Planning of Transportation Infrastructure Networks for Sustainable Development with Case Studies in Chabahar

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The paper “Planning of transportation infrastructure networks for sustainable development with case studies in Chabahar” has been submitted for publication to the journal “Sustainability”.

I appreciate the (quantitative) efforts made by Authors to link international and local transport, but the paper is still immature. First of all, it is not clear how numbers related to O-D are calculated and what do they represent. Did you interview the drivers? Daily 1370 movements for a city of about 350,000 inhabitants seem to me very few. As this part is the basis for the sizing of the infrastructure, you should try to be more rigorous. In Figure 4, the maximum number of daily movements along a road is 125, which does not represent any trouble in terms of capacity.

The second part, related to the qualitative description of the interventions, should be based on the first one, but in the current form the link is not clear. Here, I would like to stress also the implications in terms of environmental sustainability. For instance, how the changed condition will affect road emissions? (see e.g, Liaquat et al., 2010; Nocera and Cavallaro, 2012; Santos, 2017). Which measures could be implemented, in order to reduce them? (see e.g., Cavallaro and Nocera, 2022; Nocera and Cavallaro, 2012).

Figure 5 is not clear, please revise it and make each intervention distinguishable from the others. For instance, I cannot understand where you want to propose the geometric correction of the sidewalk and the embedding cycle lanes.

Finally, I cannot understand the innovation of the proposed method. Basically it is the application of a gravity model and an assignment exercise. Please, elaborate on this.

 

REFERENCES:

Cavallaro F., Nocera S., 2022. Are transport policies and economic appraisal aligned in evaluating road externalities?, Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 106, 103266. DOI: 10.1016/j.trd.2022.103266

Nocera S., Cavallaro F., 2012. Economic Evaluation of Future Carbon Dioxide Impacts from Italian Highways. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 54, pp. 1360–1369. DOI: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.09.850

Author Response

Reviewer 1:

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

 

I appreciate the (quantitative) efforts made by Authors to link international and local transport, but the paper is still immature. 

Response: Thank you very much for your constructive comments. Your accuracy in travel statistics made us refer to the collected data again. Also, one day from 8 am to 8 pm, we rechecked our observations and statistics in 8 travel-producing places. We realized that we had gross mistakes in the data in Table 1. We corrected them, and as a result, we rewrote the column chart (Figure 3), graph (Figure 4), our analysis, and model.

 

First of all, it is not clear how numbers related to O-D are calculated and what they represent. 

Response: Considering the need for more traffic due to the role of Chabahar Port in the Chabahar-Milk International Corridor, we conducted integrated traffic studies for travel destinations of this city. Observations were made by a team of seven people in seven travel production centers of the city, who studied travel origins, destinations, and behavior in detail. On three different days, March 30th, 2020, July 3rd, 2021, and January 16th, 2021, we counted passing cars at the ports of the city from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm. The number of trips in three days was different because we had chosen the days in different seasons, holidays, and working days. The supplied travel statistics illustrated the present situation of the traffic on the streets in capacities, delays, and jams. Please refer to the revised manuscript for this explanation.

 

Did you interview the drivers? 

Response: Yes, we did. To understand the current situation and collect information, we asked the drivers of cars entering and exiting where they are coming from and where they are going. We also asked short questions about their opinion about the travel route and the reforms they consider necessary. Please see the response in the new manuscript in red color. 

 

Daily 1370 movements for a city of about 350,000 inhabitants seem to me very few. As this part is the basis for the sizing of the infrastructure, you should try to be more rigorous. 

Response: Many thanks. You are right. We checked our data and corrected the numbers in table 1, figure 3, the graph (Figure 4), and our calculations. Please see the changes in the revised manuscript. 

 

In Figure 4, the maximum number of daily movements along a road is 125, which does not represent any trouble in terms of capacity.

Response: the City of Chabahar has primary streets and alleys with poor people in marginalist districts. The number was wrong, which surprised you. We have corrected the figure too. Please see the revised manuscript. 

 

The second part, related to the qualitative description of the interventions, should be based on the first one, but in the current form, the link is not clear. Here, I would like to stress also the implications in terms of environmental sustainability. For instance, how the changed condition will affect road emissions? (see e.g, Liaquat et al., 2010; Nocera and Cavallaro, 2012; Santos, 2017). Which measures could be implemented, to reduce them? (see e.g., Cavallaro and Nocera, 2022; Nocera and Cavallaro, 2012).

Response: Thank you for writing your comments in the quantitative and qualitative sections, which we used well. Because we modified quantitative data, it has had a positive impact on the quality of our interventions and reforms concerning improving the transportation infrastructure network. We read the references and found them relevant to our research. In addition to the physical reforms of the infrastructure, we aim to reduce the pollution caused by traffic on the environment. We have cited references in the text of the article and added them to the references section. Please see these changes in the revised article.

 

Figure 5 is not clear, please revise it and make each intervention distinguishable from the others. For instance, I cannot understand where you want to propose the geometric correction of the sidewalk and the embedding cycle lanes.

