Management model of national traffic control policy for urban mobility safety in Guayaquil, Ecuador

Abstract

Traffic control, road safety, and their contribution to national urban mobility policy are important in determining the elements that are essential to ensuring the safe and orderly movement of citizens, as well as reducing road accidents that affect life and social well-being, since sustainable mobility requires intelligent transportation systems (ITS), such as adaptive traffic lights, real-time traffic monitoring, and dynamic tolls. However, institutional deficiencies persist in Ecuador, such as the weak hierarchy of traffic authorities, low enforcement of penalties, and lack of strategic planning, which weakens road governance. For this reason, the objective was to analyze the extent to which traffic control and road safety contribute to strengthening the national sustainable urban mobility policy. Using a quantitative methodology, a non-experimental design, and a purposive sample of 100 public transport drivers, the Chi-square statistical test revealed a significant relationship between strategic planning and accident reduction. The higher the level of planning, the lower the accident rate. It was concluded that traffic control and road safety should be considered as strategic components of urban governance. This approach requires political will, institutional coordination, technological innovation, and citizen participation to build safer, more inclusive, and sustainable cities.