تحلیلی بر تأثیر استفاده از فناوری‌های حمل‌ونقل هوشمند (ITS) در حمل‌ونقل شهری کلان‌شهر تبریز

A B S T R A C T
Transportation and the quality of its services have a direct role in the quality of life and economic, social, and cultural interactions of people. Due to its functional importance and the significant role it has long held, transportation is recognized in urban planning literature as the lifeline of a city. Accordingly, modern cities, considering the passage of time and their evolving needs, require updating and the adoption of new systems and technologies. ITS, or Intelligent Transportation Systems, is one such technology that positively impacts urban transportation in various cities. Therefore, this topic was examined from different aspects in the metropolis of Tabriz. The present study is applied research with a descriptive-analytical and survey-based methodology, conducted through library and field studies within the east-west corridor of the BRT users in Tabriz. The results, analyzed using SPSS version 16, indicate that despite some deficiencies, dissatisfactions, and significant issues stemming from the novelty of the system, the current status regarding ITS technology, the functioning of ITS, the performance of relevant executive agencies, achievement of sustainable development indicators, and especially crisis management using ITS in this city is relatively favorable.
Extended Abstract
Introduction
Various solutions have been proposed to address traffic problems in the cities of our country, with Tabriz serving as an example. Among these solutions, alongside initiatives such as establishing the BRT system (Bus Rapid Transit) as part of the public transportation network, the use of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) has become increasingly important. Currently, with the growing focus on concepts like e-government, e-city, e-municipality, and e-citizenship, ITS has turned into a significant topic in urban management. In recent years, the need to save and conserve energy, reduce air pollution, and revive sustainable urban development has further increased attention toward issues related to the electronic city. The use of ITS is now an undeniable necessity in urban studies, especially for large cities. This study examines the implementation of ITS in the east-west corridor of Tabriz’s BRT system, focusing on the following questions:

What is the current status of ITS implementation in the metropolis of Tabriz?
What impact has the use of ITS had on transportation in the metropolis of Tabriz?
How satisfied are the citizens with the smart transportation system in the city

 
Methodology
The present study is applied research, and its research method is descriptive-analytical and survey-based. Accordingly, after reviewing the concepts and foundations related to the research topic, data were collected using library studies and fieldwork. Specifically, reviewing documents and records provided a general understanding, while conducting interviews helped capture citizens' views and demands regarding the quality of public transportation (BRT). The study population consists of public transportation users in the east-west corridor of the metropolis of Tabriz (the research area). The use of documentary studies on the implementation of ITS systems, along with a questionnaire survey conducted among 384 citizens (based on Cochran’s sampling model), form the two main stages of the field study
Results and discussion
The overall results of citizens’ responses regarding the impact of intelligent transportation on sustainable urban development show that most of the mentioned items scored above the average level. This indicates that urban intelligent transportation has an effective and positive influence on sustainable urban development. Another part of the study’s results reveals a good compatibility between Tabriz’s urban transportation system and the concept of intelligent transportation systems. In other words, based on various findings of this research, it can be concluded that today the intelligent urban transportation system, considering its various sub-components, has had a positive impact on the transportation network of the metropolis of Tabriz.
One of the most important reasons for this positive impact and compatibility is its beneficial effect on urban crisis management in this city. In this regard, modern technologies can be utilized to enhance the role of the transportation network during crisis situations. To investigate the impact of intelligent transportation technologies on urban crisis management in the metropolis of Tabriz, 19 items were examined, and the results of the non-parametric Chi-square test indicate that intelligent transportation technologies have a statistically significant impact on crisis management in Tabriz at the 0.01 significance level
 
Conclusion
The results based on citizens’ responses indicate that intelligent transportation technologies are beneficial for all social groups, and the performance of the implementing organizations has also been effective in this regard. All of these factors ultimately represent an improvement in the transportation system and a positive performance of intelligent transportation in the city of Tabriz. However, some weaknesses were observed, particularly related to access to major administrative and commercial centers, insufficient daily traffic condition updates, and limited information about the stations within the intelligent transportation system. Additionally, citizen satisfaction with intelligent transportation technology was another focus of this study. The results show a relatively good level of satisfaction among citizens, with the highest satisfaction related to the higher speed of intelligent transportation systems compared to traditional urban transportation modes, as well as their reasonable cost compared to other transportation systems.
 
Funding
There is no funding support.
  
Authors’ Contribution
Authors contributed equally to the conceptualization and writing of the article. All of the authors approved thecontent of the manuscript and agreed on all aspects of the work declaration of competing interest none.
 
Conflict of Interest
Authors declared no conflict of interest.
 
Acknowledgments
 We are grateful to all the scientific consultants of this paper.