Road tunnels: vehicle emissions and air demand for ventilation

This report presents the data necessary for the design of the ventilation system for road tunnels in normal operation. It aims at defining the minimum quantity of fresh-air that is required to ensure adequate in-tunnel air quality and visibility thresholds. This report is a reference document for the design of tunnels and for monitoring the operation conditions. The report provides the values of admissible concentrations of toxic gases and particulate matter. It then presents the emission factors [...]

Recommendations regarding road tunnel drivers' training and information

A follow-up on the report « Human Factors and safety from the view point of users » that was published in 2008 by the World Road Association, this new work by Technical Committee C4 - Road Tunnel Operations - aims at giving key information and instructions to drivers in order to enable them to adopt the adequate behavior in the 3 situations they can face when travelling through a tunnel : during normal situation, minor incident or major incident. After describing the experience of driving [...]

Road tunnels: operational strategies for emergency ventilation

During normal operation, ventilation, whether natural or mechanical, is required to provide a clean air environment and to prevent the accumulation of pollutants. During emergency operation, ventilation is needed to influence the flow of smoke. Smoke control plays a key role to increase the chances of survival for tunnel users experiencing a fire, in particular during the self-rescue phase. After describing ventilation ant its essential role, the report provides a list of countries that have introduced [...]

Tools for road tunnel safety management

This report is dedicated to the basic tools needed for management and decision support on road tunnel safety issues. It defines the general demands on tunnel safety documentation, referring to each of the three different stages of a tunnel project: design-construction, commissioning, operation. An overview table and detailed checklists are given. It deals with collection of incidents and their analysis. The report defines the significance of incidents to be recorded and presents the basic data [...]

Human factors and road tunnel safety regarding users

This report aims to improve the understanding of user behaviour in road tunnels in both normal and critical situations and to provide recommendations for tunnel design and operation. After an introduction of the human decision process, the report presents observations of the behaviour of tunnel users in normal and critical situations. Facing these different situations, the minimum measures required by the European Union directive of April 2006 are discussed and additional measures are recommended. [...]