Influence of Spatial Placement of Variable Speed Limit Zones on Urban Motorway Traffic Control

Josip Miloš
Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences, University of Zagreb

Patrik Hršak
Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences, University of Zagreb

Nikola Topić
Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences, University of Zagreb

Leon Jakšić
Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences, University of Zagreb

Krešimir Kušić
Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences, University of Zagreb

Filip Vrbanić
Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences, University of Zagreb

Edouard Ivanjko
Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences, University of Zagreb

Abstract

Traffic control approaches, in particular Variable Speed Limit (VSL), are often studied as solutions to improve the level of service on urban motorways. However, the efficiency of VSL strongly depends on the spatiotemporal arrangement of VSL zones. It is crucial to determine the lengths and locations of VSL zones for best VSL efficiency before deployment in a real system, as the optimal length of the VSL zone and its distance from the bottleneck directly affects traffic dynamics and, thus, bottleneck control. Therefore, in this study, we perform the analysis of different VSL zones lengths and their positions by using a closed-loop Simple Proportional Speed Controller for VSL (SPSC-VSL). We evaluate the different VSL zone configurations and their impact on traffic flow control and vehicle emissions in a SUMO microscopic simulation on a high traffic demand scenario. The results support the observations of previous researchers on the significant dependence of VSL zone placement on VSL efficiency. Additionally, new data-based (traffic parameters and vehicle emissions) evidence of the performance of the SPSC-VSL design are provided regarding the best placement of consecutive VSL zones for motorway bottleneck control not analysed in previous research.