Response: Thank you for your useful suggestion that improved the quality of our paper. We have replaced Figure 5 with a map that we drew. In the new figure, the streets and places of the city that need to be changed are identified by name. The subsequent explanations of the figure have clarified the types of corrections and redesigns by mentioning their location. Please look at the new Figure 5 in the article.

 

Finally, I cannot understand the innovation of the proposed method. Basically, it is the application of a gravity model and an assignment exercise. Please, elaborate on this.

Response: We believe that discovering the straight and simultaneous relationship between the sustainable operation of the regional corridor and urban transportation of cities on its route is a new and innovative work. At least as our literature review shows in this region. We believe that this article has an important contribution to research for planning and designing future sustainable transportation systems. Kindly read our revised paper again. While we appreciate your valuable comments, which we have addressed point for point, we hope our endeavors to revise this manuscript will convince you.

 

 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

The manuscript proposes an interesting study on the improvement of an urban transportation system to achieve a sustainable inter-continental corridor and effective urban infrastructure network simultaneously by means of a mathematical model with graph technique to calculate the traffic capacities.

Such an issue can be of interest to the journal’s target audience.

However, the manuscript lacks a scientifically sound background, making it not adequate for the journal’s quality standards. In particular, the major criticalities of the study are the following:

-        Research motivations: in the introduction, the Authors should discuss how the current study can augment knowledge in the field of traffic optimization strategies taking into account the extant literature.

-        Background analysis: a literature review on similar studies employing mathematical models integrated by graph techniques to calculate the traffic capacities is missing.

-        Materials and methods: the proposed research approach is not illustrated sufficiently, making its replicability very difficult.

-        Discussion of results: the Authors do not discuss the research findings and practical implications of the study.

Additionally, it has to be noted that the Authors did not follow the text formatting rules of the journal.

Based on the above flaws, in this reviewer’s opinion, the manuscript should be rejected suggesting the Authors resubmit when the above-mentioned issues are solved.

Author Response

Reviewer 2:

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The manuscript proposes an interesting study on the improvement of an urban transportation system to achieve a sustainable inter-continental corridor and effective urban infrastructure network simultaneously by means of a mathematical model with graph technique to calculate the traffic capacities.

Such an issue can be of interest to the journal’s target audience.

Response: Thank you for your encouraging and positive comment

 

In particular, the major criticalities of the study are the following:

-        Research motivations: in the introduction, the Authors should discuss how the current study can augment knowledge in the field of traffic optimization strategies taking into account the extant literature.

      Response: To address this critique, we have reviewed relevant literature and discussed the augmented knowledge in the field as follows:

This paper optimized the traffic flow by improving the transportation infrastructure network of cities along the international corridors. The subject as a strategic policy has been noticed to coordinate the urban transportation system with the increase in transportation needs. Paulauskas and colleagues optimized transport between ports and regions in light of the new demands (Paulauskas et al., 2022). Scientists have also proposed evaluation models to measure urban expressway renewal requirements and provide references for urban renewal in the area of sustainable transportation development (Zhu et al., 2023)

 

-         Background analysis: a literature review on similar studies employing mathematical models integrated by graph techniques to calculate the traffic capacities is missing.

      Response: Thank you, yes it was missing. To address the lack, we added the following text in part 3 of the revised version:

      The measurement of traffic capacity in transportation networks was discussed in the lectures of prominent professors. The lectures were published for the first time in the book Networks in Action, which used the graph in the analysis of transportation networks (Batten, Casti & Thord, 2012). The use of the graph theory method for the optimization of shipments between ports and consignors/consignees is important from a theoretical and practical point of view and has aroused great interest among transport researchers and logistics companies (Paulauskas at al., 2022).

 

 

 

-        Materials and methods: the proposed research approach is not illustrated sufficiently, making its replicability very difficult.

     Response: We appreciate this comment. We addressed it carefully with the following explanation about the process of our research method at the beginning of part 3. Methods and materials:

“This applied research hypotheses that the sustainable and effective operation of international corridors is possible by modernizing and improving the transportation infrastructure of the cities along its route. The research method is based on the analysis of the current situation of the transport network of Chabahar city while exploiting the relevant literature review. The results of this analysis provide cognition for the corrective design of the city's transportation network based on its future needs. Field studies have been conducted on the knowledge of the origins and destinations of travels, travel behavior, and sizes and shapes of nodes, lines, and stations. At the same time, the ideas of the interviewed riders concerning the quality of urban transportation infrastructure’s elements have been explored. The environmental effects of the transportation network and the lack of public transportation networks have been noticed as well. By using observations, field experiences, and mathematical models with graph rules, we proposed corrective designs for the city’s future needs. The innovation of this research is in planning and designing the correction for the urban transportation network according to the increasing needs due to the city's connection to the Milk-Chabahar corridor. As far as we reviewed the literature related to this issue, this research is a new work for providing sustainable and efficient urban and international transportation systems. Based on this, we have determined the locations and types of improvements or reconstruction in the city's transportation network.”

   We hope the above text illustrates clearly the research method of this paper.

