A Review of Intelligent Transport System and Its People's Needs Considerations for Traffic Management's Policy Framework in a Developing Country: People's Needs Considerations for ITS Policy

Introduction

Intelligent Transport System (ITS) is an integration of advanced information, electronics and telecommunication technologies (AIETT) with transport engineering in order to plan, design, operate, maintain and manage transportation systems with the aim to provide innovative and intuitive services including traffic control and management that make for safer, more coordinated, smarter and sustainable use of transportation equipment and related infrastructure. According to IRFNET (2017), Bhupendra and Ankit (2015), Singh et al. (2014) and EU (2010), ITS is an integrated system that implements a broad range of communication, control, vehicle sensing and electronics technologies, including smartphones, to help in monitoring and managing traffic flow, through information from live feeds from sophisticated sensors and equipment installed on the roadside or with camera mounted on the traffic signal poles. Thus, ITS helps to reduce traffic congestion, provides optimum routes to travelers, enhances the productivity of the systems, and saving lives, time and money.

The intelligent transport system is being researched, developed, deployed and used in industrialized countries for real-time navigation, traffic updates, lane discipline and predicting travel time. The goals of ITS include improving the effectiveness, efficiency, and safety of the road transportation system. ITS technologies and policies have been successfully deployed in several industrialized countries like in the United States (Steve and Jeff, 2014; USDOT, 2016; 2010; 2008), Japan (JICA, 2015), South Korea (ITS Korea, 2008; Young, 2008), Singapore (LTA and ITSS, 2014; Chiang, 2008), Australia (Nowacki, 2012; Zabrieszach, 2013), Europe (IRFNET, 2017; EU, 2010) and United Kingdom (ITS Report, 2012; ITS UK, 2010). According to Sen et al. (2009), deployment of ITS is different in different countries, but the motive is same, i.e. to improve the transportation system performance including reduced congestion, increased safety, and travelers convenience. As a matter of fact, the International Road Federation (IRF) established a high-level Policy Committee on ITS way back in 2008 “to foster the deployment of ITS by educating and encouraging governments to integrate ITS as a major tool to achieve their transportation policy objectives.” Thus, supporting and optimizing all modes of transportation by cost-effectively improving how they work, both individually and in cooperation with each other (IRFNET, 2017).

Understanding the benefits of ITS to road users and the overall economy, some African countries have formed ITS associations to foster relevant ideas (ITS Africa, 2017), and therefore, have shown promise in its deployment. Countries like South Africa, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Zambia have indeed made efforts in deploying some level of ITS technologies in their major cities (World Bank Group, 2017; JICA, 2015; Burnett et al., 2000). For instance, the city of Lekki in Lagos State, Nigeria, operates an e-tag system along the Lekki-Epe expressway and Lekki-Ikoyi bridge. According to JICA (2015), other deployed ITS services in Lekki include CCTV for safer roads and bus smartcards for fare collection on the public transportation systems such as bus rapid transport (BRT) and Lagos bus (LAGBUS).