optimize zones for line features with equal travel distances

[Anonymous User]

Is there a way to create polygon 'zones' around line features and incorporate attributes as some kind of input criteria? I'm looking to produce zones (for snowplow routes) that are optimized for roughly the same drive distance (using the line length & number of lanes attribute). I'm wondering if using something like the Minimum Bounding Geometry or Building Balanced Zones geoprocessing tool would do the trick. When I add my road feature class as an Input to the BBZ geoprocessing tool I receive a geometry error.

[DuncanHornby]

Isn't what you are describing simply a buffer around a line? In the buffer tool you can get the buffer distance from a field which could hold your pre-computed distance. Suggest you check out the help file on the buffer tool.

[Anonymous User]

I don't believe the buffer tool will work. I would like to create around 20 polygons. The roads inside each polygon need to be spatially proximal (close to each other) and the total length of road in each polygon would need to be similar (i.e. maybe 50km of road in each polygon).

[DuncanHornby]

I think you need to edit your question and include some images to explain what you are attempting to do as its not entirely clear what you are wanting.

[Anonymous User]

Here's a snippet of some of my current zones. You can see the Total Route length on the left i.e. length of road in each zone. I would like to create new zones where the total distance of road is approximately the same in each zone. 

[DuncanHornby]

OK just thinking off the top of my head, if you read the help file it clearly states it only uses points or polygons as input.

How about extracting the centroids of the lines, attaching the length of the line to them and then running the BBZ tool but using your length value as the input to Attribute to Consider parameter? I've never used that tool so what I might be suggesting is not appropriate, but worth ago I think?