 

-        Discussion of results: the Authors do not discuss the research findings and practical implications of the study.

      Response: You are right. We thank you and added a section to the revised manuscript titled 4. Findings and discussions. The section discusses the findings and implications of this study adequately. Please refer to the new manuscript.

 

Additionally, it has to be noted that the Authors did not follow the text formatting rules of the journal.

Response: In the revised version we have followed the temple format of the journal of Sustainability concerning the font, line space, table, and figure. We also structured the paper according to the temple. The revised version has the following structure:

Title, name, and affiliation of authors, abstract, keywords, 1. Introduction, 2. Methods and material, 2.1. Methods, 2.2. Case studies, 2.3. Materials and data, 3. Traffic planning for new needs, 3.1. Modeling, 3.2. Planning and design, 4. Findings and discussions, 5. Conclusions, References.

Based on the above flaws, in this reviewer’s opinion, the manuscript should be rejected suggesting the Authors resubmit when the above-mentioned issues are solved.

Response: Kindly, read our revised paper again. While we appreciate your valuable comments, which we have addressed point for point, we hope our endeavors to revise this manuscript will convince you.

 

 

 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

The article „Planning of transportation infrastructure networks for sustainable development with case studies in Chabahar” Presents an analysis of the transportation system in the city of Chabahar. With field studies in Chabahar, the Authors observe the situation of its transportation infrastructure network to discover shortcomings and suggest required changes. This paper addresses the required changes and improvements in the urban transportation system.

I have major objections to the article. My main comments:

1. The article is not structured like a good scientific article. The background of the research is presented very generally and needs to be developed. No separate and fully described research methodology. Complete lack of discussion of the results, primarily related to other studies of this type. Conclusions very general and not fully related to the research shown.

2. In the article, the authors refer to the route of an intercontinental corridor and the sustainable application of that corridor. The analysis carried out applies only to the studied city. The only connection with the indicated international transport corridor is the city's location in this corridor. The studies are in no way related to this. The analyses conducted are also very loosely, in fact not at all, connected with the sustainable application.

3. lines 118-120: “The figure shows the need for a comprehensive transportation system with maritime, air, land, and rail transportation infrastructure networks in Chabahar.” - Is the analysis supposed to be an evaluation of what is seen in the figure?

4. Figures 1 and 2 – Their form is not suitable for a good scientific article! Authors are required to make their own elaborations and not screenshots from the Internet.

5. Lines 148-152, 170-172, 179-183 – From what studies does this result? The authors give ready-made conclusions, which are clearly their Author's assessment, without giving any methodology for arriving at these results. This is not the way to do it in good scientific articles.

In my opinion, the article in its current version does not add anything new to the state of scientific knowledge on the topic taken up. It is a simple proposal for changes in the city's transportation system, based on traffic volume analysis. The article is not suitable for publication in a good international scientific journal.

Author Response

Response to Reviewer 3

Reviewer 3:

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

I have major objections to the article. My main comments:

1. The article is not structured like a good scientific article. 

Response: In the revised paper, we have followed the temple format of the journal of Sustainability concerning the article's organization. We structured it according to the temple. The revised version has the following structure:

Title, name, and affiliation of authors, abstract, keywords, 1. Introduction, 2. Methods and material, 2.1. Methods, 2.2. Case studies, 2.3. Materials and data, 3. Traffic planning for new needs, 3.1. Modeling, 3.2. Planning and design, 4. Findings and discussions, 5. Conclusions, References. 

 

The background of the research is presented very generally and needs to be developed. 

Response: Thank you. In the revised version, we have presented the background in more detailed i.e., we added the following text in the introduction part:

This paper studies the optimization of traffic flows by improving transportation infrastructure networks of cities along international corridors. The subject as a strategic policy has been noticed to coordinate the urban transportation system with the increase in transportation needs. Scientists optimized transport between ports and regions in light of the new demands (Paulauskas et al., 2022). They have proposed evaluation models to measure urban expressway renewal requirements and provide references for urban renewal in the area of sustainable transportation development (Zhu et al., 2023)

 

No separate and fully described research methodology. 

Response: You are right/ In the revised paper, we have described the research methods in part 2. Methods and materials are as follows:

2.1. Methods

This applied research hypotheses that the sustainable and effective operation of international corridors is possible by modernizing and improving the transportation infrastructure of the cities along its route. The research method is based on the analysis of the current situation of the transport network of Chabahar city while exploiting the relevant literature review. Our analysis provides cognition for the corrective design of the transportation network based on its future needs. Field studies have been conducted on the knowledge of the origins and destinations of travels, travel behavior, and sizes and shapes of nodes, lines, and stations. At the same time, the ideas of the interviewed riders concerning the quality of urban transportation infrastructure elements have been explored. The environmental effects of the transportation network and the lack of public transportation networks have been noticed as well. By using observations, field experiences, and mathematical models with graph rules, we proposed corrective designs for the city’s future needs. The innovation of this research is in planning and designing the correction for the urban transportation network according to the increasing needs due to the city's connection to the Milk-Chabahar corridor. As far as we reviewed the literature related to this issue, this research is a new work for providing sustainable and efficient urban and international transportation systems. Based on this, we have determined the locations and types of improvements or reconstruction in the city's transportation network.

