic activities connected to the BIA:

• That the SLAF base at Katunayake will be relocated in the medium to long term.

• That the area presently occupied by the base will be used either for a second runway and terminal facilities, or for economic activities such as warehousing for imports and exports, value added processing of agricultural based export commodities, export convention and exhibition centre, international conference facilities, tour operators, car rental agencies and transit activities such as shopping plazas and entertainment and cultural centres.

• That additional land required for the above activities not available from the SLAF base will be acquired from the area north and north-east of the BIA, the present use of which is low density housing and coconut plantations.

• That the cargo terminal will be set up on the northern side of the airport and passenger access will be made available to exit directly from the north part of the airport.

• That the potential for direct employment from these activities will be around 10,000 with a further 5,000 indirect jobs.

• That the employment generated will be met by employees from housing within a commuting distance of one hour- either permanent residences or temporary lodgings.

This will be the single largest economic zone set up within the study area. It will not replicate the existing industrial zones, but will be unique with respect to its association with airport-based activities and demands.

The transport needs of this development will need to be studied with respect to the experience of the KEPZ, even if the transport needs are somewhat different. Apart from the higher number of employees at the KEPZ which stands at over 60,000, most of these employees are industrial workers, whereas the proposed development would be much more heterogeneous. However, the experience of the KEPZ (and other industrial zones) has taught a clear lesson in that their continuing success is strongly linked to the catchment area for workers. The current condition of the catchment of the KEPZ is seriously constrained as its proximity to the BIA and the SLAF base has resulted in many detours so that the travel time of the workers has increased significantly. This is another reason that supports the relocation of the air

90 base. However, future transport linkages should clearly be set out so that they do not become a security concern for the function of the BIA.

Crucially, the KEPZ has always found it difficult to meet the employment needs of its factories even at present. While this has been discussed earlier and proposals will be set out in a subsequent section, the need to expand the catchment area becomes obvious, unless, it is evident that there will be corresponding increases in residential facilities and thus the labour force within the existing catchment area. At a preliminary stage of planning, it would be prudent to assume that at least a part of the new employment would need to be secured from an expansion of the catchment area through improved transport facilities.

The economic zone will also need to be well linked with the passenger and cargo terminals of the BIA. This will require new road linkages, as the present linkage is circuitous around the western end of the airport.

Another requirement will be the need for this economic zone to be linked with other land uses, such as tourist hotels, recreational and cultural areas, shopping centres, a town centre (for services) etc. In this respect, the existing Negombo town centre provides the ideal opportunity. Thus strong transport linkages should also be provided between the Negombo Town and the proposed economic zone, not just with the regional catchment area.

The following projects are proposed in order to achieve these objectives. They are shown in Figure 4.1 with respect to their geographical locations.

Figure 4.1: Road Improvements to Provide for Proposed Economic Zone

A. Development of the Baseline Road

The Baseline Road extending from Katana West to Seeduwa needs to be developed to its full potential using the existing right of way. A four-lane highway is possible with bicycle tracks on most parts of this road, except at the southern end, where it may need to be restricted to a two-lane highway. Due to the history associated with this road, there is an ideal opportunity to develop it as a ‘theme road’ (such as Route 66 in the USA) incorporating its three historic columns (Figure 3.10). This will require an integrated approach in road design standards, zoning and building regulations. Since it will not be more than 4 kms in maximum continuous length, it need not have a high design speed. It should, however, be designed to provide for orderly and functional traffic flow. The economic zone will then be connected by this road to the residential areas to its north and the airport to its south.

B. New Road Linkage between B323 and B208 (Kadirana to Andiambalama)

There is presently poor continuity of road access around the north-western periphery of the airport. The proposed linkage will be around 1 km in length and can be finished as a two-lane asphalt surfacing similar to both the Katunayake – Minuwangoda Road

91 (B208) and the Negombo – Kadirana Road (B323) it connects. This will reduce the need for a time consuming detour in travel between Negombo and Minuwangoda, as well as provide access to the western periphery of the BIA in the western part of the study area, which has been ear marked for development. Moreover, this road could also provide access to the proposed economic zone, which in all likelihood will border the north of this highway.

C. New Road Linkage between Andiambalama on B208 and the intersection of B321 and B289 at Dagonna

The proposed length of this road is about 3.5 kms, if following the highland abutting the paddy and lowlands to be found in a contiguous pattern in this area. Land for this is mostly in present use for coconut cultivation. A two-lane road consistent with the B323 and B208 referred to earlier can be used as the design standard, although acquisition width should provide for four lanes. This link will provide for access to the land area proposed for use in the economic zone and related housing. Moreover, it will result in a reduction in travel time from the KEPZ to areas along the B321 Negombo- Aluthapola Road, and vice-versa. A further 8 km extension in the north- easterly direction would be most advantageous to connect up to the Negombo- Giriulla Road (B322) at the intersection of the B228 (Kochchikade Road) at Halpe. This may actually be needed only in the long-term when the economic zone is active and would not be required in the initial stages, as it would in effect be a parallel orbital to the B289 running towards Katana West.

D. Development of a Southern Orbital Route (A109 ‰‰‰ New Road (above) ‰‰‰ B289)

The above road projects will in effect create a southern orbital from the A3 at Katunayake past the BIA through to Andiambalama and on to the B321 at Dagonna. This will provide an orbital of around 9 kms in length. This will reduce travel time to the KEPZ in particular and thereby increase the catchment area for residential opportunities for workers . It also increases the catchment area for the proposed economic zone.

