Tunnels
- Publication no: AP-R557-18
- ISBN: 978-1-925671-24-7
- Published: 11 January 2018
- PDF (free) Download
This report identifies factors that contribute to the occurrence and severity of crashes adjacent to and within tunnels and suggests remedial treatments that will reduce the incidence and severity of these crashes.
A preliminary examination of recorded road crashes immediately adjacent to and within a selected sample of Australian tunnels found that, while tunnels are relatively safe when compared with other parts of the road network, crashes in or near them are a significant source of road trauma and cause substantial delays to road users across the road network.
As road tunnels form an important part of the road network, there is a need to ensure motorists can travel in a ‘Safe System’ consistent with the National Road Safety Strategy 2011–2020. Such a system acknowledges that road users will inevitably make mistakes, and that when they do, they should not be penalised with death or serious injury.
The outcomes of the research will help to reduce the risk and severity of crashes adjacent to and within new and existing road tunnels.
- Summary
- 1. Introduction
- 1.1. Background
- 1.2. Project Objectives
- 1.3. Methodology
- 2. Literature Review
- 2.1. Crashes
- 2.2. Lighting
- 2.3. Driver Behaviour
- 2.4. Risk Assessment
- 2.5. Safety Management
- 2.6. Further Treatments to Increase Safety
- 3. Crash Analyses
- 3.1. Individual Site Analysis
- 3.1.1. Tunnel 1
- 3.1.2. Tunnel 2
- 3.1.3. Tunnel 3
- 3.1.4. Tunnel 4
- 3.1.5. Tunnel 5
- 3.1.6. Tunnel 6
- 3.1.7. Tunnel 7
- 3.1.8. Tunnel 8
- 3.1.9. Tunnel 9
- 3.1.10. Tunnel 10
- 3.1.11. Tunnel 11
- 3.1.12. Tunnel 12
- 3.1.13. Tunnel 13
- 3.2. Summary
- Crash frequency and severity
- Time-of-day and day-of-week
- Crash type
- Prevailing pavement conditions
- Vehicle types involved in crashes
- 4. Site Investigations
- 4.1. Tunnel Selection and Investigation
- 4.2. Development of Tunnel Safety Checklist
- 4.3. Interviews with Tunnel Operators
- 4.4. Results and Discussion
- 4.4.1. Tunnel Safety Checklist and Drive-through Inspection
- 4.4.2. Control Centre Interviews
- 5. Guide to Road Tunnels: Areas for Review
- 5.1. Part 1: Introduction to Road Tunnels
- 5.2. Part 2: Planning, Design and Commissioning
- 5.3. Part 3: Operation and Maintenance
- 6. Use a Perceptual Countermeasure to Improve Road Tunnels Safety
- 6.1. Driver Simulator Study Design
- 7. Key Findings
- 7.1. Crashes
- 7.1.1. Crash contributing factors
- 8. Conclusions and Recommendations
- References
- Appendix A Tunnel Safety Check-List
- Appendix B Control Centre Interview Responses
- B.1 Operator One for Case Study 1
- B.1.1 Key Crash Types
- B.1.2 Crash Risk Factors
- B.1.3 Possible Solutions
- B.2 Operator Two for Case Study 2
- B.2.1 Key Crash Types
- B.2.2 Crash Risk Factors
- B.2.3 Possible Solutions
- B.3 Operator Three for Case Studies 3 and 4
- B.3.1 Key Crash Types
- B.3.2 Crash Risk Factors
- B.3.3 Possible Solutions
- Appendix C Workshop Presentation