Impact of the automobile on public street performance with special reference to the main thoroughfare of Matara township

Abstract

Vehicle domination in streets has deteriorated the public realm depriving people their once democratic, safe public space with a prolific diversity of functions and applications. Spatial limitations, environmental pollution and safety hazards are on a rise mainly in developing countries that are blindfolded with economic development as the priority but not the human wellbeing. Even in Sri Lanka, more commercialized townships such as Matara are undergoing the complexities of excess vehicular eco-system. Relevantly, this research attempts to assess the severity of traffic and traffic prioritized street design towards the pedestrian/ public performance on streets under physical/ sensory, environmental and safety related parameters. By defining an applicable analytical criterion in the literature review based on prominent scholarly findings on the subject, the research investigates effects and magnitudes of traffic and related street design errors against the public performance on the main thoroughfare of Matara township under three different functional facets. The analysis is primarily fed with researcher’s observational information which are complimented and validated by third person (users) input with help of viable analytical tools/ techniques. Findings of the research ascertain the crucial flaws of city’s existing street design that are rather biased towards mere vehicular activity instead of the public. Ability of comparative analysis helps to define variation of magnitude and nature of the impact on each criterion assessed, related to the three case study scenarios. The study probes a familiar, yet underrated spatial planning dilemma into sophisticated depths and intends to support associated studies in the future