The Implication of Using Intelligent Transportation System in the Philippines

I. Introduction

Roads and transportation are necessary infrastructures which supports the movement of

people and goods, forming the foundation essential in social and economic development, and

connecting different cities, ports and airports. Due to population growth, economic development,

rapidly increasing car ownership, road maintenance and improvements, the volume of traffic has

increased and caused problems. In addition, most problems regarding transportation are also

caused by untimely and inaccurate information, and uncoordinated individuals in the system.

Transportation problems are universal—it affects both rich and poor countries. Problems

such as traffic congestion, air and noise pollution, poor public transport, inadequate maintenance,

high accident rates, insufficient funds for transportation innovation, and parking shortages is the

common concern of the countries. According to the infographic provided by the World Health

Organization (WHO) in 2013, nearly 1.25 million people die in road crashes each year and over

90% of all road fatalities occur on low and middle-income countries. Reports also states that

transport accounts for about 64% of global oil consumption, 27% of all energy use, and 23% of

the world’s energy-related CO2 emissions. Due to insufficient funds, low and middle-income

countries cannot support new transportation system to address the different problems in which

other industrialized nations have recognized. According to a report in an article, Japan, South

Korea and Singapore lead the world’s intelligent transportation system development. Japan has a

vehicle information and transformation system which links the navigational system of cars to

real time traffic information. Singapore has a fleet of 5,000 probe vehicle taxis that collects

traffic and parking information throughout the city.

The Philippines, the second most populous country in Southeast Asia, faces a serious

transportation problem. The Philippine transportation system is relatively underdeveloped due to

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its inability to match high economic and population growth to its transportation infrastructures.

Numerous projects have been delayed due to insufficient funds. The government tried to

compensate for the shortage of infrastructure by implementing short-term measures to ease

congestion but it resulted into severe consequences. Limited road network and the increasing

number of private vehicles have caused traffic wherein the usual one and a half hour-drive can

become a four hour-drive because of extreme congestion which contributes a 36.1% of the total

carbon dioxide emissions from fuel combustion.

Intelligent Transportation System, also known as ITS, is a new transportation system

which integrates communication, providing information, and using technology to properly link

drivers, vehicles, roads and even commuters. It aims to improve traffic safety (example, a car

tailing another car can cause accident due to an abrupt stop), transportation efficiency, relieve

traffic congestion, and lessen environmental deterioration.

II. Background of the Study

The ITS technology is an application of information technology to surface transportation

application to achieve enhanced safety and mobility while minimizing the environmental impact

of transportation. It enables sustainable transport system which safely meets the accessibility and

mobility of those who make use of transport networks, manages congestion and incidents,

provides the means to limit air pollution, and provides a tool for implementing transport policies.

It refers to efforts that apply information, communication, and sensor technologies to vehicles

and transportation infrastructure in order to provide real-time information to road-users and

transportation system operators to make better decisions. ITS aims to improve traffic safety and

congestion, reduce air pollution, increase energy efficiency and improve homeland security.

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 The Implication of Using Intelligent Transportation System in the Philippines

Aside from that, ITS aims to improve decision making by transport network controllers and other

users, thereby improving the operation of the entire transport system.

Intelligent Transportation System relies on a wide range of technologies and functions

such as Communications (like Internet and Bluetooth), Geographical Locations, Geographical

Information Intelligent Transportation System, data acquisition and exchange, camera system

and artificial vision, detection and classification, in-vehicle systems and digital mapping. The

features mentioned are used to provide real-time information to users and operators. ITS provide

commuters information about public buses, its arrival, current location, destination, and seat

availability. This system is also useful for drivers as they are updated with information based

through the road’s real-time situation. It has major areas which focuses on Safety, Business and

Rural areas. First is the Intelligent Vehicle Initiative which uses on-board collision avoidance

systems based on radar or sonar technology. It informs drivers about something that it might

strike or might strike them, a dashboard monitor displays maps and gives directions, and when

the vehicle becomes uncontrollable due to a bad weather, a certain command will be applied to

safely balance the vehicle again. Second is the Commercial Vehicle Operations wherein the

carrier, state, and national information are linked to make exchange of safety and business data

simple and cost-effective. Third is the Advanced Rural Transportation System that helps avoid

high-speed collisions through warning the drivers about certain objects mainly on drivers who go

on rural paces, pinpoints the exact location of your vehicle in case of accidents and contacts local

emergency agencies. An in-vehicle navigation system and an on-board weather updates is also

included which will help travelers get back on the right track. ITS also provides advanced

technologies, aside from the said areas, which will help commuters, drivers and vehicles to

efficiently arrive at their destination. It also provide commuters information about public buses,

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 The Implication of Using Intelligent Transportation System in the Philippines

its arrival, current location, destination, and seat availability. This system is also useful for

drivers as they are updated with information based through the road’s real-time situation.

ITS is advantageous in different ways such as improving traffic and congestion, safety,

lowering travel cost, providing quality transportation services, and better planning information.

However, it can be unsuccessful if it is not properly managed and facilitated.

Accidents, congestion, loss of open space, inadequate public transportation, and

environmental impacts are the problems addressed by others countries which caused the

implementation of the ITS. Europe, for example, deployed ITS to recognize the problem

referring to high road congestion which results to a significant increase in travel time and low

level of road safety which often leads to accidents and pollution. According to Mitsakis,

Intelligent Transportation System managed to succeed in dealing with those issues wherein he

emphasized that the provided information to the travelers, global positioning systems and the

dissemination of information through various digital communication channel enhanced traffic

flow, minimized road accidents and decreased the air pollution which lead to the enhancement of

safety and efficiency levels.

Manila, like other cities in other countries, is one of the most congested places in the

Philippines. Roads are being reconstructed, new infrastructures are being built and a huge

number of vehicles paves the road which are some of the problems that arises not only in the

Philippines but all over the world regarding transportation. Rodrigue and Notteboom stated that,

congestion is an indication that an economy is growing where capacity and infrastructure have

difficulties keeping up with the rising demands, which explains why different infrastructures are

built—to meet the demands of a developing country. Another way of meeting the demand in

regards to the transportation of the country is applying a system that will lessen transportation

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related problems such as traffic, and accidents. According to an article, leveraging the citizens

with an Intelligent Transportation System can save their time and make the city even smarter

therefore increasing their productivity which will increase its economic growth. An article has

also stated that applying Intelligent Transportation System reduces stops and delays at

intersections, improves travel time, manages accidents and capacities through combining

technologies—controlling technology, communication, and information.

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 The Implication of Using Intelligent Transportation System in the Philippines

SOURCES

https://theconstructor.org/transportation/intelligent-transportation-system/1120/

http://gcmpc.org/wp-content/uploads/pdf/LRTP_pdfs/ITSSum.pdf

https://knowledgecenter.csg.org/kc/content/intelligent-transportation-systems

www.google.com/amp/s/www.geospatialworld.net/blogs/what-is-intelligent-transport-system-

and-how-it-works/amp/

https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/transport/overview

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/01/why-the-philippines-needs-transport-reform/

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and the Transportation System-Dinesh Moha

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.asmag.com/mobile/article_detail_amp.aspx%3faid=24825

https://everything-everywhere.com/transportation-in-the-philippines/

https://www.rappler.com/previous-articles

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