RAM: A normative tool for transit route planning : Leonard Goldstein (Dissertation in the Department of Transportation Planning and Engineering, Polytechnic Institute of New York, New York, NY 11201).

Abstract

This work deals with the development of a Route Allocation Model (RAM), a practical methodology to assist the transit planner in the development of transit needs. RAM is a computerized transit route design tool which will sequentially allocate bus (or other) routes to an area under study. The model is multi-purpose in that it may be utilized for standard transit route planning or for transit route planning under a scenario of special interest. These scenarios may include such items as limited auto-environment planning, school bus planning, standard Transportation Systems Management Element applications, and the updating of currently outdated transit routes to reflect present day transportation needs. This document discusses such items as: the nature of the general transit routing problem; a disutility function; a definition of the network and the RAM approach. There are charts that illustrate the differences between the conventional approach of route planning and the RAM approach to transit route planning. The scope includes a case study application of the RAM methodology in Queens County, New York City. Results obtained for this case study are presented as well as recommendations for further research. The RAM methodology is developed within this text and complemented by the appendices of computer outputs which illustrate components of the methodology. The appendix material is not included herein, but it is available on request from the Transportation Research and Training Center, Polytechnic Institute of New York. /UMTA/