Abstract
Ramp metering (RM) is an access control for motorways, in which a traffic signal is placed at on-ramps to regulate the rate of vehicles entering the motorway and thus to preserve the motorway capacity. In general, RM algorithms fall into two categories by their effective scope: local control and coordinated control. Local control algorithm determines the metering rate based on the traffic condition on adjacent motorway mainline and the on-ramp. Conversely, coordinated RM strategies make use of measurements from the entire motorway network to operate individual ramp signals for optimal performance at the network level. This study proposes a multi-hierarchical strategy for on-ramp coordination. The strategy is structured in two layers. At the higher layer, a centralised, predictive controller plans the coordination control within a long update interval based on the location of high-risk breakdown flow. At the lower layer, reactive controllers determine the metering rates of those ramps involved in the ramp coordination with a short update interval. This strategy is modelled and applied to the northbound model of the Pacific Motorway in a micro-simulation platform (AIMSUN). The simulation results show that the proposed strategy effectively delays the onset of congestion and reduces total congestion with better managed on-ramp queues.
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The authors would like to thank the Smart Transport Research Centre, and to acknowledge the financial support of the Australian Research Council (ARC) linkage grant LP120100343.
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Jiang, R., Lee, J.(. & Chung, E. A Multi-Hierarchical Strategy for On-Ramp Coordination. Int. J. ITS Res. 15, 50–62 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13177-015-0120-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13177-015-0120-9