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On optimal freeway ramp control policies for congested traffic corridors

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  • Zhang, H. M.
  • Recker, W. W.

Abstract

This paper examines the conditions for which ramp metering can be beneficial to the overall system in terms of travel time savings for a simple traffic corridor that consists of a freeway and a set of parallel arterials connected by entrance ramps. The focus is on analyzing state and control relationships to arrive at general analytical results regarding optimal metering policies, rather than on either developing specific control algorithms or solving a specific application. The analysis is concerned with the general behavior of the system under ramp control and traffic diversion. The analysis assumes that time-varying traffic demands that originate from various locations are destined for a single location and that the freeway is uniformly congested throughout the control period. Under these assumptions, some general results are obtained regarding the effectiveness of ramp metering for various traffic diversion propensities and differentials between freeway and arterial traffic conditions. It is shown that the optimal ramp control policies are determined by the magnitudes of two co-state vectors that depend on traffic conditions on the freeway and its alternative, and the drivers diversion propensity. The results of two limiting cases imply that when the freeway is uniformly congested ramp control is counter-productive unless diversion occurs, and where drivers have a high propensity to divert, the optimal policy is dependent on the travel speed on the freeway alternative and on the wave speed of backward propagating waves on the freeway.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhang, H. M. & Recker, W. W., 1999. "On optimal freeway ramp control policies for congested traffic corridors," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 33(6), pages 417-436, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:transb:v:33:y:1999:i:6:p:417-436
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Sheu, Jiuh-Biing & Yang, Hai, 2008. "An integrated toll and ramp control methodology for dynamic freeway congestion management," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 387(16), pages 4327-4348.
    2. Zhang, Lei & Levinson, David, 2004. "Optimal freeway ramp control without origin-destination information," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 38(10), pages 869-887, December.
    3. Kontorinaki, Maria & Karafyllis, Iasson & Papageorgiou, Markos, 2019. "Local and coordinated ramp metering within the unifying framework of an adaptive control scheme," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 89-113.
    4. Rodrigo C. Carlson & Ioannis Papamichail & Markos Papageorgiou & Albert Messmer, 2010. "Optimal Motorway Traffic Flow Control Involving Variable Speed Limits and Ramp Metering," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 44(2), pages 238-253, May.
    5. Sheu, Jiuh-Biing, 2007. "Stochastic modeling of the dynamics of incident-induced lane traffic states for incident-responsive local ramp control," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 386(1), pages 365-380.
    6. Gomes, Gabriel C., 2004. "Optimization and Microsimulation of On-ramp Metering for Congested Freeways," Institute of Transportation Studies, Research Reports, Working Papers, Proceedings qt95k1q411, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Berkeley.
    7. Shen, Wei & Zhang, H.M., 2010. "Pareto-improving ramp metering strategies for reducing congestion in the morning commute," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 44(9), pages 676-696, November.
    8. Cheng, Harry H. & Shaw, Ben & Palen, Joe & Wang, Zhaoqing & Chen, Bo, 2002. "A Field-Deployable Real-Time Laser-Based Non-Intrusive Detection System for Measurement of True Travel Time on the Highway," Institute of Transportation Studies, Research Reports, Working Papers, Proceedings qt3p71d33t, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Berkeley.
    9. Chen, Jing & Lin, Lan & Jiang, Rui, 2017. "Assigning on-ramp flows to maximize capacity of highway with two on-ramps and one off-ramp in between," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 465(C), pages 347-357.
    10. Cheng, Harry H. & Shaw, Ben & Palen, Joe & Wang, Zhaoqing & Feng, Ping & Nestinger, Stephen & Chen, Bo, 2004. "Development and Field Testing of Laser Photodiode Array-Based Vehicle Detection Systems," Institute of Transportation Studies, Research Reports, Working Papers, Proceedings qt3hs755vj, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Berkeley.
    11. Chengxi Liu & Yusak O. Susilo & Anders Karlström, 2017. "Weather variability and travel behaviour – what we know and what we do not know," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(6), pages 715-741, November.
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    13. Zhang, H.M. & Shen, Wei, 2010. "Access control policies without inside queues: Their properties and public policy implications," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 44(8-9), pages 1132-1147, September.

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