The importance of rail systems in transportation is an indisputable fact. However, it must be admitted that rail system applications are late. In this regard, it could not keep up with the world; While the backbone of urban transportation in the world is based on rail systems, road and tire-wheeled transportation has been encouraged in our country for years, and the investments made are mostly for land transportation.
It is clear that a transportation model based on roads and rubber-wheeled vehicles is not suitable for the interests of both our country and our city. For this reason, priority should be given to the Light Rail System in terms of general planning of transportation in order to solve the transportation issue in a long-term and radical way.
The modern city life of our century obliges the citizens to use public transport. However, as the income level rises, public transport passengers who own cars are more selective in using this system. It is only possible to attract this selectivity to the public transportation side with the Light Rail System, which is a fast, comfortable, high quality and safe transportation system.
Ü Bus management ”is the easiest type of public transport in small cities. This type can be tailored to the needs of each city. However, it is far from responding to the needs of a metropolis like Erzurum. Bus management is a transportation model that pollutes the environment as well as being dependent on foreign energy consumption.
The most suitable public transportation model for urban transportation needs is the Light Rail System model, which is a coordinated and integrated (interconnected and complementary) transportation model. It is known that the planning of transportation systems separately is not efficient, and when they are planned together, an economic transportation can be made with integrated transportation, which is described as "uninterrupted blood circulation".
In our country, 95% of urban freight and passenger transportation is done by road and thus by rubber-tyred vehicles. The heavy socio-economic cost of this distortion has been paid in the past and continues to be paid today. When we look at developed countries, it is seen that rail transportation systems are the main element in public transportation; It is seen that electric transportation systems have become the most important part of urban transportation systems in big cities, while other transportation systems are service complementary and auxiliary elements.
In the world and especially in developed countries, a new concept called “travel demand management” has emerged in order to meet the increasing demand for urban transportation. Taking advantage of the existing infrastructure at the highest level and shifting transportation demand to other alternative forms with rapidly developing communication and computer technologies are among the main strategies used for this concept.
Together with the journey demand management, the Light Rail System is the most suitable and open system for the integrated transportation model in terms of the urban transportation network.
