Application of Genetic Algorithm in Coordination of Variable Speed Limits and Ramp Metering

Highways are one infrastructure facilities that play a vital role in transportation. There are several approaches for the highway management; such as Intelligent Transportation System (ITS), which control technologies to improve traffic flow quality in transportation networks. Different methods have been developed such as ramp metering (RM), variable speed limits (VSL), route recommendation and variable message signs (VMS) are recognized as the most effective for relieving traffic congestion. This research paper discusses the optimal coordination of variable speed limits and ramp metering in a highway traffic network. The control problem is to determine the optimal combination of control variables that result in the best network performance. Efficiency of this problem was evaluated based on the total time that a vehicle spent in the network. The applied co-ordination approach incorporates the macroscopic traffic flow model METANET and genetic algorithm. The proposed model was implemented on a highway network. The results showed that applying this model to the highway networks could prevent traffic breakdown and therefore, the satisfied traffic flow could be achieved.