 

Complete lack of discussion of the results, primarily related to other studies of this type. 

Response: You are right. We thank you and added a section to the revised manuscript titled 4. Findings and discussions. The section discusses the findings of this paper and the literature review of this study adequately. Please refer to the new manuscript. 

 

Conclusions are very general and not fully related to the research shown.

Response: Thank you. We have rewritten the conclusions section to relate it to the concepts, aims, case studies, observations, findings, and results of this research. Please look at this part of the paper again. 

 

2. In the article, the authors refer to the route of an intercontinental corridor and the sustainable application of that corridor. The analysis carried out applies only to the studied city. The only connection with the indicated international transport corridor is the city's location in this corridor. The studies are in no way related to this. 

Response: Of course, you were right, but we have compensated for this deficiency in the revised paper. This article designs a new transportation infrastructure for Chabahar city due to the additional services that the Milk-Chabahar corridor requires. However, we added information about the corridor in several places in the article, i.e.:

In the Introduction part:

Chabahar port has been a trade center since early (Behboudi Nejad & Ali, 2022). Its export values to Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan have increased by 17%, 49%, and 52%, respectively, in the recent decade (Nejad, Jamal, and Karbasi, 2020). Recently, the importance of strengthening intra- and inter-regional transportation connectivity has been noticed in connecting Chabahar to global commercial networks (ESCAP, 2022). But the increasing commercial travel has placed more load on the urban transportation system of Chabahar, which is greater than its capacity. This required the simultaneous development of the Chabahar urban transportation system connection to the intercontinental corridor, which passes from Singapore, Europe, and China (World Bank, 2002). Simultaneously. planning and design of sustainable urban transportation shall be aligned with the international policies and standards of transportation (Cavallaro & Nocera., 2022).

In 2.2. Case studies:

New figure 1 shows the position of Chabahar on the intercontinental corridors

In the years 2012-2015, Iran's share of cargo transportation increased from 8.5 percent to 12 percent volume due to the Chabahar-Milak corridor, which is a section of the major Euro-Asis corridor.

 

The analyses conducted are also very loosely, in fact not at all, connected with the sustainable application.

Response: We have reworked our data analyses, particularly in studying travel numbers and behaviors. We changed table 1, and figure 3. We also revised our graph (Figure 4) with new data. We have substantially revised and strengthened our analyses. Please read the new manuscript. 

 

3. lines 118-120: “The figure shows the need for a comprehensive transportation system with maritime, air, land, and rail transportation infrastructure networks in Chabahar.” - Is the analysis supposed to be an evaluation of what is seen in the figure?

Response: Thank you for this comment. Not at all the figure did not show our analyses. We have revised this part first by changing the figure (Figure 2). Then by correcting the text as follows:

Figure 2 shows Chabahar with its narrow and organic streets and avenues, which cannot host passengers and cargo due to its initial transportation system. The figure also shows the potential capacities of Chabahar to develop its maritime, air, land, and rail transportation infrastructure networks. Chabahar has approx. 350000 inhabitants (Statistical Center of Iran). Our analyses show the need for a comprehensive transportation system. 

 

4. Figures 1 and 2 – Their form is not suitable for a good scientific article! Authors are required to make their elaborations and not screenshots from the Internet.

Response: Thank you. You are right. According to your constructive suggestion, we have changed both figures. Figure 2 from earlier research concerning the rebuilding of Chabahar by the author. Figure 1 from our new studies about the international corridors passing Chabahar. Please refer to the revised manuscript and see the new figures.

 

5. Lines 148-152, 170-172, 179-183 – From what studies does this result? The authors give ready-made conclusions, which are their Author's assessments, without giving any methodology for arriving at these results. This is not the way to do it in good scientific articles.

Response: In the new paper we have explained the correlation of our findings and results with our methodology, field observations, and analyses. We have changed the mentioned sentences and added a section titled 4. Findings and discussions. Please refer to the revised manuscript. 

 

 

 

 

In my opinion, the article in its current version does not add anything new to the state of scientific knowledge on the topic taken up. It is a simple proposal for changes in the city's transportation system, based on traffic volume analysis. The article is not suitable for publication in a good international scientific journal.

 

Response: We believe that discovering the straight and simultaneous relationship between the sustainable operation of the regional corridor and urban transportation of cities on its route has an important contribution to research for planning and designing future sustainable transportation systems. Kindly, read our revised paper again. While we appreciate your valuable comments, which we have addressed point for point, we hope our endeavors to revise this manuscript will convince you.