E. Development of Northern Orbital (St Anne’s Road ‰‰‰ B468 ‰‰‰ B289)

A matching northern orbital can also be developed by widening St. Anne’s Road (a Negombo MC road) from the coast to the A3, the B468 from Welihena on the A3 to Katana West, and thereafter the B289 up to the point where it meets the southern orbital referred to above. Both St. Anne’s Road and the B468 are scenic routes that can be developed to enhance the aesthetics of the road through coconut plantations. Parts are already bordered by neatly aligned mara trees providing shade. This can be replicated selected sections after widening and rehabilitation is complete. This northern orbital will be of particular value to the tourist trade as it can be used by tourists in the hotels on Lewis Place to reach destinations in the Cultural Triangle without having to travel through the slow moving roads closer to the Negombo town.

92 It will also assume greater importance for goods vehicles as expands as an industrial growth center and more freight needs to be transported to the BIA and KEPZ.

In order for the above mentioned roads in the northern and southern parts to make up a contiguous orbital, several new road links of length less than 1 km will be necessary so that staggered junctions and sections of high curvature are avoided. This orbital will be in harmony and compliment very well the functional requirements for the proposed development as low density housing in the north-east quadrant of the study area.

F. Development of Mosque Road/Cemetry Road up to Lewis Place

A continuous road is formed by a collection of several roads in a north-westerly orientation from the northern periphery of the airport. This road that begins adjacent to the Katunayake North railway station ends on Lewis Place close to Brown’s Beach Hotel. The total length is around 10 kms, and carries the Convent Road, Temple Road, Mosque Road, Andrew Road and Cemetery Road among others. The northern most 6.5-km stretch is presently selected for development as a two-lane road rehabilitation project funded by the ADB. The potential of such a development, however, will only ever be fully realised if the northern part of the BIA is opened up for development including an alternative access to the airport. Furthermore, rather than only 6.5 kms, the southern part should also be developed from the SLAF base northwards.

Therefore, it is proposed that the entire road be developed. The southern most section of this road lies close and parallel to the railway track. In fact, it crosses the railway twice over a 3-km stretch. It is important to note that this double crossing should be eliminated either at the time of road development or during double tracking of the railway scheduled for next year.

G. Improvements to A Roads

(See Section 4.10)

H. Improvements to Bus Services

(See Section 4.12)

I. Improvements to Railway Services

(See Section 4.4)

J. Proposed North South Highway

(See Section 4.3)

93 4.2 Improve Catchment Area of the Katunayake Export Processing Zone (KEPZ)

The KEPZ will need to continue as a major provider of employment if the Negombo study area is to become a growth centre. Currently, its employment potential has stagnated at 60,000 jobs. This has been considered the maximum in terms of the residency potential within its commuting catchment. The development of a major bus terminal at Averiwatte has led to improved transport services for KEPZ employees. The catchment provided by these bus services extends southwards to Kelaniya and eastwards to Veyangoda. However, recently many other competitive industrial zones have been developed and continue to expand, usurping some of the employment base hitherto relied on by the KEPZ. Maintaining the employment base of the KEPZ will be a pressing task for the future.

The main strategy in this regard will be to identify the improvements to the transport services that can expand the one-hour commuting catchment within which most workers prefer to reside. The present catchment does not adequately cover the north-eastern quadrant of the study area (i.e. the Katana area). Moreover, it is poorly connected to areas lying close at hand but separated by the Dandugan Oya. The absence of a suitable crossing structure over the river has increased the travel time so much that some parts of this area lie outside the commuting catchment. Furthermore, the railway though located close the KEPZ has little or no role to play at present in providing transport facilities to the KEPZ.

In order to meet these challenges the following projects are proposed:

A. New Road Linkage between Andiambalama on B208 and the intersection of B321 and B289 at Dagonne.

(See Section 4.1, Project C)

B. Development of a Southern Orbital Route (A109 ‰‰‰ New Road ‰‰‰ B289)

(See Section 4.1, Project D)

C. Bridge Over Dandugan Oya at Kuswela

As shown in Figure 4.2, the circuitous route followed by the Dandugan Oya delineates the KEPZ along its western bank for most of the length of the river from Seeduwa upstream. There is no crossing point for motorised transport until, a considerable distance upstream. The area cut off contains around many households all of whom are connected to the road network only through the B400 (Seeduwa- Udugampola Road) and Raddoluwa to the KEPZ. Bus services are poor and these areas though close to the KEPZ are not part of its catchment, as travel times tend to exceed the one-hour limit. A pontoon bridge was once constructed over the Dandugan Oya at Kuswela, but is not in operation at the present time. A crossing

94 structure at this location would vastly improve the employment potential for the KEPZ, not only by providing more workers but also by opening up more houses for lodging facilities.

95 Figure 4.2: KEPZ and Transport Linkages

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96 D. Railway Station at Katunayake

The Katunayake EPZ Railway Station is on the Negombo line just south of the Canada Friendship Road. Although the station itself is relatively close to the periphery of the KEPZ, it is over 1 km walking distance from the main entrance and Averiwatte bus terminal and there are no shuttle buses. The second closest station on the Negombo Line is Seeduwa, which requires a lengthy bus ride. For this reason train travel is not popular for the KEPZ workers. The railway can attract workers especially from areas north of Negombo, where industrial jobs are harder to find. With railway services set to improve after double tracking, it would be in the interest of the KEPZ to organise a shuttle bus service between the gates of the KEPZ and the KEPZ railway station, as shown in Figure 4.2.

