Overseas studies have shown that the most efficient ramp metering strategy is not necessarily the most feasible to implement due to user acceptance and equity issues affecting some motorists who may experience larger delays than drivers in the rest of the system. The results also showed that different algorithms led to varying levels of inequality. This research aims to develop and evaluate an agent-based coordinated optimal control ramp metering algorithm and investigate some important issues arising from the implementation of ramp metering systems. The agent concept of collaboration will be used to facilitate a decentralised ramp metering approach to balance system-wide efficiency and equity based on a collective effort of multiple problem solvers combining their knowledge, information and capabilities to develop a network-wide optimal solution. The feasibility of the approach will be demonstrated and evaluated through microscopic traffic. Suitably chosen scenarios will be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms and compare their safety and efficiency performance against a number of well-known ramp metering algorithms. (Author/publisher) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E214133.
Abstract