Designing the required changes in the bus network after performing limited traffic zone in Mashhad, Iran

• After performing Limited Traffic Zone (LTZ), demand of public transit increases.
• For a successful LTZ, transit system needs to be modified based on new demand.
• A GIS-based heuristic is proposed to design required changes in transit system.
• The proposed method is performed in Mashhad, Iran.
• This method can also be used for sporting events and festivals.

After performing Limited Traffic Zone (LTZ), an approach to limit the number of vehicles entering a zone or street in Mashhad, Iran, a change in the share of public transportation happens. In some routes, the share of public transportation decreases during peak hour because some users shift the time of their trips to other hours. Alternatively, the use of private cars on most routes shifts toward public transportation and as a result, these routes experience more demand. Supposing that the current system is based on current demand, after performing an LTZ, transit systems need to be modified based on new demand. This modification can be done in regards to route configuration, frequency and timetables. In this paper, a methodology is proposed to modify the bus transit system to determine required changes in the system. This method is easy to implement in large cities, especially cities that have seasonal demand changes and need to adjust their system with minimum changes in route configuration. The objective function of this method is based on covering the increased demand in the system. The methodology includes a GIS-based heuristic approach and is performed in Mashhad, Iran.