Document Type : Research Paper
Abstract
In comparison with the past, the public awareness and public sensitivity have notably increased through sustainability. In this regard, different departments have discussed their problems via the approach of sustainability. Sustainable development considers economic, social and environmental dimensions simultaneously. The same is true with sustainable transportation whose sustainable development policies in transportation area seek ways to provide all groups of society with appropriate access, to adjust economic costs and ,more importantly, to reduce the negative environmental impacts. However, almost all indicators show that the current experience of the transportation in our country and the consistent trend in the world are not only in the wrong direction but are also unstable in the longer term. One of the most efficient approaches to achieve sustainability is the strategy of integrating transportation system. "Integrated transportation strategy" is suggested to provide a more sustainable model of transportation to achieve sustainability and address major concerns. This research will study the case study of metropolitan Shiraz which is located in the southwest of Iran, with a population of almost 1.5 million. Facing numerous problems in the domain of urban transportation, Metropolitan Shiraz's current trend is not stable due to the city's struggling with some specific problems such as low share of public transport usage and dependency on car, high level of car ownership, growing population and density in central districts, high level of fuel usage, and increasing pollution. Several actions and plans including some action plans , special and technical programs and software have been carried out to address the aforementioned urban problems in the hope of reducing these problems , but they had not achieved enough efficiency. This study investigates the current situation of the transportation system in Shiraz using information collected via an expert opinion survey, questionnaires and interviewing some managers and experts in public or private organizations, companies, and consulting offices using special method called Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to evaluate the system and define the priorities for future considerations. The results confirm that current set of policies undertaken by urban management and urban governance system in Shiraz almost fails to conform to the desirable criteria of Integrated Transport Approach. Although certain models have been recommended to achieve integration of transportation system, this article opted for a more comprehensive model by Potter and Skinner ( 2000 ). The finding of this research shows that, according to experts’ viewpoints, integration policies should be oriented to improving the public transport system. These policies include basic policies which will be presented as follows: the increase of the accessibility and efficiency of public bus system for potential demand areas; allocation of part of Municipality incomes to public transport sector; and establishment of separated bus lanes especially throughout the central district of the city.
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