1 Evaluation of new ramp metering and variable speed limit algorithms on the Cyprus Highway Network

Abstract—Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) integrate advanced information, communication and control technologies to bring major improvements to the existing transportation network which is currently poorly controlled as it operates in an almost open loop fashion. The main objective of the TRAFFICNET1 project is to design, analyze and evaluate a new generation Highway Traffic Management and Control System (HTMC) and examine its beneficial effects on the Cyprus Highway Network. The HTMC system comprises of a data acquisition unit and a roadway controller which act upon the highway network to form a closed loop highway control system. The roadway controller implements ramp metering and variable speed limit strategies which are capable of significantly reducing traffic congestion and contribute to improved safety. Ramp Metering and Variable Speed Limit algorithms which have been proposed in literature are based on certain second order macroscopic traffic flow models which are nonlinear in nature and thus lead to strategies which are complex and computationally intense. Recently, members of the TRAFFICNET consortium have proposed new ramp metering and variable speed algorithms which are computationally feasible and easy to implement. In this paper we present these algorithms and evaluate their performance on a carefully chosen section of the Cyprus Highway Network. Our simulation results indicate that the proposed roadway control strategy brings major improvements to the existing highway network by alleviating congestion, reducing travel times and improving road safety. I