Analysis of Causes on Suburban Traffic Congestion Reference to Ragama town, Sri Lanka

Abstract

A developed transportation system, connecting rail and road is an outcome of the substantial concentration of inter-related activities in an urban area. Thus, traffic congestion is inevitable. Congestion increases the travel time and decreases the efficiency of activities, consequently, congestion increases the economic cost of activities. Hence, traffic congestion is a problem for society and to the economy. A huge volume of literature is available on traffic and related research along with few concentrating on causes of congestion. Yet no studies focused on the sub-urban centers. Therefore, this research aims to analyse the causes on traffic congestion in one of the sub-urban areas of Sri Lanka. The study focused on four major issues, such as physical, technical, social, and legal. Data were collected using a five-point Likert scale questionnaire from conveniently selected 70 commuters, and in-depth interviews were conducted with five professional experts on the same factors. Analysis completed in both quantitative and qualitative approaches and the findings indicate physical and technical issues are significant in both analysis. Hence, the policy makers advise to consider the remedies more on physical and technical factors to improve the smooth flow of traffic.