Evaluation of mitigation schemes to reduce hazardous conditions on freeway during peak periods using micro-simulation

This research represents the application of the mitigation schemes in order to remove hazardous conditions on freeways during peak hour traffic. For this study, about 18 km long section of Eastern Freeway in Melbourne (Australia) is selected as a test bed. Two mitigation schemes i.e. Ramp Metering and Variable Speed Limit have been selected in this study for conducting scenario analysis to reduce the hazard risks on freeways. These mitigation schemes are tested under peak period traffic conditions in order to find out the best mitigation scheme. Percentage reduction in hazardous condition is used as the selection criterion for the best mitigation scheme under different traffic conditions. After the evaluation, it is observed that the variable speed limit scheme is more effective than the ramp metering scheme in order to mitigate hazardous situations during peak period traffic scenarios on the freeway.