A simple control concept is proposed for efficient real-time toll plaza management in cases where the total flow exiting from the toll booths exceeds the capacity of the downstream highway, leading to congestion and reduced efficiency due to capacity drop. Merging traffic control is proposed so as to maintain the number of vehicles in the merge area close to a critical value that maximizes throughput; to this end, an algorithm known from local ramp metering operations is employed (ALINEA). The potential control concept efficiency is demonstrated by use of microscopic simulation applied to a particular toll plaza infrastructure with and without merging traffic control. It is shown that the employed feedback regulator is little sensitive to various settings which indicates easy applicability with low fine-tuning needs in potential field applications.
Abstract