Efficiency and Equity of Ramp Control and Capacity Allocation Mechanisms in a Freeway Corridor

This paper investigates the efficiency and equity of morning peak ramp control schemes in a freeway corridor with limited capacity. In terms of efficiency, both short-run and long-run optimal ramp control schemes are obtained by minimizing the total travel cost and maximizing the total social benefit along the corridor. It is found that for a short-run optimum with inelastic demand, the morning peak period is of the same duration for different on-ramp locations. But for a long-run optimum with elastic demand, the peak duration for various on-ramps increases with the local capacity elasticity of demand. In terms of equity, two measures are defined from a demand-based viewpoint and a space-based viewpoint. It is shown that the short-run optimal ramp control scheme is perfectly fair from a demand-based equity viewpoint. Consequently, two typical ramp control schemes—a perfect demand-based equity scheme and a perfect space-based equity scheme—are introduced and compared with the long-run optimal ramp control scheme in terms of efficiency and equity. It is shown that the long-run optimal ramp control scheme without an equity constraint is more unfair than the perfect demand-based equity scheme from a space-based equity viewpoint. Numerical simulations using survey data from China suggest that the perfect demand-based equity scheme attains an economic welfare level that is very close to the optimal one.

• Record URL:
  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=MImg&_imagekey=B9853-52X1TRD-15-1&_cdi=59087&_user=10&_pii=S1877042811010883&_origin=browse&_zone=rslt_list_item&_coverDate=12%2F31%2F2011&_sk=999829999&wchp=dGLbVzW-zSkWB&md5=8b1615a02604c446d4ca5b0c419e6253&ie=/sdarticle.pdf
• 
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/18770428
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract reprinted with permission from Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Tian, Qiong
  • Huang, Hai-Jun
  • Yang, Hai
  • Gao, Ziyou
• Conference:
  • 19th International Symposium on Transportation and Traffic Theory
  • Location: Berkeley CA, United States
  • Date: 2011-7-18 to 2011-7-20
• Publication Date: 2011

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References;
• Pagination: pp 509-531
• Monograph Title: International Symposium on Transportation and Traffic Theory, 19th
• Serial:
  • Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences
  • Volume: 17
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 1877-0428
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/18770428/53
• Publication flags:

  Open Access (libre)

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bottlenecks; Equity; Highway capacity; Highway traffic control; Interchange ramps; Numerical analysis; Peak hour traffic; Social benefits; Traffic congestion; Transportation corridors; Travel costs; Travel demand
• Geographic Terms: China
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01345396
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 21 2011 10:08AM