Optimal Integrated Operation Strategy for Highway Tollgate using Micro Simulation

These days, increasing traffic volume makes congestion commonly around the tollgates of highway. So, reform measure of congestion around the tollgates is urgently required. One of the method is ETCS(electronic toll collection system), which mostly is studied recently. Several tollgates in Korea operates ETCS, named hi-pass system, as examples. However, actually it´s too hard to build ETC systems in all tollgates because of system cost. Therefore we have studied indefatigably how to enhance efficiency of existing TCS(toll collecting system) with ETSC. Until Building ETC systems in all tollgates, several ways of TCS will have been operated mixedly. This study, therefore, has been aimed at developing the optimum operation method of combination ETCS and various TCSs. We develop a micro simulation model, which reproduces the operation states of various tollgate systems: waiting time, passing time. With this simulator, we proposed the optimal operation strategy of highway tollgate by benefit-cost analysis on the basis of benefit in saving total waiting time and operating cost.