A Study on the Operation Boundary of Ramp Metering System

The ramp metering strategy is one of the effective ways to solve the freeway traffic congestion in peak time periods. The study was initiated with assurance that the traffic conditions of ramp and mainline that mitigate the congestion would exist. Under the moderate traffic volume levels, ramp metering is expected to improve the quality of freeway operation. To derive a range of traffic condition, three operation strategies(Do nothing, ramp metering, minimum ramp control) were set up and the ALINEA algorithm was implemented with microscopic traffic simulator VISSIM. The volumes of mainline and ramp are key parameters for the simulation scenarios. Measures of effectiveness for the study include mainline density and average vehicle speed. Operation boundaries in terms of traffic volume were proposed for operating ramp metering strategy. The results show that under the proposed traffic conditions the ramp metering was more successful to increase average vehicle speeds. Traffic controls under the operation boundaries of traffic levels give significant effects for density and average vehicle speed. The outcomes of this study would be useful to improve the performance of ramp metering strategies.