E. Operating Passenger Trains to the BIA/KEPZ & beyond

(See Section 4.4)

4.3 Develop a Highway to the East of the NGCSA to access other Growth Centres

The CMRSP clearly sets out a strategy of locating growth centres that are directly connected to each other through the proposed North-South Highway (NSH). This highway was proposed as a composite of the Southern Highway, the middle section of the Outer Circular Road and a new section northward of to the BIA at Katunayake. However, the subsequent development of the proposed CKE on the western side of the A3 will seriously hamper the possibility of constructing the NSH as proposed in the CMRSP.

This study would like to reaffirm the need for the NSH even if the CKE is to be constructed as proposed by the Government. This is because the NSH has several advantages enabling it to serve as a catalyst for growth in the NGCSA in a way that that the CKE can not. These advantages are listed below and graphically illustrated in Figure 4.3.

• Reduced distance and travel time to other growth centres.

• An eastern access provided to the NGCSA, particularly useful for purposes of commuting and trade activities centred on Negombo.

• Increased catchment area for the KEPZ and proposed economic zone.

• BIA is more accessible to the regional areas.

• Presently under developed land in the south-east quadrant of the NGSCA, which has poor accessibility, is opened up.

97 Figure 4.3: Proposed North South Highway

98 4.4. Develop the Railway as the primary mode of commuting to Colombo

From existing trip patterns from Negombo, there is clear evidence that the railway has a potential for increasing its transport share particularly for carrying commuters to Colombo. Moving commuter travel in particular to the railway has been encouraged under currently proposed transport policy. It is expected to relieve congestion and air quality problems so that road space can be made available for freight and business based travel. In this respect, the improvement of the railway augurs well even ahead of the proposed CKE. The following projects are proposed:

A. Improvements to Existing Railway Line

The CMRSP strategy aims for an increase in the modal share of rail travel on the Negombo corridor from 4 to 15 percent by 2010. 29 This means a virtual five-fold increase in passengers. In addition to improving the railway line’s service and schedule offerings, increasing average speed will be an important draw to increase modal share. Current average speed on the Puttlam line is 28 km per hour, comparing favourably with road transport average speeds in the southern half of the NGCSA (26-33 km/hr) but less with those in the north (33-38 km/hr).

With the proposed double tracking of the line alongside improvements in service levels, signal and operational controls, and frequency of service, the Puttlam line can maintain competitiveness with road traffic even though its slight westward deviation after Ja Ela, increases travel time marginally. Double tracking has been identified as a project for the year 2000/2001 in the Railway’s Six-Year Development Plan. However, due to shortage of steel railings, it is not expected to be completed before end of 2001. There is also a plan in place to increase the train operations on this line once double tracking is complete. Even prior to this, an improved train operation is planned once the 15 Diesel Multiple Units on order arrive during this year. With signalling improvements also scheduled to take place with double tracking, the Negombo line should in all probability grow in performance.

B. LRT Line through KEPZ/BIA and Other areas

The proposed ‘Transport Masterplan’ indicates that the Negombo – Colombo corridor is suitable for a Light Rapid Transit (LRT) over the next 10 years without the CKE and in 20 years if the CKE is built. LRT would provide an ideal catalyst for growth of the economic zone and associated residential areas, if Colombo City, the Proposed Economic Zone, related residential areas and Negombo City are connected to each other. This makes a sound basis to propose the early consideration of a LRT from Colombo to Negombo via the KEPZ/BIA and Proposed Economic Zone, terminating in the Lewis Place tourist areas of the Negombo town as shown in Figure 4.4.

29 CMRSP, Table 21 .

99 Figure 4.4: Railway Improvements Proposed

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100 C. Improving Visibility & Access to Selected Railway Stations

All stations within the NGCSA require improved visibility and access. This may be achieved by improving the condition of the access roads leading to each station, as well as through providing improved bus–train transfers at these stations. The following proposals are made:

Kochchikade Station - Terminate bus route number 797 Duwa- Pahalagama- Kochchikade and number 905 Negombo- Palatota – Kochchikade route adjacent to the station. Improve access from A3 to station.

Kattuwa Station - The station (which is more like a halting place) needs to be shifted about 50 metres southwards to be adjacent to the Kattuwa Road. A new bus service that serves the Dalupotha area can be routed on Kattuwa Road passing the railway station on its way to Negombo.

Kurana Station - Presently this station is very poorly located, as its connection to all the major roads in the area is poor. However, it would be most useful for the proposed economic zone and its connectivity should be considered central in planning the zone.

Katunayake Station - This station is also poorly located in virtual rural surroundings, but would be extremely important if the proposed airport development takes.

EPZ –Station - This halting place is not adequately accessible to the KEPZ. A shuttle bus service would be necessary to enable KEPZ workers to use this halt. This is recommended after double tracking, when more trains are expected to operate.

D. New Railway Station at Telwatte

A new railway station is proposed between Kurana and Negombo (Figure 4.4). This should be located close to the intersection of Minuwangoda Road (B323) and the Colombo Road (A3). It will also be within walking distance from the Alutepola Road. This will enable bus passengers in particular who are travelling on either of these three roads to conveniently transfer to rail without having to go to Negombo town itself. In addition, some of the bus routes on the Giriulla and Mirigama Roads could also be re-routed through Telwatte and ANMF Mawatha so that this station could handle a part of the passengers that are presently taken to Negombo town centre and by whom the traffic activity increases needlessly.