 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 4 Report

Comments to the Author

Thanks to the authors for this really interesting paper. I do however have several comments that I think must be rectified prior to publication. 

major corrections: 

• Abstract: The authors should consider adding a sentence that highlights the [theoretical and/or practical] contribution of this particular study to the abstract.
• You need to add clear aim and objectives. 
• I need to see a clear statement for the research problem. 
• Literature Review: Authors are advised to make efforts to clearly introduce (i.e. by outlining the themes covered in the section) and conclude (i.e. by outlining the implications of the review for the study, as well as the design of the consequent conceptual framework) the Literature Review
• the contributions and novelty of the work/method is limited" you need to add : contribution section, you can specifically explain what your contribution is, and the contributions in the sense described above - how does this work push the boundaries of the field.
• some parts in the paper need to add more references ( your paper still need to add references to support) , 
• you need to write about more transportation planning  I suggest to use in somehow in the literature about One of the types different planning dealing with  impacts such as transport planning policy ( use this reference https://doi.org/10.3390/su142316129  also this reference: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2022.101886 In somehow link it with your topic
• Check the grammar and the page reference format style, please make sure to follow exactly the journal format. 
• Please, make sure to put explanation in the text context for each tables, figure, and charts 
• You need to do editing and proofreading for the paper to make it high quality enough . 
• At end of your manuscript before the conclusion part you need to add more to reflect your results form the analysis and create a develop framework for your conceptual framework, after you have done the research what is the finds result you want to tell us. 
• The Abstract part: Please provide more details, in both quality and quantity of the main findings of this paper.
• The Conclusion section can also be extended and drawing the future works trend. In this case, at least one paragraph should be provided for the researchers working in this field.
• The conclusion sums up the scope of the manuscript, I would also add what could be possible limitations of this framework in the real-world context and what future research goals do you have to expand upon this work. 
• You need to add methodology part to explain your method in details. 
• You need to add analysis part and add your results  then compare with literature review ( what are the similarities and 

What are the difference between your results and other’s studies)

• you need to more references.

 

• You need to change figure2 to another one with high quality and information. 
  - figure 4 and table 1 ( the title and information must be in one page ) so please check the all tables and figures formatting 
•  

Author Response

Response to Reviewer 4

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Thanks to the authors for this really interesting paper. I do however have several comments that I think must be rectified prior to publication.

Response: Thanks a lot for your encouraging look at this paper.

 

major corrections: 

• Abstract: The authors should consider adding a sentence that highlights the [theoretical and/or practical] contribution of this particular study to the abstract.

Response: Thank you for the constructive suggestion. We have revised the abstract and added the following sentences to it:

This article is about the problem of increasing transport services that intercontinental corridors demand from the urban weak infrastructure networks along their routes. Yet, attention has not been paid to the problem of coordination between the transportation potentials of a city infrastructure network located on the route of an intercontinental corridor and the sustainable application of the corridor.

 

• You need to add a clear aim and objectives. 

Response: All right. We have clarified the aim both in the abstract and the introduction part by the following concept:

This article is about the problem of increasing transport services that intercontinental corridors demand from the urban weak infrastructure networks along their routes. Please see the revised manuscript.

 

• I need to see a clear statement for the research problem. 

Response: Well. We have declared the research problem as a gap between qualitative and quantitative features of urban transport systems on the route of the corridors and the requirements of the corridors.

 

• Literature Review: Authors are advised to make efforts to clearly introduce (i.e. by outlining the themes covered in the section) and conclude (i.e. by outlining the implications of the review for the study, as well as the design of the consequent conceptual framework) the Literature Review

Response: Thanks a lot for the advice. We have added the following paragraph at the end of section 1. Introduction:

The literature review clears that transportation networks are always evolving. One evolution factor is a connection to international corridors. This factor is the result of the need for globalization of trade and transportation services. Nevertheless, there is still not enough research on the systematic relationship between the strategic design of corridors and the ability to transportation of cities on the route

 

• the contributions and novelty of the work/method are limited" you need to add : the contribution section, you can specifically explain what your contribution is, and the contributions in the sense described above - how does this work push the boundaries of the field?

Response: Your advice is helpful and we have described in the revised paper that this finds urban transportation failures in the context of corridors and suggests a comprehensive transportation plan for improvement. The model is applicable in all cities on the route of corridors and assists the sustainable function of the corridors and urban transport systems simultaneously.

. . . The outcome of this paper contributes to detailed research on the exact sizes of transport spaces in the infrastructure network of cities located on the route of international corridors, like Chabahar.

Please refer to the revised paper.

 

• some parts of the paper need to add more references ( your paper still need to add references to support).

Response: You are right. We added several relevant references to the revised paper to foster its quality and documentation. Please look at the revised paper kindly.

 

• you need to write about more transportation planning  I suggest to use in somehow in the literature about One of the types of different planning dealing with  impacts such as transport planning policy ( use this reference https://doi.org/10.3390/su142316129  also this reference: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2022.101886 In somehow link it with your topic

Response: Thankful. We have added the following text with the mentioned reference in section 3.2. Plan and design:

The transportation network system needs investment to supply necessary services to manage traffic congestion in cities caused by international corridors (Almatar, 2023).

.

 

• Check the grammar and the page reference format style, please make sure to follow exactly the journal format. 

Response: Thank you. You are right. The reference list was not in line with the standards of the journal. Now, the revised paper is in harmony with the journal format.

