Heavy congestion reported between the Galanigama and Dodangoda interchanges on the Southern Expressway during the May Day and Vesak long weekend was not unforeseeable. It was entirely predictable, and therefore avoidable.
Traffic volumes during such holiday periods typically double as thousands travel south. Yet roadworks were carried out at peak hours with no visible attempt to ease the impact through night time execution or better sequencing. In any well managed system, non essential works would have been scheduled around demand, not directly into it.
The expressway is funded by taxpayers and toll paying users. Commuters are not passive users, they are paying customers. However, the service delivered falls short of basic international standards, where maintenance is timed to minimise disruption and protect flow, especially during peak travel windows.
This reflects a deeper issue. The public sector continues to operate with a process mindset rather than a service mindset, with limited accountability for the inconvenience caused. The absence of consideration in execution erodes both efficiency and public trust.
Sri Lanka must widen its tax base. But unless service quality improves alongside it, the willingness of citizens to contribute will remain constrained.