Measuring the Equity and
Efficiency of Ramp Meters |
| (Minnesota Department of Transportation Project, $161,082, 2 years, PI-David
Levinson) and Evaluation of Operating Strategies and Delay Analysis for
Arterials (Center for Transportation Studies $15,000, 2 years PI-David Levinson)
(RAs Lei Zhang, Shantanu Das, Atif Sheikh) |
Original Abstract:
The Twin Cities ramp meter system, while successfully increasing the efficiency
of freeway traffic flow, has been subject to increased political scrutiny.
That scrutiny is due in part to perceptions of inequity in the system. This
research analyzed empirical data to assess the pre-October 2000 ramp control
strategy and compare it with the “no ramp meter” case on a broad
number of criteria. In general metering is efficient for most travelers,
but it penalizes those making short trips at the expense of long trips.
The research then developed a new ramp control strategy that explicitly
addresses both equity and efficiency concerns, and found a strategy that
is more efficient than prior strategies, and identified the tradeoff that
can be made between efficiency and equity (the most efficient strategy is
among the least equitable). |
Final Report
|
Publications
- Das, Shantanu and Levinson,
D. (2003) A Queuing
and Statistical Analysis of Freeway Bottleneck Formation ASCE
Journal of Transportation Engineering (in press)
- Zhang, Lei and Levinson,
D. (2003) Optimal Freeway
Ramp Control without Origin-Destination Information Transportation
Research part B (in press)
- Levinson, D. (2003) Perspectives
on Efficiency in Transportation. International Journal of Transport
Management 1 pp.145-155
- Levinson, D. (2002)
Identifying Winners and Losers in Transportation. Transportation
Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board 1812
179-185
- Zhang, Lei and Levinson,
D. (2002) Estimation of
Demand Response to Ramp Metering. p. 674-681 Proceedings of International
Conference on Traffic and Transportation Studies held in Guilin, China
July 2002, ASCE Washington DC
- Levinson, D. and Sheikh,
Atif (2002) Traffic Equilibration:
The Case of the Twin Cities Ramp Meter Shut Off. p. 580-587 Proceedings
of International Conference on Traffic and Transportation Studies held
in Guilin, China July 2002, ASCE Washington DC
- Levinson, D., Zhang , L.
(2001) Travel Time Variability
After A Shock: The Case Of The Twin Cities Ramp Meter Shut Off ,
The Network Reliability of Transport (2003) Pergamon (editors
Yasunori Iida and Michael Bell) (Presented at First International Symposium
on Transportation Network Reliability, Kyoto, Japan July 30- August
1 2001)
- Levinson, D., Zhang, L (2001)
Ramp Meters on Trial:
Evidence from the Twin Cities Ramp Meters Shut-off presented at
Transportation Research Board Conference, January 14 – 18 2002
Washington DC.
- Levinson, D. Zhang, L.,
Das, S. and Sheikh, A. Chapter Ramp Metering in Assessing the Benefits
and Costs of Intelligent Transportation Systems (edited by Gillen,
D. and Levinson, D.) Kluwer Academic Publishers 2004.
|
Presentations
- Ramp Meters On Trial. UCLA policy research symposium Tackling Traffic
Congestion park of Transportation-Land Use-Environment Connection held
annually at Lake Arrowhead . Oct 20-22 2002
- Ramp Meters On Trial. University of Minnesota Mechanical Engineering
Departmental Seminar . Feb. 27. 2002
- Ramp Meters On Trial. University of Michigan Transportation Research
Institute (UMTRI) Seminar . Dec 03. 2002
- Zhang , Lei and David Levinson. Ramp Metering and the Capacity of
Active Freeway Bottlenecks presented at Transportation Research Board
83rd Annual Meeting, January 10-14 2004, Washington DC.
- Zhang , Lei and David Levinson. Some Properties of Flows at Freeway
Bottlenecks presented at Transportation Research Board 83rd Annual Meeting,
January 10-14 2004, Washington DC.
- Zhang, Lei and Levinson, D (2003), Optimal Freeway Ramp Control without
Origin-Destination Information presented at Transportation Research
Board Conference, January 12 – 16 2003 Washington DC (Session
825)
- Zhang, Lei and Levinson, D (2003), Balancing Efficiency and Equity
of Ramp Meters presented at Transportation Research Board Conference,
January 12 – 16 2003 Washington DC (Session 825)
- Levinson, D. (2001) Perspectives On Efficiency In Transportation presented
at Transportation Research Board Conference, January 14 – 18 2002
Washington DC.
- Levinson, D., Zhang , L Das, S, Sheikh, A. (2001) Ramp Meters on Trial:
Evidence from the Twin Cities Ramp Meters Shut-off presented at Transportation
Research Board Conference, January 14 – 18 2002 Washington DC.
|
Masters Theses
- Lei Zhang - September 2002 - Developing Efficient And Equitable
Freeway Ramp Control Strategies - won the 2002 Milton Pikarsky
award for MS Thesis in Transportation Science and Technology and CTS
Matthew Huber Prize (2003)
- Shantanu Das - June 2002 - A Queuing Analysis of Freeway Bottleneck
Formation and Shockwave Propogation
- Atif Sheikh - March 2002 – Traffic Equilibration: Evidence
from the Twin Cities Ramp Meter Shut Off
|
