Programs & Labs
Spring 2001
In this special issue: Ramp metering
Considering the alternatives
Although many cities have traffic signals on freeway entrance
ramps, the algorithms that govern these signals' operation vary
widely.
Fast and fair traffic control
Outside the laboratory, the debate over ramp metering in the Twin
Cities has focused more on issues of equity and efficiency than
on questions of absolute system-wide performance.
Under the virtual microscope
"microscopic" simulation is capable of achieving much
greater accuracy than simulations that treat traffic as a continuous
fluid flow—but the increased detail comes at the price of
greater demand on the computer and its human users.