4.5 Improvements to the Colombo-Puttlam (A3) Highway

The present capacity of the A3 highway in the study area will not be sufficient for the 30 year planning horizon. It will however be adequate for the 10-year period, provided some improvements are carried out as discussed below. In the long-term, the A3 will play only a supporting role as the most important collector-distributor to either the Colombo-Katunayake Expressway or the North-South Highway as the

101 primary inter-regional highway. Moreover, it is anticipated that traffic growth will occur more in the orbital direction (following the North-South Highway trace) rather than in the radial direction. As discussed in the previous section, the railway and the proposed LRT are expected to be the primary carriers in the radial direction.

The improvements that are proposed to the A3 are as follows:

A. Safety Improvements: The A3 highway needs safety improvements particularly with respect to the area just north of Negombo up to Kochchikade, where road curvature is high and road side development is also high. Centre medians, speed restrictions, pedestrian crossings, realignment of curves, parking bans, and bus bays will have to be designed properly in order to improve safety. The A3 also contains a number of poorly designed minor road junctions. These junctions, however minor, contribute to a significant decline in average speed as well as a corresponding increase in the number of accidents. They too will need improvement to allow for intended mobility at acceptable levels of safety.

The area in Seeduwa just south of is also an accident blackspot. This needs to be studied further. It is possible that the encroachment of retail traders has caused problems of visibility and high roadside activity, inconsistent with the road geometry that allows for high speeds.

B. Intersection Improvement: The entire length of the A3 has very little intersection control. The major junctions at Seeduwa and in the Negombo MC area need signalising. This is discussed in detail in Section 4.9.

In addition, there are a number of smaller junctions where the road geometry does not provide for adequate visibility for high-speed traffic. These junctions need to be redesigned, with centre medians where possible in order to prevent overtaking on the oncoming lane near junctions.

C. Access Control: The lack of control of roadside development has a serious effect on the functionality of the A3. Building Regulations should be effected to restrict roadside development along the A3. This can be achieved by not allowing commercial development with direct access onto the A3. Only development that uses access from a minor road should be allowed. In other words, shop fronts should not be developed facing the A3, which is in effect a major highway, other where road width allows for it . Elsewhere, parking requirements should be entirely located within the premises. Alternately, a parallel service road should be built where possible, either adjacent to the A3 or immediately behind the first set of buildings. This will improve speed and safety on the A3, which is vital for the development of the region.

4.6 Management of Traffic on Colombo-Katunayake Expressway

A. Prevention of Excessive Traffic Generation : The CKE, if completed, will add four lanes of traffic capacity linking the NGCSA to Colombo City. This has important

102 ramifications as to its impact on the growth centre. On the one hand, most residents in the NGSCA will welcome this, as it will in the short term greatly improve their accessibility to Colombo. On the other hand, two problems emerge. Firstly, there is the possibility that the improved linkage will make Negombo even more dependent on services and employment provision in Colombo. This will further reduce Negombo to the status of ‘dormitory town’ rather than developing the region as an independent ‘counter-magnet’ to Colombo. The second problem arises from further consolidating the linkage of the BIA with Colombo. This will make it difficult to develop the airport linkages with Negombo as discussed in Section 4.1. However, this can be offset by increasing tolls on the CKE to a level such that the economic cost of the CKE is recovered purely by its users rather than by subsidies that can otherwise be used to develop other modes of travel (e.g. public transport), which are more suitable for commuting.

B. Prevent Restrictions on Alternative Development : There is also the possibility that the CKE will be built under guarantees provided by the Government to its financiers. Among these guarantees, there may be a restriction on the building of any other transport links in the study area that could reduce traffic on the CKE. For example, the proposed NSH (recommended in Section 4.3) or the development of the Uswetakeiyawa –Hekkita- Ja Ela Road (recommended in Sections 2.3 & 4.10 or even developing the LRT to the BIA/KEPZ (recommended in Section 4.4) would be pre-empted in such an eventuality. It is therefore imperative to ensure that such guarantees are not given, as the consequences would seriously affect the development of Negombo as a growth centre.

4.7 Traffic Policy for Negombo Town

In order for Negombo town to be developed as an economically viable, socially pleasant and environmentally sustainable city, there should be an overall traffic policy adopted for the town area. Such a policy will essentially be based on placing limits on the growth of traffic in areas that need to be conserved or are needed for access by pedestrians and public transport who alone occupy available capacity.

A. Adoption of Traffic Policy: The following ‘traffic policy’ is recommended for adoption by the Negombo Municipal Council.

Ceiling on Traffic Levels : Traffic Levels in Negombo Town shall be controlled in order to be consistent with the overall development plan of the NGCSA. The provision of designated space provided for through traffic and charges for parking will be used as instruments through which desired traffic levels can be maintained.

Street Widening: No streets will be widened purely for the purpose of providing for increased traffic flows in the town. Streets identified for widening shall be designed to accommodate all the different road users according to a plan. The contribution of any widening to the level of service to pedestrians as well as cyclists shall be considered in any road improvement project.

103 Pedestrian & Public Transport Corridor : In order to keep the commercial core of the city centre, especially Green’s Road as a pedestrian and public transport corridor, private vehicles and goods vehicles will be deflected to a system of one-ways roads located around 50-100 metres from Green’s Road.

