01099151

Component

https://doi.org/10.3141/2065-08

http://scholar.google.com....+Yi&publication_year=2008

Dramatically increasing travel demands and insufficient traffic facilities have induced severe traffic congestion. High-occupancy toll (HOT) lane operation has been proposed as one of the most applicable and acceptable countermeasures against freeway congestion. With balanced pricing and vehicle occupancy constraints, HOT lane operations can realize the optimal traffic allocation and enhance overall infrastructure efficiency. However, few previous studies have concentrated on optimal tolling strategies. Two major problems with inferior tolling strategies degrade HOT lane system performance. First, an undersensitive tolling algorithm is incapable of handling the hysteretic properties of traffic systems and may cause severe response delays. Second, oversensitive characteristics of imperfect tolling strategies may cause unfavorable flow fluctuations in HOT and general-purpose lanes that disrupt traffic operations. A new feedback-based tolling algorithm to optimize HOT lane operations addresses these problems. To decompose the calculation complexity, a second-order control scheme is used in this algorithm. On the basis of traffic speed conditions and toll changing patterns, the optimal flow ratio for HOT lane use is calculated by using feedback control theory. The appropriate toll rate is then estimated backward by using the discrete route choice model. This algorithm is simple, effective, and easy to implement. VISSIM-based simulation tests were conducted to examine its practicality and effectiveness. Test results show that the proposed tolling algorithm performed reasonably well in optimizing overall traffic operations of the HOT lane system under various traffic conditions.

01114864

English

0000-0002-4180-5628

pp 54-63

2008

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board

9780309113373

Print

Figures (8) ; References (19) ; Tables (2)

Algorithms; Congestion pricing; Feedback control; High occupancy toll lanes; Highway operations; Traffic congestion; Traffic flow

Dynamic tolls

Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; I73: Traffic Control

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jan 29 2008 4:40PM

• Analysis of Reduction in Effective Capacities of High-Occupancy Vehicle Lanes Related to Traffic Behavior
• Automated Vehicle Occupancy Verification Systems: Policy and Legal Implications
• High-Occupancy Toll Lanes and Public Transportation
• Intermediate Access to Buffer-Separated Managed Lanes
• Introduction of the Dual–System Urban Interchange Design
• New Active Traffic Management Approach for Metropolitan Freeway Networks
• Wisconsin Traffic Operations: An Innovative Approach to Statewide Sketch Planning