Optimization of the travel ban scheme of cars based on the spatial distribution of the last digit of license plates

Abstract A bi-level programming method for authorities to design car ban schemes is proposed. The problem is formulated as a nonlinear integer bi-level programming problem with the objective of minimizing the total travel time of cars on weekdays. The proposed ban scheme is obtained based on the spatial distribution of the last digits on car license plates and considers the fairness of car users by balancing the daily traffic service levels. A case study is investigated with real data from Dalian city. A comparison of the schemes based on both the proposed method and the traditional method indicates that the scheme of the proposed method can decrease the total car travel time during morning peak hours on weekdays by 134,900 h, which is equivalent to 4.5 min per car per day.