Parking : Parking will only be provided at the periphery of the above-mentioned pedestrianized area. On street parking in this peripheral area will be levied a realistic fee that serves as a deterrent to using limited road space. On street parking on the major radial corridors in and out of Negombo will be completely banned over the next five years.

Orbital Roads: An orbital road will also be developed to supplement the radial system and to reduce traffic movements through the centre along these congested radial lines.

Promotion of Non-Motorised Transport: The policy will also take specific steps to retain the present common use of bicycles in Negombo and promote their use further through the provision of bicycle lanes and bicycle parks. It will also ensure that pedestrian facilities are not compromised in favour of motorization. Particular attention will be given at all times to the need for pedestrian access to bus and rail stations. Adequate and safe sidewalks free of trade activities will be provided in this regard.

Priority to Public Transport: The traffic policy will give priority to public transport in all transport development activities, such as intersection improvements and other forms of traffic management. Priority is loosely defined as the provision of adequate lanes, right of way and halting stations to ensure mobility and safety for all road users without curbing the need for speed and access for public transport vehicles.

Traffic Restrained Areas: Traffic in the conservation areas will be restrained through a system of roads designed to slow vehicle speeds and to prevent large vehicles from using narrow roads.

4.8 Traffic Management in Negombo Town

Poor traffic management in Negombo clearly demonstrates the lack of a planned and strategic approach towards ensuring compatibility of land use and traffic growth in the city. A balance is vital for planned development and ensuring continuity in growth. It is usually achieved by considering the sustainable traffic levels as a function of population density, intensity of land use and road density.

A. Overall Traffic Circulation Pattern

In keeping with traffic policy objectives given in Section 4.7 above, the planned traffic circulation pattern is illustrated in Figure 4.5. In this arrangement, only buses, bicycles and pedestrians are allowed on Greens Road from the major Tillanduwa

104 Junction north of the bus stand, to Clock Tower Junction and further along Broadway to the Railway Station.

Other motorised traffic shall use DS Senanayake Mawatha, St Joseph’s Street west bound, Rajapakse Broadway until Clock Tower Junction, Green’s Road (north) and Main Street as a ring road around the pedestrian core. This shall be a two-lane wide (minimum 7 metre wide) one-way circulatory system in the clockwise direction. On- street parking will only be allowed on the ‘ring road’ where street width is more than 7 metres and adequate space is provided for two lanes of traffic (6 m) and at least 1 metre for a pedestrian sidewalk.

Figure 4.5: Traffic Circulation Pattern for Negombo Town

105 B. Design of Green’s Road and Broadway as a Pedestrian and Bus Corridor

In keeping with modern designed approaches to city centres throughout the world, it is also recommended that Negombo City centre contain the pedestrian and bus only corridor discussed above. This proposed corridor runs along Green’s Road north of Tillanduwa Junction and along Broadway until Station Road. It should be around 400 metres in length. Private vehicles will be banned from entering this road during daytime by an appropriate law administered by the Negombo MC and by road signage. The road space should be designed with wide sidewalks, trees and overhang for pedestrian shelter from the sun. Some trade activities can also be designed into the roads in order that traders do not encroach onto pedestrian and bus right of ways as is presently occurring on most town centre roads .

For buses, there should be a six-metre wide bus lane in the centre of the road with a bus bay at the following recommended bus halts. Two bus halts are recommended in the inbound direction: one next to the railway station on Broadway and the second just before the Tillanduwa junction of Greens Road. Two bus halts are also proposed in the outbound direction at the same locations but staggered by 25 to 50 metres. These are also illustrated in Figure 4.5

C. Improved Intersection Control

The improvements to the intersections are vital to ensure that traffic flows smoothly within the town area. The designs proposed for each intersection will be discussed in detail in Section 4.9.

D. Provision of Parking Areas

The parking demand for Negombo town with an estimated moderate increase for future needs will be an estimated 800 spaces. This appears the optimum amount of spaces that the town area can sustain. Providing more than this would also need corresponding widening of streets. This includes demand for two and three wheeler parking as well as that of commercial vehicles. Presently, these are almost exclusively provided for by on-street parking. According to the traffic policy proposal, this should only be allowed on the ‘ring-road’ where road width is more than 7 metres. This may also be allowed in the conservation area, where traffic will be restrained, but not on any of the other roads in the town. The conservation area can accommodate around 100 parking spaces. The other spaces demanded will need to be provided through off-street parking as shown in Table 4.1. It is important to state that off-street parking should not develop until on-street parking is priced at a realistic level such as Rs 20 per hour. Therefore, parking charges should be introduced with immediate effect so that the demand for off-street parking will grow, by which time regulations can be gradually introduced so that roads can be made free of parking altogether. The proposed parking areas are shown in Figure 4.6.

Table 4.1: Provision of Off-Street Parking Lots

106 Location Spaces to be Remarks Provided

Super Market Premises 50 This area meant for parking is used illegally for trade activities. This should be reconverted to parking, with access from DS Senanayake Mw only.

DS Senanayake Mw. 150 There are several marginally used private lands, as well as State land belonging to the Railways that should be developed for parking.

Behind Central Market 50 The land behind and around the Central market building can be properly designed and constructed for parking of lorries.