 

• Please, make sure to put the explanation in the text context for each table, figure, and chart.

Response: The table and figures have been replaced with new ones and adequate explanations. Please see the revised paper. Thank you.

 

• You need to do editing and proofreading for the paper to make it high-quality enough. 

Response: Thank you. We have edited the manuscript thoroughly.

 

• At end of your manuscript before the conclusion part you need to add more to reflect your results from the analysis and create a development framework for your conceptual framework after you have done the research what is the finds result in you want to tell us? 

Response: Of course, you are right. To fulfill your recommendation, we add a new section to the manuscript titled 4. Findings and discussions

 

• The Abstract part: Please provide more details, in both quality and quantity of the main findings of this paper.

Response: Thank you. We have changed the abstract and added the following sentences to it for this suggestion:

Analyses show that 13420 cars enter just the center of Chabahar city due to the increasing pressure of the Chabahar-Milak corridor. . . Our model finds urban transportation failures in the city and suggests a comprehensive transportation plan for its improvement. The model is applicable in all cities on the route of corridors and assists the sustainable function of the corridors and urban transport systems simultaneously.

 

• The Conclusion section can also be extended and draw the trend of future work. In this case, at least one paragraph should be provided for the researchers working in this field.

Response: Well. We have addressed your advice and added the following paragraph at the end of section 5. Conclusions:

The outcome of this paper contributes to detailed research on the exact sizes of transport spaces in the infrastructure network of cities located on the route of international corridors, like Chabahar.

 

 

• The conclusion sums up the scope of the manuscript, I would also add what could be possible limitations of this framework in the real-world context and what future research goals you have to expand upon this work. 

Response: Very well. We had limitations to design the urban infrastructure network in detail with sizes and maps. We have added the future necessary works as mentioned upper.

 

• You need to add the methodology part to explain your method in detail. 

Response: Surely. You are right. To address your suggestion, we added the following text at the beginning of section 2. Methods and materials:

2.1. Methods

This applied research hypotheses that the sustainable and effective operation of international corridors is possible by modernizing and improving the transportation infrastructure of the cities along its route. The research method is based on the analysis of the current situation of the transport network of Chabahar city while exploiting the relevant literature review. The results of this analysis cognition for the corrective design of the city's transportation network based on its future needs. Field studies have been conducted on the knowledge of the origins and destinations of travels, travel behavior, and sizes and shapes of nodes, lines, and stations. At the same time, the ideas of the interviewed riders concerning the quality of urban transportation infrastructure’s elements have been explored. The environmental effects of the transportation network and the lack of public transportation networks have been noticed as well. By using observations, field experiences, and mathematical models with graph rules, we proposed corrective designs for the city’s future needs. The innovation in this research is in planning and designing the correction for the urban transportation network according to the increasing needs due to the city's connection to the Milk-Chabahar corridor. As far as we reviewed the literature related to this issue, this research is new work for providing sustainable and efficient urban and international transportation systems. Based on this, we have determined the locations and types of improvements or reconstruction in the city's transportation network. The literature review clears that transportation networks are always evolving. One evolution factor is a connection to international corridors. This factor is the result of the need for globalization of trade and transportation services. Nevertheless, there is still not enough research on the systematic relationship between the strategic design of corridors and the ability to transportation of cities on the route

 

 

 

• You need to add the analysis part and add your results then compare them with the literature review ( what are the similarities and What are the difference between your results and other’s studies)

Response: Table 1 and figure 3 show our analyses about O-D and the behavior of travel in Chabahar. There, we have written:

Table 1 shows the number of travels in the origins and destinations from 8 am to 8 pm in Chabahar. The supplied statistics about travel behaviors could assist us in assessing the traffic capacity of the urban transportation lines and nodes for re-planning and design. With the re-planning of the urban transportation networks, we shall increase the capacity of transportation for future needs. Figure 3 shows the origins and destinations that produce the majority of travel in Chabahar city with data from table 1. Since our analyses are unique and related to the increasing services caused by the Milak-Chabahar corridor, does not have similar works to compare with.

 

• you need more references.

Response: Yes, please do not worry. We have strengthened the references and citations

 

• You need to change figure 2 to another one with high-quality information. 
  - figure 4 and table 1 (the title and information must be on one page) so please check the all tables and figures formatting 

Response: Thank you. We have replaced all of them with new ones. Please see the revised manuscript.

 

Finally, we are thankful for your reading our paper and giving valuable comments and advice.

 

With best regard,

Corresponding author

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

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Author Response

Authors' Responses to Reviewer's Comments (Reviewer 1)

 

I appreciate the (quantitative) efforts made by Authors to link international and local transport.

Response: Thank you very much for your constructive comments.

 

First of all, it is not clear how numbers related to O-D are calculated and what do they represent. Did you interview the drivers? Daily 1370 movements for a city of about 350,000 inhabitants seem to me very few. As this part is the basis for the sizing of the infrastructure, you should try to be more rigorous. In Figure 4, the maximum number of daily movements along a road is 125, which does not represent any trouble in terms of capacity.

