Identification and optimization of urban public transportation corridors based on OD flow clustering: a case study of Qingdao

The formation of bus passenger flow corridors is manifested as different directions of bus ODs converging towards the corridor direction due to the travel advantages of the corridor. Therefore, clustering methods are considered to describe the membership of different ODs to the bus passenger flow corridor. Based on the relative positions of OD pairs, this study elaborates on the OD clustering method from the aspects of OD clustering characteristics and similarity measurement. Considering the situation of road public transportation infrastructure, a random user balance model is adopted for the identification of supporting roads in public transportation corridors. According to the allocation results, the parameters are further adjusted for redistribution identification. At the same time, the size of passenger flow in corridors and non corridors is analyzed to test the rationality of the initial clustering center selection, To improve the accuracy of the number of public transportation corridors. For the optimization of public transportation corridors, an evaluation index system for public transportation corridors has been established in three aspects: traffic conditions, facilities, and operational support. The calculation of the values and scores of each corridor indicator can identify weak links in public transportation corridors and help decision-makers improve the operational efficiency of public transportation corridors in a targeted manner. Finally, taking Qingdao City as an example, the algorithm and model proposed in this article were put into practice in terms of identifying and optimizing bus corridors, and optimization suggestions for future bus corridors in Qingdao City were proposed.