Examination of urban road transportation network in Istanbul by using social network analysis method

Traffic congestion, which is one of the biggest problems in urban transportation, is increasing especially in the regions close to the intersection of the roads. In order to reduce traffic congestion, various examination and analysis methods have been developed. With the development of technology and enter our life of intelligent transportation systems, various software and programs have been used. New technological analysis methods are more practical and economical than traditional methods. Nevertheless, it is seen that multidisciplinary studies have gained importance in recent years and common studies have taken place in many different fields. Social network analysis, which is one of the multidisciplinary fields of study, enables social and science fields to be applied together. In this study; urban transportation networks have been analyzed by using the social network method. For the study, a road network consisting of ring roads and state roads in Istanbul, which is one of the cities with the highest traffic congestion, have been used. Urban transportation network model has been established by using Netdraw program and degree centrality, closeness centrality, eigenvector centrality, betweeness centrality and bonacich power measures have been calculated by using Ucinet program. Based on the data obtained from this study, the most central and critical intersection for Istanbul has been determined. Some suggestions have been made to improve these intersections.