Chilaw Road Opposite 50 Marginally used land available Ave Maria Convent

Commercial Parking Lot 100 Required for inbound traffic from Chilaw on Fernando Avenue Road, as an extension of the Chilaw Road parking

Intersection of Chilaw 50 Commercial parking space required Road and Green’s Road

Proposed Supermarket on 100 Space required if proposed shopping ANMF Mw complex south of the bus stand is developed

St Joseph’s Street 100 Close to Tillanduwa junction towards the Lagoon there is marginally used space available

Tillanduwa junction 50 Bare land available at intersection presently used for informal three

107 wheeler stand.

The land areas required for this purpose amount to around 500-750 square metres for 50 parking spaces and 1000-1500 square metres for 100 car parking spaces. This depends on the shape of the property, parking arrangement and percentage of large vehicles that can be accommodated, and will need to be analysed on a case by case basis.

108 Figure 4.6: Proposed Parking Areas in Negombo Town

109 E. Provision of Bicycle Paths

As discussed in Section 3.7, Negombo has a high composition of bicycles. Bicycle lanes should be provided as shown in Figure 4.7. These roads are: (a) Sea Street, continuing on to Lewis Place (b) Circular Road (c) Esplanade Road (d) Custom House Road (e) St Joseph’s Road (f) St John’s Road (g) St. Jude’s Place (h) Talduwa Road (I) Archbishop NM Fernando Mw. (j) Greens Road (k) Broadway (l) Tammita Road (m) Ave Maria Road (n) St. Sebastian Road (o) Either bank of the Hamilton Canal from St Joseph’s Street to Kurana Road or beyond to St Anne’s Street.

These bicycle lanes should be designed such that motorised vehicles do not use the designated space for parking or stopping of vehicles. A partial separation should be made through bollards and curbs where necessary. The width of a bicycle lane should not be less than 1.2 metres when it is one-directional and 2 metres when it is two-way. The total length of cycle paths as proposed above is about five kms, without the canal banks and Lewis Place which will add a further length of eight kms.

110 Figure 4.7- Bicycle Paths in Negombo Town

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111 F. Provision of Pedestrian Facilities

Pedestrian sidewalks should be built on all the roads within the Negombo town area where the road width is 5 meters or greater. As many roads are wider than 5 meters, and do not provide sidewalks, this will be a major undertaking in the town centre. However, it is a vital part of this transport plan if congestion and safety considerations and all modal improvements are to be successfully implemented through the strategies outlined. Sidewalks when built should not be less than one metre in width as a minimum although the final width should be designed according to the projected demand and design standards based on levels of service required rather than arbitrary widths. Sidewalks should also be, as far as possible, continuous across by- roads. Raised pedestrian crossings are commonly used in European cities to achieve this continuity.

G. Railway Crossings

The railway crossings on St Joseph’s Street at Tillanduwa Junction, Main Street at Ave Maria crossing and Chilaw Road where it meets the A3 are causing severe disruptions to traffic flow. With the proposed double tracking and increase of rail operations planned for next year, it will be essential to plan for relief measures. The following proposals are made:

St Joseph’s Street - The road leading up to the crossing should be widened to at least 8 metres to accommodate two lanes inbound, so that the length of the shock wave caused by the traffic build up can be shortened. In addition, it is proposed that no right turns of buses be allowed from Greens Road (north bound from the Bus Stand) onto St Joseph’s Road. They should move along the new bus-pedestrian corridor on Green’s Road and then either continue northbound via Main Street or Broadway/De Croos Road, or veer back towards Tillanduwa Junction along DS Senanayake Mawatha where they can turn left onto St Joseph’s. A waiting lane should be designed at Tillanduwa Junction for these left turns. In addition, it is proposed that the signal control proposed for this intersection be linked to the railway crossing to synchronise movements and minimise traffic build up.

Main Street - The section of Main Street, which meets the railway track needs to be widened in a similar fashion to St Joseph’s Road.

Chilaw Road - The junction of the A3 and Chilaw Road should be redesigned to safely accommodate a queue of when the railway crossing is in operation. The waiting area needs to be large enough to allow vehicles from the A3 to wait near the railway crossing preventing the shock wave from running onto the A3 itself.

H. Creation of an Orbital Road

As discussed, the radial network in Negombo town is good although insufficient to provide for future growth. An orbital road is required to supplement the radial network

112 to cater for future growth even with controlled traffic circulation as planned. The orbital will aid the breakdown of ribbon development along the radials in addition to its central transport function of alleviating pressure on the radial routes. Tammita Road, Ave Maria Road and St. Sebastian’s Road can be made into an eastern orbital for the town centre. In order to provide for this the following measures as shown in Figure 4.8 are necessary:

• Widening of Tammita Road to provide for a two-lane orbital link at least 7 meters in width.

• Joining of Ave Maria Road and Tammita Road by a new link with second railway crossing. This road would cross the railway tracks rather than following Ave Maria’s current trace, which veers to the west. This would allow for the new link to form a continuous junction with Tammita Road, avoiding the current aggravation of congestion at the Main Street railway crossing.

• Widening of St. Sebastian’s Road. Currently, the bridge is too narrow for fluid through traffic. It is wide enough for one car and oncoming vehicles are required to slow to observe available road space. In addition, the angle of the road leading up to the bridge is such that visibility is poor (Figure 4.9). Signalisation is a possibility if the bridge is deemed too historic for rehabilitation and widening in parallel with the rehabilitation of the road.

