Methodology for Selection of Sustainable Public Transit Routes: Case Study of Amman City, Jordan

A limited number of previous studies have focused on the selection of transportation routes considering sustainable development goals (SDGs). In this research, a methodology for selecting sustainable public transit (PT) routes is presented, consisting of generating a feasible initial route set, optimization, and assessment. Total welfare, road safety, and reduction in total emissions are indicators of the economic, social, and environmental dimensions, respectively. Based on the transportation model, the network structure, attributes, and emission rates are exported. The travel demand of PT is modified by modal share. Additionally, the safety performance function (SPF) is developed as a safety measure. Regarding optimization, the optimum routes are obtained by maximizing PT share and minimizing PT travel time. Then, the new routes are implemented, and the network is evaluated and compared with the existing scenario in light of sustainability indicators. The case study is Amman BRT. The results show that the new network is more sustainable than the existing BRT network and achieves better performance than the selected scenario of Amman city. The new network can reduce travel time by more than 13%, decrease total emissions by more than 17%, and alleviate the crash frequency by more than 14%.