A dynamic highway flow control simulation model for solving the congestion problem

Abstract

This paper developed a simulation model coded in Arena in order to aid in the design of a dynamically automatic traffic flow control simulation model without a time limit barrier. The model simulates the section of the Chung-Sam highway between Taipei and TaoYuan where the distance is 31.9 kilometers. The authors adopt dynamic speed limits and practical measures to simulate the arrival number of cars and the leaving number of cars in a time interval. First, each lane is set with the speed limit of 100 or 125 km/hr and a stop-and-go traffic light sign at the entrance ramp with 0, 5, 10, and 15 seconds. Next, by controlling the departure speed of the junction, the authors find that it causes a better result for enlarging the maximum flow. The simulation model with the dynamic speed limit is able to dynamically guide traffic in rush hours. Finally, the dynamically automatic traffic flow control models without a time limit barrier and with a time limit barrier at 0, 5, 10, and 15 seconds are implemented and analyzed. The authors find that the dynamically automatic traffic flow control model without a time limit barrier is better than that of the model with a time limit barrier.