Assalamu alaikum ya Nesan!

The diligent Saracen should spend some time reviewing road rules this Ramazan. It could save you a lot of trouble, as the Police are beginning to enforce traffic laws more strictly. Lane laws have come into special focus in Colombo. The lax lane discipline we have on our roads has become a real problem, especially during rush hour. Recent road expansions, and highway building have streamlined our traffic to a great extent, and enforcing lane laws, will greatly improve traffic movement.

Disobeying Lane laws slows down traffic and creates congestion. This has existential effects, in terms of wasted fuel, wasted time and environmental pollution. Good transport is critical to commerce, and when trucks get delayed money is wasted. Slow traffic slows down busses, creating inconvenience to the public. Ambulances, Fire Brigades and other critical services can reach their destinations quicker if the traffic on the road was orderly. Enlarging our roads and building new ones are an expensive undertaking. Therefore the responsible driver should adhere to our road rules like lane laws, so that we can maximize our investment in roads.

Rush hour traffic in Colombo is one of, if not the worst traffic jam you can find in the island. The recent increase in vehicle owners contributes to the congestion. Our roads can certainly accommodate the current traffic volumes if the motorists are more disciplined about the way they use lanes on the road. In their effort to ease congestion and move traffic more smoothly through rush hour, the Police have identified several key areas in the city of Colombo, where they will enforce lane laws more strictly. They hope that when drivers find themselves accountable for breaking the law, they will adhere to Lane Laws more closely in the future leading to better traffic flow.

The reader is directed to local media reports for the specifics of what the police have said. In this post Ibn Serendib highlights a few rules, which have come into special focus –

• Buses and Three-wheelers should use the designated Bus Lane, or the lane immediately next to it. 
• Sudden lane switches are prohibited. The driver is required to signal in the direction of the lane he wishes to cross to, and smoothly shift the vehicle giving vehicles at the rear plenty of time to notice the switch.
• Drivers should switch to the correct lane when turning, at least 20 - 50 meters before the actual turn. 
• Drivers should be on the correct lane to make a turn, and not make the turn from other lanes.
• Drivers should drive between the lines of their respective lane, and avoid crossing the lane separation lines, unless in a proper overtake maneuver. 
• Drivers should only overtake using the right lane to get ahead.
• Drivers should obey the stop line at traffic lights
• Drivers should give way to the right, at intersections, and roundabouts.

Apart from the ones above, the following rules should also be adhered to, as many have been charged for violating them –

• The vehicle's driver and front passenger should have their seat belts secured.
• Tinted stickers on driver side, and front passenger side windows, as well as the windscreen are prohibited, but a strip of tint not more than 20% of the windscreen in allowed to block the sun.

Although the Police are paying special attention to lane laws, they are also paying attention to all other laws of the road as well. Therefore if you feel that you are a bit rusty on the rules; buy a good book on Sri Lankan Road rules from your nearest bookshop and give it a read. If there is one thing that can really delay you on the road, it is getting held up by Police.

Obeying road rules is your moral and legal obligation. So this Ramazan let us all decide to be better drivers, not just in places where police are doing special enforcement, but everywhere in the island. God almighty himself has ordered the Muslim to be kind to the traveler in the noble Quran. This command applies as much to the caravans of old, as it does to the cars (and other types of vehicles) of present time.

May all your journeys lead to prosperity!