Left-Side On-Ramp Metering for Improving Safety and Efficiency in Underground Expressway Systems

As one of the effective measures of intelligent traffic control, on-ramp metering is often used to improve the traffic efficiency of expressways. Existing on-ramp metering research mainly discusses expressways with right-side on-ramps. However, for underground expressway systems (UESs), left-side on-ramps are frequently adopted to reduce the ground space occupied by ramp construction. Since traffic entering from the left and right sides of the mainline may have different traffic characteristics, on-ramp metering for UESs with left-side on-ramps should be explored specifically. This study examines the impacts of left-side on-ramps on the traffic safety and efficiency of UESs and proposes an effective on-ramp metering strategy. Firstly, using field data, traffic flow fundamental diagrams and speed dispersion are discussed to explore the traffic flow characteristics of the left-in UES. The results show that the capacity and critical occupancy are both reduced in left-side on-ramp compared to right-side on-ramp expressways. Meanwhile, the speed dispersion is higher in left-side on-ramp UESs, which means a higher accident risk. Based on this, considering traffic safety and efficiency, a novel two-parameter left-side on-ramp metering strategy for UESs is proposed, in which occupancy and speed are used as the control indicators simultaneously. Additionally, the mechanism of the metering strategy is explained. Finally, the proposed on-ramp metering strategy is simulated on a real UES. The results demonstrate the advantages of the proposed two-parameter on-ramp metering strategy for improving the traffic safety and efficiency of UESs.