CURRENT SAFETY ISSUES IN TRAFFIC TUNNELS

Recent fires in tunnels are reviewed briefly. Accident statistics for Germany indicate that vehicle fires are not rare events and that secondary collisions in tunnels often result in fire. Open roads are usually more dangerous than tunnels as some have higher speed limits and all are exposed to hazardous weather. Railway tunnels are 20- to 25-fold safer than road tunnels. Tunnel accidents are predicted to increase as vehicle usage and tunnel length increase. Fire protection measures include preventative constructional measures, fire fighting, and education of tunnel users in appropriate behaviour. A degree of risk is considered inevitable in the safety design of new tunnels, but the use of twin bores to prevent bidirectional traffic, and to facilitate escape and fire fighting is recommended where the traffic volume justifies the cost. Harmonisation of safety standards across the EU is required. This paper was presented at the ITA Open Session: Fire and life safety, at the 28th ITA General Assembly and World Tunnel Congress, Sydney, Australia, 2-8 May 2002.

  • Availability:
  • Corporate Authors:

    Elsevier

    The Boulevard, Langford Lane
    Kidlington, Oxford  United Kingdom  OX5 1GB
  • Authors:
    • Haack, A
  • Publication Date: 2002-4

Language

  • English

Media Info

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00931570
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
  • Files: ITRD
  • Created Date: Oct 3 2002 12:00AM