Integrated Feedback Perimeter Control–Based Ramp Metering and Variable Speed Limits for Multibottleneck Freeways
Publication: Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems
Volume 150, Issue 9
Abstract
Macroscopic fundamental diagram (MFD)–based perimeter traffic flow control has been attempted to develop coordinated ramp metering (CRM) strategies for multibottleneck freeway networks operating around capacity. However, the effectiveness of these strategies may be limited by the minimum admissible on-ramp flow (e.g., due to queue saturation or minimum green time), potentially resulting in local congestion. This paper addresses these challenges from two aspects. First, a coordinated ramp control approach was developed to handle situations where the desired flow of an on-ramp falls below the minimum admissible flow. Second, variable speed limits (VSLs) were integrated into the coordinated RM to enlarge the available control space. The proposed approach employs a three-layered control structure. The first layer determines the total on-ramp flow entering the freeway network, using an extended MFD-based feedback perimeter regulator. This regulator utilizes dynamic network accumulation set points to enhance the regulator’s effectiveness in the presence of heterogeneity. The second layer distributes the total on-ramp flow among the on-ramps, which includes determining the on-ramp flows without considering flow constraints and coordinating successive on-ramps to address potential constraint violations. The third layer determines VSL rates based on the control information of RM in the second layer and the coordinated control for successive VSLs. The proposed approach was evaluated using SUMO, a microscopic simulator, on a realistic freeway network (stretch), and compared with feedback RM, feedback VSLs, and their integration. Simulation results highlight that the proposed integrated controller (1) more effectively addresses congestion in the freeway, owing to its enhanced robustness and network-wide control benefits, (2) enlarges the control space to alleviate freeway congestion, and (3) performs better in terms of the density heterogeneity of the freeway.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. SQ2018YFB160018) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51925801 and 52232012).
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Published In
Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems
Volume 150 • Issue 9 • September 2024
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 26, 2023
Accepted: Mar 28, 2024
Published online: Jul 11, 2024
Published in print: Sep 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Dec 11, 2024
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