Response: We have conducted integrated traffic studies for travel destinations of this city. Observations were made by a team of eight people in eight travel production centers, who studied travel origins, destinations, and behavior in detail. We have corrected the volume of cars on the links and nodes of the network in the second revised paper. Please refer to the revised manuscript.

 

The second part, related to the qualitative description of the interventions, should be based on the first one, but in the current form the link is not clear. Here, I would like to stress also the implications in terms of environmental sustainability. For instance, how the changed condition will affect road emissions? (see e.g, Liaquat et al., 2010; Nocera and Cavallaro, 2012; Santos, 2017). Which measures could be implemented, in order to reduce them? (see e.g., Cavallaro and Nocera, 2022; Nocera and Cavallaro, 2012).

Response: Thank you. Because we modified quantitative data, it has had a positive impact on the quality of our interventions and reforms concerning improving the transportation infrastructure network. We read the references and found them relevant to our research. Please see these changes in the second revised article.

 

Figure 5 is not clear, please revise it and make each intervention distinguishable from the others. For instance, I cannot understand where you want to propose the geometric correction of the sidewalk and the embedding cycle lanes.

Response: We have replaced Figure 5 with a map that we drew. In the new figure, the streets and places of the city that need to be changed are identified by name. Please look at the new Figure 5 in the second revised article.

 

Moderate English changes required

Response: During the second revision, we checked the text from language style, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and proficiency carefully.

 

Finally, I cannot understand the innovation of the proposed method. Basically it is the application of a gravity model and an assignment exercise. Please, elaborate on this.

 Response: We believe that discovering the direct and simultaneous relationship between the sustainable operation of the regional corridor and the urban transportation of cities on its route is a new and innovative work. At least as our literature review shows in this region. We believe that this article has an important contribution to research for planning and designing future sustainable transportation systems. We appreciate your comments, which we have addressed point by point. We hope our endeavors to revise this manuscript for the second time will convince you.

 

 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

The Authors have satisfactorily improved the quality of the manuscript. Hence, it can be considered for publication.

Author Response

 

Authors' Responses to Reviewer's Comments (Reviewer 2)

 

The manuscript proposes an interesting study on the improvement of an urban transportation system to achieve a sustainable inter-continental corridor and effective urban infrastructure network simultaneously by means of a mathematical model with graph technique to calculate the traffic capacities.

Such an issue can be of interest to the journal’s target audience.

Response: Thank you for your encouraging and positive comment

 

-        Research motivations: in the introduction, the Authors should discuss how the current study can augment knowledge in the field of traffic optimization strategies taking into account the extant literature.

Response: To address this critique, we have reviewed relevant literature and discussed augmented knowledge in the field. In the second revised paper, we have added new citations and references.  as follows:

 

-        Background analysis: a literature review on similar studies employing mathematical models integrated by graph techniques to calculate the traffic capacities is missing.

Response: Thank you, yes, it was missing. To address the lack, we added the following text in part 1. Introduction of the second revised version of this paper. Please read the changes in the revised paper in red color

 

-        Materials and methods: the proposed research approach is not illustrated sufficiently, making its replicability very difficult.

Response: We appreciate this comment. We addressed it carefully by adding a particular explanation in the second revised version of this paper titled 2.1. Methods. Please see it in the paper. We think the section illustrates clearly the research method of this paper.

 

-        Discussion of results: The Authors do not discuss the research findings and practical implications of the study.

Response: You were right. We thank you and added a section to the revised manuscript titled 4. Findings and discussions. The section discusses the findings and implications of this study adequately. Please refer to the new manuscript

 

Additionally, it has to be noted that the Authors did not follow the text formatting rules of the journal.

Response: In the second revised version, we have followed the temple format of the journal of Sustainability concerning the font, line space, tables, and figures. We also reorganized the structure of the paper according to the temple.

 

English language and style are fine/minor spell check required

Response: During the second revision, we checked the text from language style, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and proficiency carefully.

Based on the above flaws, in this reviewer’s opinion, the manuscript should be rejected suggesting the Authors resubmit when the above-mentioned issues are solved.

Response: We appreciate your valuable comments, which we have addressed point by point. We also ask you please read our second revised version of our paper. We think our endeavors to revise this manuscript based on the opinion of reviewers and editors will convince you.

 

 

 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

The article has been significantly revised. Its scientific innovation is not great, but at least it fulfills the formal requirements of a scientific article. Further, I consider the article is basically a proposal for changes to the transportation system in the studied city based on traffic analyses. The links to international transport corridors and sustainable development are very loose, and while they are at least outlined by the authors in the revised version, they should be developed even more clearly. Figures 1 and 2 are still very poorly edited and especially Figure 2 - illegible.

Author Response

Authors' Responses’ to Reviewer's Comments (Reviewer 3)

 

1. The article is not structured like a good scientific article. The background of the research is presented very generally and needs to be developed. No separate and fully described research methodology. Complete lack of discussion of the results, primarily related to other studies of this type. Conclusions very general and not fully related to the research shown.

