Overview
Ramp metering is a strategy used to regulate the volume of vehicles entering a freeway at a given time thereby seeking optimal freeway operations. Access to the freeway is controlled using a traffic signal that is powered by an algorithm that uses real-time system traffic data to determine the rate at which vehicles should enter the freeway. This breaks up the platoons of vehicles attempting to merge onto the mainline. Vehicles already on the mainline will not need to reduce their speed as much due to the spacing of the entering vehicles.
Rather than acting in isolation, ramp metering is an integral part of an agency’s overall corridor management and operations program. Agencies can align ramp metering programs with programs or efforts, such as arterial management, incident management, work zone management, integrated corridor management or with others, to optimize the combined effect of their tools and strategies. Coordinating these programs and deploying ramp metering will likely depend on the capabilities of the agencies involved.