Tunnels

This report documents the findings from a research study, which aimed to investigate driver behaviour and perceptions while driving through a simulated version of Sydney’s NorthConnex (NCX) road tunnel and evaluate the effectiveness of aesthetic design features implemented in the tunnel in influencing these behaviours and perceptions.

The north and southbound tunnels of the NCX tunnel, a 9-kilometre-long road tunnel in Sydney, Australia, were replicated in a virtual reality driving simulator based on technical drawings and specifications provided by Austroads. Twenty-four participants drove through both the simulated baseline NCX tunnel (without any design features) and the simulated treated NCX tunnel (with all design features).

The following was collected in both the baseline and treated tunnels: mean speed, standard deviation of speed, mean lateral lane position, eye gaze, and standard deviation of lateral lane position. In addition, drivers’ self-reported subjective perceptions of the two tunnel environments were collected. The data was analysed to determine whether there were any statistically significant differences in these driving behaviour metrics between the baseline and treated tunnels.

The findings from this study revealed that the aesthetic design features in the NCX tunnels induced several positive perceptions and driver states, and enhanced drivers’ spatial awareness. The study also revealed that most of the design features attracted drivers’ attention; however, there was no discernible evidence from this study that the diversion of attention to the design features affected driving performance.

For more information, watch a recording of the webinar below with Prof Michael (Mike) Regan, Dr Prasannah Prabhakharan, Julius Secadiningrat, Jack Mazaraki, Nicholas Rozenauers, Nigel Casey and Richard Merrett.