EFFECTIVENESS OF TRAFFIC RESTRAINT FOR A CONGESTED URBAN NETWORK: A SIMULATION STUDY

Restricting ("metering") traffic flow on the approaches to an urban street network ("control area") can be considered an application of the concept of freeway ramp metering to surface street systems. In this application, local demand is reduced by metering traffic at the periphery of the control area during peak traffic demand periods. The purpose of this strategy is to maintain a level of traffic density within the control area to avoid congested flow conditions. It is postulated that if this objective is achieved, the performance of traffic will improve significantly within the control area and this improvement will more than offset the disbenefit associated with the possible delay of some traffic at the periphery. That is, the performance of the affected traffic, overall, will be improved. This paper presents the results of a simulation study that evaluated this hypothesis. On the basis of the results obtained in this study, it appears that the peripheral ("external") metering control strategies have the potential to improve the overall performance of traffic in a highly congested control area. The results indicate that it is virtually essential to apply a metering control along the periphery of a control area that is congested to the extent that the ensuing traffic demand cannot be serviced because of overflow queues causing extensive intersection spillback. It has also been shown that the optimal metering control policy to be enacted depends on the traffic condition before the implementation of such control (i.e., base condition) as well as the selected measure of effectiveness.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1989/1232/1232-011.pdf
• Record URL:
  https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=EFFECTIVENESS+OF+TRAFFIC+RESTRAINT+FOR+A+CONGESTED+URBAN+NETWORK%3A+A+SIMULATION+STUDY&author=A.+Rathi&author=E.+Lieberman&publication_year=1989
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• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1232, Urban Traffic Systems and Operations. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
• Authors:
  • Rathi, Ajay K
  • Lieberman, Edward B
• Publication Date: 1989

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 95-102
• Monograph Title: Urban traffic systems and operations
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 1232
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Measures of effectiveness; Simulation; Traffic congestion; Traffic restraint
• Uncontrolled Terms: Effectiveness
• Old TRIS Terms: Metering; Peripheral area traffic control
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00494986
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309049601
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Jun 30 1990 12:00AM