Response: In this revision, we have followed the journal of Sustainability’s temple format and structured it as follows: Title, name, and affiliation of authors, abstract, keywords, 1. Introduction, 2. Methods and material, 2.1. Methods, 2.2. Case studies, 2.3. Materials and data, 3. Traffic planning for new needs, 3.1. Modeling, 3.2. Planning and design, 4. Findings and discussions, 5. Conclusions, and References. Look at the second revised manuscript kindly.

Due to the background of the research, we have discussed it in detail with new resources as follows: 

Scholars explored the Improving quality of logistics services of dry ports within Eurasian transport corridors. The study has been newly conducted in the Khorgos Gateway in Kazakhstan. This study recommends ways to reform urban transportation infrastructure in the context of an international corridor [3]. Other scholars also have proposed procedures to reform urban streets to service new demands [4].

Concerning the research methodology, we have added a specific section titled 2.1. Methods at the beginning of Section 2. Methods and materials. Please see it in the second revised paper red colored.

For the lack of discussions and results, you were right. Nevertheless, in the revised version, we have added a new section titled 4. Findings and discussions. Please refer to the second revised manuscript.

We also have rewritten the conclusions section to relate it to the concepts, aims, case studies, observations, findings, and results of this research. Please look at this part in the second revised paper. 

 

 

2. In the article, the authors refer to the route of an intercontinental corridor and the sustainable application of that corridor. The analysis carried out applies only to the studied city. The only connection with the indicated international transport corridor is the city's location in this corridor. The studies are in no way related to this. The analyses conducted are also very loosely, in fact not at all, connected with the sustainable application.

Response: We declared in the second revised paper that this article designs a new transportation infrastructure for Chabahar city due to the additional services that the Milk-Chabahar corridor requires. However, we added information about the corridor in several places in the article, i.e.:

In the Introduction part:

Chabahar port has been a trade center since early (Behboudi Nejad & Ali, 2022). Its export values to Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan have increased by 17%, 49%, and 52%, respectively, in the recent decade (Nejad, Jamal, and Karbasi, 2020). Recently, the importance of strengthening intra- and inter-regional transportation connectivity has been noticed in connecting Chabahar to global commercial networks (ESCAP, 2022). But the increasing commercial travel has placed more load on the urban transportation system of Chabahar, which is greater than its capacity. This required the simultaneous development of the Chabahar urban transportation system connection to the intercontinental corridor, which passes from Singapore, Europe, and China (World Bank, 2002). Simultaneously. planning and design of sustainable urban transportation shall be aligned with the international policies and standards of transportation (Cavallaro & Nocera., 2022).

In 2.2. Case studies:

New figure 1 shows the position of Chabahar on the intercontinental corridors. In 2012-2015, Iran's share of cargo transportation increased from 8.5 percent to 12 percent volume due to the Chabahar-Milak corridor, which is a section of the major Euro-Asis corridor. Please see the mentioned changes in the second revision. We have reworked our data analyses, particularly in studying travel numbers and behaviors. We changed table 1, and figure 3. We also revised our graph (Figure 4) with new data. We have substantially revised and strengthened our analyses. Please read the new manuscript.

 

 

3. lines 118-120: “The figure shows the need for a comprehensive transportation system with maritime, air, land, and rail transportation infrastructure networks in Chabahar.” - Is the analysis supposed to be an evaluation of what is seen in the figure?

Response: Thank you for this comment. Not at all, the figure did not show our analyses. We have revised this part first by changing the figure (Figure 2). Then by correcting the text. Please refer to the second revised manuscript. 

 

4. Figures 1 and 2 – Their form is not suitable for a good scientific article! Authors are required to make their own elaborations and not screenshots from the Internet.

Response: Thank you. You were right. In the second revised paper, you see two new qualified figures. According to your constructive suggestion, we have changed both figures. Please refer to the revised manuscript and see the new figures.

 

5. Lines 148-152, 170-172, 179-183 – From what studies does this result? The authors give ready-made conclusions, which are clearly their Author's assessment, without giving any methodology for arriving at these results. This is not the way to do it in good scientific articles.

Response: In the second revised paper, we have explained the correlation of our findings, results, methodology, field observations, and analyses. We deleted the mentioned sentences and added a section titled 4. Findings and discussions. Please refer to the second revised manuscript.

 

 

In my opinion, the article in its current version does not add anything new to the state of scientific knowledge on the topic taken up. It is a simple proposal for changes in the city's transportation system, based on traffic volume analysis. The article is not suitable for publication in a good international scientific journal.

Response: We believe that discovering the direct and simultaneous relationship between the sustainable operation of the regional corridor and the urban transportation network of cities on its route has an important contribution to research for planning and designing future sustainable transportation systems. Kindly, read our second revised paper again. We hope our endeavors will change your earlier opinion.

 

 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 4 Report

Thank you for revising your paper 

Author Response

Authors' Response to Reviewer 4

Thank you for revising your paper 

Response: Thank you very much for reading our article and giving valuable and constructive comments and advice. We learned and benefited a lot from your review report.

 

 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf