Study on promotion of bicycles for school children in Eastern Province

Abstract

Various organizations belonging to governmental as well as nongovernmental sectors are presently engaged in promoting the use of push bicycles. Every such organization involved in this endeavor is of the view that bicycle has the potential to face the challenges posed by the motorized modes of transport. In the Sri Lankan context, promotion of the use of bicycle is a long felt need and has reached the proportion of needing the priority basis for its handling. This thesis is just a small step of a longer journey in that direction. It has collected and analyzed every fact and figure that counts to establish a solid factual basis to start a program of distributing bicycles among the needy school children in the Eastern Province as an initial step. The study also has the scope of extending it to other provinces, too. The purpose of the thesis also carries an institutional requirement of the National Transport Commission (NTC) of facing the problem of providing transport for school children. The NTC which was setup for the sole purpose of handling transport by omnibus has now realized the usefulness of the bicycle in discharging its responsibilities. The thesis, therefore, will provide the NTC with a factual basis to venture in to a program of donating bicycles to school children and at the same time to encourage the use of bicycles in the whole country. The reasoning based on scientific analysis of data adopted here is applicable to other parts of the island, too, because, the sample area taken for the study is reflective of common conditions prevailing in the country. Beyond the immediate need the study has well established the importance of the bicycle as a way of life in tomorrow's world. Things such as, special lanes for cyclist, wayside protective shelters and repair shops should not be in the area of wishful thinking in the future.