Development of a robust hybrid framework for evaluating and ranking smartification measures for sustainable mobility: A case study of Sicilian roadways, Southern Italy

Smart roads are a key component of intelligent transportation. Strict implementation of road smartification measures can help solve many of the traffic problems societies face today. These measures address new challenges of urbanization, reduce traffic and pollution, improve road safety, and bolster the economy through the enhancement of road networks. The objective of this study is to develop a robust hybrid framework to evaluate and rank potential smartification measures, keeping sustainable mobility goals in mind. For this purpose, the roads network in Sicily, Southern Italy, was considered as the case study, and 27 potential smartification measures were selected. The study proposed a robust hybrid framework that integrates the Stepwise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (SWARA) with the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) approach, based on a Spherical Fuzzy (SF) set. The performance of the proposed technique was then compared with two other decision-making techniques for evaluating and ranking smartening measures, and the correlation coefficient of each approach was calculated. The findings demonstrated the superiority of the proposed approach in ranking and assessing potential smartification measures. According to the results, the traffic conditions reporting emerged as the most effective smartification method for the case study roads, while the green islands for charging electric vehicles was found to be the least effective.