113 Figure 4.8: Orbital Route Proposed for Negombo Town Area

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114 Figure 4.9: St. Sebastian’s Road Bridge over Canal

115 I. Traffic Restraint Measures

Traffic restraint can be employed in the conservation are in the old town section towards the lagoon and beach. This will prevent rapid motorization of that area so that the road activity can be made more compatible with the nature of the buildings in that area. Thus heavy vehicles need to be restricted to a few roads. Also, road speeds should be reduced through a series of well-designed chicanes and raised junctions (also see Section 4.14 for a fuller description of these measures).

4.9 Improvements to Intersection

The future requirements of 12 intersections within the study area have been studied. The present traffic flow, space available for widening and type of control most suitable have all been considered in this process. The design requirements for each of these intersections have been given in Table 4.2. The detailed calculations are given as Appendix VIII.

Table 4.2: Future Intersection Flows (Total vehicles per hour) 30

Location Improvement Required 1 Coppara Junction Can function as a four phase signalized junction with Colombo Road approaches widened to 20 m and Giriulla Road/Main Street approaches widened to 16 metres 2 Main St.-Ave Maria Can function with a STOP sign for next 5 years or so Junction but would need t be signalized thereafter. 3 Main Street - Greens Rd. Three phase signals needed with road widened to two lanes on all approaches 4 Main Street - Chilaw Road Main Street should be made one way in our bound direction with opposite direction traffic on Fernando Road. Signals would be required after 5 years. 5 Colombo Road – Chilaw The entire junction has to be redesigned to Road accommodate the railway crossing, The Chilaw Road needs to be widened to three lane width and signalized with a three phase signal, integrated with the rail signals 6 Broadway - D.S. For the next 5 - 10 years chanellise junction would be Senanayake Mw. adequate, signalisation may have to be considered thereafter. 7 Clock Tower Junction Approaches should be widened to two lanes with a mini roundabout. 8 Tillanduwa Junction This may be controlled as a mini roundabout. The entry at St Joseph’s Road should be increased. Some chanellisation is also required to provide for traffic queuing . In the long-term this junction would be suitable as an externally controlled roundabout. 9 Old Rest House Junction Introduce STOP signs on Mankuliya Road and 2 nd Cross Street. 10 Telwatte J unction Traffic Signalisation required with a three phase signal 11 Seeduwa Junction For the next 5 years a STOP sign on Seeduwa Road would be adequate. Afterwards it would need two phase signalisation.

30 The approaches are showed in the Figure 1 of Annex V

116 12 St. Joseph Rd. - Colombo To be operated as a four phase signalized junction. Road

4.10 Development of Internal Road Network in NGCSA

There is much potential for developing the internal road network so that Negombo town area is well connected for purposes of employment, trade and administration. Based on demand patterns for the future and the present capacities available of the present road system, the following improvements not previously discussed in Sections 4.1 & 4.2 are recommended here:

Negombo - Giriulla – Kurunegala Road – This road is of poor geometry, vertical and horizontal curvature and camber and hence needs to be rehabilitated. It is proposed to improve this road as the major road linkage with Kurunegala and then to Dambulla which is now becoming an agricultural centre.

Ja-ela –Bopitiya – Pamunugama Road – This should also be widened to two lane standard in order improve the access to the beach and the coastal strip from Pamunugama to Mankuliya. This area if improved in access can be developed for fishing based industries, fisheries housing as well as some tourism.

Uswetakeiyawa- Hekkita- Pamunugama Road – This road could be developed from its present stage as an intermediate lane slow road to a two lane standard so that it functions as an extension to the above road up to Colombo. With the proposed bridge across the Kelani River at , this road has potential to develop. Its linkage up to Negombo would auger well for tourism and fishery based activities that are predominant right along the coast and the Hamilton Canal which runs abutting this road.

4.11 Development of Bus/Railway Terminal

The bus terminal is in reasonably good shape although it has been poorly designed. A designed traffic circulation and vehicle-pedestrian separation is non-existent. It also has a capacity problem with respect to the number of platforms available. In the short-term the same bus stand may be redesigned with respect to traffic circulation in order to improve functionality by planning the bus entry and exits and fencing off pedestrian areas from vehicular areas. It should also take in to account that 40% of the users are transferring from one bus to another. The platforms should be arranged in such a manner that the routes servicing Katana, Mirigama are adjacent to those for Colombo and Chilaw in order to improve internal passenger circulation within the bus stand. For the long-term, a bus stand development project may be considered. Part of the improvements to the bus stand would be to improve the railway so that fewer bus passengers use the Negombo Bus Stand.

In the case of the railway terminal, the basic facilities are present. The station needs more prominence especially in having an impressive entrance and good inter-phase with bus passengers and passengers dropped off by motor vehicles.

117 4.12 Re-planning of Bus Routes

The bus service in Negombo provides the backbone of transport mobility in the study area. However, the bus service demonstrates many weaknesses that are partly global in terms of their regulatory aspects and other that are local with respect to routing and scheduling. In the case of the latter, certain recommendations are made in order to improve the bus services.

Maintaining Reliability of Services - presently one of the most criticised features of bus transport is the irregularity and unreliability of services. This is due to the fact that the State operators do not have adequate buses to operate a full timetable and the private operator who runs only when he is assured of a full load of passengers. In order to improve this situation, a route planning exercise should be undertaken for the Negombo area and the KEPZ area. By this, route structures could be re-planned based on the level of availability of buses. For routes that cannot be given a reliable bus service, other arrangements have to be made to provide services on reimbursements provided by the State. This way reliability is maintained.

