The city of Colombo is gradually being choked to death by motor traffic and urgently needs to implement a raft of economic measures to curb emissions. This is the verdict of a study that has attracted the attention of local policymakers. The study looked at the growth of traffic in the city and the impact it is having on air quality. It then analysed the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of different pollution reduction strategies. The main conclusions were that new pricing policies could help bring about environmentally-friendly changes in the type of fuel used and vehicles driven. These, combined with good traffic management and inspection programmes, could go some way to solving the city's traffic pollution problems.

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