A new algorithm produces intelligent VMS settings for the balancing of load among motorways. This algorithm is integrated in the commercially available transport modelling software POLYDROM and has four main modules. The first is the calibration of the origin destination matrix with actual counts from induction loops. The second is the short term forecast with the help of reference variation curves. The third is the simulation and evaluation of the next time step with many different VMS. In the fourth module, the VMS setting which minimises the maximal load / capacity ratio of all links is set for the next time step. The methodology and the software are ready to be applied to similar situations where unnecessary congestion can be avoided by intelligent balancing of the traffic among the infrastructures. Examples are access to city centres, airports or other large traffic attractors, P+R facilities, events, exhibitions, etc.
Abstract