Bus Stop at Coppara Junction - This area has a high demand for bus passengers due to the transfer between the two roads as well as the presence of Maris Stella College and the Negombo Base Hospital. Presently there are no facilities for bus passengers at this location. A shelter in each of the four directions of travel at this junction is required. If properly provided for it would reduce some pressure on the Negombo town bus stand

4.13 Development of Canal and Lagoon for Recreational Water Transport

As part of developing tourism in Negombo, it is proposed that the Hamilton Canal be developed for navigation of light passenger crafts plying between the general tourist area around Lewis Place to the Negombo town and lagoon. Mostly, this will be directed towards boosting tourist recreational activities. Tourists could thereby move between the hotels located alongside the beach on Lewis Place to the town area and to the lagoon. The development of the lagoon for water based recreational activities such as yachting, wind surfing and also sight seeing tours particularly down to the sanctuary at Muturajawela may also be promoted. This applies to both foreign tourists and the local tourist industry, which is growing and may be further attracted by non-beach recreational activities, particularly in the historic Negombo lagoon.

The development of the canal banks is also vital to this project. Presently, the canal side is in a neglected state and not sufficiently presentable for tourist traffic. A two meter wide bicycle lane and walkway is recommended along each bank of the Hamilton Canal from as far north as Kurana Road down to St Joseph’s Street, a distance of about six kms. This can easily be done, as a reservation is available on

118 both sides. A motorable road is not considered feasible due to the acquisition involved.

4.14 Redevelopment of Lewis Place and surrounding area for tourism

Following the proposals made in the study of Negombo by the Ceylon Tourist Board, this study too makes the recommendation that Lewis Place, which has over twenty hotels, be redesigned as a traffic restrained street. This will entail that a major section of the road width be developed for pedestrian and cycle traffic, and that the road in general be fully integrated to the character of hotel complexes. The speed of traffic will be controlled through design by means of chicanes, platforms and other measures. A bus service may be maintained, but other through traffic will be discouraged as much as possible.

This plan will also need an alternative road to be developed for through traffic presently using Lewis Place. In this respect, it is recommended that several roads running parallel to Lewis Place be developed. This is shown in Figure 4.10. This, however, requires a few sections of new road length so that staggered junctions can be eliminated. It is also recommended that this road have a separate bus service (also see section 4.4).

Figure 4.10: Development of Lewis Place

119 This area also has the potential for domestic tourism. The beach front is already quite popular on holidays as people from the vicinity as well as bus loads from faraway places spend an hour or two. The Kattuwa Road and the Mosque Road up to Lewis Place could be used for this purpose. A suitably large parking area and commercial facility would be useful if this is to be developed.

Amal S. Kumarage Genevieve Connors 8th Draft (Interim Report) June 26 th , 2000

120 5 ANNEXES

I. TERMS OF REFERNCE

II. TRANSPORT NETWORKS

• TABLE 1 ROADS MAINTAINED BY THE NEGOMBO UC

• TABLE 2 ROADS MAINTAINED BY THE RDA

• TABLE 3 ROADS MAINTAINED BY THE PROVINCIAL RDA

• TABLE 4 BUS ROUTES IN THE REGION OPERATED BY THE NEGOMBO DEPOT

III MCC COUNTS FROM SIX ROADS IN NEGOMBO SURVEY AND KATUNAYAKE AND KOCHCHIKADE SURVEYS FROM TRANSPLAN DATABASE.

IV. ORIGIN-DESTINATION MATRICES

• FIGURE 1: ZONING MAP FOR O-D MATRICES

• FIGURE 2: ZONING NUMBERS FOR O-D MATRICES

• TABLE 1: O-D FLOWS FOR PRIVATE VEHICLES

• TABLE 2: O-D FLOWS FOR GOODS VEHICLES

• TABLE 3: O-D FLOWS FOR BUS PASSENGERS

• TABLE 4. 1: O-D FLOWS OF RAILWAY SEASON TICKET PASSENGERS

• TABLE 4. 2: O-D FLOWS OF RAILWAY ORDINARY TICKET PASSENGERS

V. ROAD NETWORK

• TABLE 1: ROAD DETAILS

• FIGURE 1: GEOMETRIC DETAILS OF INTERSECTIONS

VI. SURVEY FORMS USED

121 VII. LIST OF OFFICIALS MET AND/OR CONSULTED

VIII. DESIGN OF INTERSECTIONS

122 ANNEX VII: LIST OF PERSONS MET AND/OR CONSULTED

The following persons have been consulted in the preparation of this report. Their inputs in terms of data provided and/or expertise opinion expressed are acknowledged and appreciated.

• Chief Engineer, Gampaha, Road Development Authority (Mrs. S. Jayawardena)

• Depot Superintendent, Negombo Cluster Depot, Wayamba Bus Company (Mr. Fonseka)

• Deputy Chief Engineer, Way & Works, Sri Lanka Railways (Mr. Priyal de Silva)

• Director Operations, Wayamba Bus Company

• Director, National Transport Commission (Mr. M.A. Jeffrey)

• Municipal Engineer, Negombo Municipal Council (Mr. Wanniarachchi)

• Officer in Charge, Traffic Police Seeduwa

• Officer in Charge, Traffic Police Negombo (Mr. Rodrigo)

• Regional Manager, Western Province Road Transport Authority (Mr. Ratnayake)

• Senior Engineer, Sri Lanka Airports Aviation Authority (Mr. T. Weerasinghe)

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