Abstract
Aim: This article presents relevant safety issues in road tunnels based on the results of a survey and evacuation experiments conducted on real scale in two existing road tunnels in Poland.
Project and methods: An analysis of the relevant factors influencing the level of safety in road tunnels was carried out based on the results of experimental studies in two road tunnels in which the course of evacuation under fire conditions was observed. As part of the study, several evacuation trials were carried out at equal smoke levels, examining a different parameter each time: pre-movement time, speed of movement, the effect of smoke on the speed of movement, the effect of tunnel infrastructure on evacuation, among others. A survey carried out among 504 respondents, in turn, attempted to assess the awareness of hazards and safety procedures in road tunnels. The survey has four parts and questions covered the following issues: knowledge of tunnel infrastructure, behaviour in case of congestion, choice of evacuation route, behaviour during the evacuation, personal belongings during the evacuation, self-assessment of tunnel safety knowledge and the role of experience. An analysis was also carried out of the information available in Poland on safety guidelines for road tunnels, which can help tunnel users to improve their knowledge on tunnel safety.
Methodology: Analizę istotnych czynników wpływających na poziom bezpieczeństwa w tunelach drogowych przeprowadzono w oparciu o wyniki badań eksperymentalnych w dwóch tunelach drogowych, w których obserwowano przebieg ewakuacji w warunkach pożaru. W ramach badania przeprowadzono kilka prób ewakuacji przy równym poziomie zadymienia, badając za każdym razem inny parametr, m.in. czas zwłoki, prędkość poruszania się, wpływ zadymienia na prędkość poruszania się, wpływ infrastruktury tunelu na przebieg ewakuacji. Z kolei w badaniu ankietowym, przeprowadzonym wśród 504 respondentów, podjęto próbę oceny świadomości zagrożeń i procedur bezpieczeństwa w tunelach drogowych. Ankieta składała się z czterech części, a pytania obejmowały zagadnienia: znajomość infrastruktury tunelu, zachowania w przypadku zatoru, wyboru drogi ewakuacji, zachowania podczas ewakuacji, rzeczy osobistych podczas ewakuacji, samooceny wiedzy o bezpieczeństwie w tunelu oraz rolę doświadczenia. Przeprowadzono również analizę dostępnych w Polsce informacji o zasadach bezpieczeństwa w tunelu drogowym, dzięki którym jego użytkownik może podnieść swoją wiedzę.
Results: The survey results indicate an insufficient level of knowledge regarding safety in road tunnels – only 16% of respondents answered more than 50% of the questions correctly. Ignorance of road tunnel infrastructure itself and the safety rules for the tunnel was also diagnosed. An analysis of the information available to the road users demonstrates that this information is difficult to access and that there is a lack of uniform guidelines to educate the public on the topic raised in the article. A significant impact of evacuation exercises carried out on an accurate scale was emphasised, providing valuable data on the evacuation process and increasing the level of safety in the engineering facilities analysed by raising the awareness of the participants in the experiment.
Conclusions: The research findings presented in this article allow for better understanding of the behaviour of the participants of accidents and fires in road tunnels. In addition, the need to raise the awareness of the road users on the dangerous situations that may occur in a tunnel and the appropriate response to them has been demonstrated.
Keywords: safety, fire, smoke, evacuation, road tunnel
Type of article: original scientific article