Survey shows drop in prices of goods, increase in working women since bridge opened

A survey by the Maldives National University's Student Union (MNUSU) has shown that since the Sinamale' bridge was opened, an increase in the number of women commuting to work and a reduction in prices was noticed.

The survey was conducted on the first anniversary of the bridge being opened for the public and stated that prior to the bridge, cargo transportation between Male' and Hulhumale had to go through three or four time-consuming processes.

In addition to the increased costs of cargo transport that businesses faced, the process also faced restrictions by traffic and weather conditions and had made the process a painstaking one.

The survey also noted that previously it took people around an hour of travel to get to work. After the bridge opened, this was reduced to a shorter period.

28 percent of people managed to get to work within 30 minutes before the bridge opened. This statistic saw an immense increase with 84 percent of people now managing to get to work within a short period of time after the bridge opened.

54 percent of people had to undergo an hour of travel to get to work before the bridge, according to the survey. The survey showed that this statistic has now been reduced to 15 percent of people after the bridge was opened. 

The bridge also allowed more women to commmute to work and take their children to schools as well, while the survey noted that many women faced difficulties in such tasks prior to the bridge. 

"I commute to Hulhumale' for work now, and it takes me only 20 minutes," a woman who was interviewed in the survey said.