The Investigation and Evaluation of Economic Effects of BRT on Commercial Efficiencies of Street Margin, the Case Study of Tabriz Metropolitan (from University Square to Shariati Crossroads)

Extended abstract1- IntroductionWith increasing urbanization and subsequent population density in cities in the era of globalization and global economic integration, providing a public transportation system which is efficient, effective, safe and inexpensive leads to economic, social and environmental sustainability. So that other indicators such as travel time, traffic, fuel consumption and air pollution be improved, in addition to the current direction of traveling towards public transportation. BRT system is one of the forms of mass transit which had been designed and implemented in order to solve urban traffic problems and move toward sustainable urban development. In this way, planners and policy makers are still interested in investing in a transportation network and density of lands as an alternative to eliminate private cars, reduce traffic and its adverse effects. This paper investigates and evaluates the effects of BRT system on commercial land uses of street margin, in Tabriz from university square to Shariati cross- road.2- MethodologyThe sample size of the study includes all economic businessmen of the margin of street in the studied area in Tabriz in 2010-2011. The statistical sample of the survey was selected according to the random sampling method. There were 180 commercial land uses; with special separation of the main junction 75 questionnaires were returned and analyzed from the north side of the street and 75 ones were returned and analyzed from the south side of the street and the questionnaire return rate was 83 percent. In this study, interview method had also been used. 3- Discussion BRT lines in Tabriz were designed to solve traffic problems and transportation. But regardless of its influential effects on the transport of Tabriz, adverse effects had been imposed on trade margin land uses in the studied area. In the area of study, due to the narrow width of passage, BRT line had allocated in one side of the street and other side of streets had been allocated to moving and handling personal vehicles that has led to slow movement and increase in volume of traffic. This resulted in the decrease of customers referring to shop across these lines, because people who want to buy goods and commodities from these places were no longer willing to go to these places and purchase goods from the North side of the street, due to various problems such as lack of parking places for private cars, preventing marginal park in the avenues, problems caused by going through the width of streets, waste of time and so on. Also, following to the investiga