After six years of testing tunnels in Europe, EuroTest tunnel inspections have given way to EuroTAP (European Tunnel Assessment Programme). EuroTAP has now been running for three years since it was launched in Munich in January 2005, with the support of the European Commission, under the coordination of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) Brussels office, in order to focus only on further improving tunnel safety. The EuroTAP project is led by the German motoring club ADAC, in cooperation with 12 national motoring organisations, all members of the FIA, from 11 countries including Croatia, Norway and Switzerland from outside the European Union.
The aim was to test 150 of the most important European tunnels during a period of three years. The results of the tunnels tested have been published every year in media all across Europe in seven different languages. Information leaflets targeted at motorists gave information on how to behave correctly in tunnels. In 2007, 51 tunnels were tested in 13 countries. Click here and visit www.eurotestmobility.net/images/filelib/tunnel_test_2007_english.pdf for the 2007 results. For 2006 and 2005, click here and Click here .
On 22nd January, 2008, EuroTAP published its final audit report highlighting Europe's best and worst tunnels out of 152 tested in 18 countries over the last three years. The report, a 150-page work of reference compiled on CD Rom, provides the latest information on the state of tunnels in Europe together with interactive training materials, videos and a unique data base detailing everything to know about the operators and tunnels inspected.
At the presentation of the audit report, Europe's safest tunnels tested between 2005 and 2007 received for the first time ever the European Tunnel Award. The award-winning tunnels included the Ottsdorf tunnel in Austria, the Markusbierg tunnel in Luxembourg, the M-12 tunnel to Madrid Barajas airport and the Brinje tunnel in Croatia. Visit www.eurotap.eu to view a video.
These tunnels received the rating "very good" in all sectors (tunnel systems, lighting and energy supply, traffic and traffic control, communications, escape and emergency exits, fire protection, ventilation and emergency management).
Testing, assessing, informing and improving are the four key elements of the EuroTAP formula for effecting changes to make road tunnels across Europe safer and better. Bad publicity and harsh criticism as a result of poor tunnel assessment ratings have triggered remedial actions on numerous occasions. After the San Juan tunnel in Spain was rated the worst tunnel in Europe, the government invested EUR4 million on improvements to make this single tube tunnel a state-of-the-art tunnel. In 2005, the San Juan tunnel was rated “good”. Similarly, the Kappelberg tunnel near Stuttgart was refurbished, at a cost of EUR12 million, as a result of the defects identified by EuroTAP and received a “very good” rating in 2006.
Moreover, the programme with its mass media information campaigns has raised awareness among road users with very positive results. In January 2007, 150 people escaped alive and uninjured from a 48-car pileup in Austria’s Ehrentalerberg tunnel. Another disaster of Mont Blanc dimensions was avoided because road users knew what to do.
Despite the improvements achieved, the fact remains that many tunnels are not yet up to scratch. Even if the member states are currently busy refurbishing their tunnels, one in five of all the 152 tunnels tested have failed the EuroTAP inspections. In detail, 38% were rated “very good”, 22% scored “good”, 19% achieved the rating “acceptable”, safety in 13% of them was found to be “poor” and it is even “very poor” in 8% of them.
The most common faults and potential safety threats identified concerned the escape and rescue routes (32% of all tunnels failed in this category of assessment), fire protection (a 28% failure rate was registered) and the quality of traffic management and surveillance (a 28% failure rate was registered).
The audit report reveals, however, that there is a continuing need for improvements to be made in road tunnel safety.
The European Parliament has produced the directive 2004//54/EC on minimum safety standards for tunnels on the trans-European road network (TEN) and recommendations on how to build and operate safe road tunnels. Now it is up to the operators to refurbish their tunnels accordingly. Road users, who are playing a key role in tunnel safety, need to be educated to behave correctly whenever they drive through tunnels.
Decision-makers must continue to take action to avoid any repeat of horrific tunnel accidents. Much has been done already in many countries. But in some countries the processes are very slow. More needs to be done and more money needs to be invested. The aim is to have tunnels which meet at least the minimum standards within the next five years all over Europe.
Besides distinguishing the four afore-mentioned tunnels, the EuroTAP report also singles out countries such as Italy and Norway. In these two countries, there is a particularly urgent need for action, not just due to the many tunnels, but also due to relatively low safety levels in tunnels.
The analysis of risks has been undertaken according to modern criteria, with a very detailed checklist (eight categories with percentages). The criteria which determined the choice of test candidates raised the perplexity of some Italian experts. These criteria included objective factors such as the tunnel length and the location on the TEN network (not always fulfilled) but also more questionable factors like the importance of the tunnel for holiday traffic that may undermine the credibility of the tests.
Seventeen tunnels were inspected in Italy, 11 of which were found to be not complying with the minimum required safety standards. During the first EuroTAP year, only two Italian tunnels were rated “good”: the Monte Barro tunnel on road SS36 Milan-Passo dello Spluga, and the Piedicastello tunnel in Trento on highway A22 Modena-Brennero. In 2006, the Appia Antica tunnel on Rome’s orbital highway received the rating “acceptable”. In 2007, the Frejus cross-border tunnel on the A32 between Turin and France also scored “good”, while the Colle Giardino tunnel, on road SS4 Salaria from Roma to Ascoli Piceno, and the Gran San Bernardo tunnel on the E27 between Italy and Switzerland were rated “acceptable”. See the ratings of the Italian tunnels at www.aci.it/fileadmin/documenti/notizie/Comunicati/Tunnel_Italiani.pdf
Visit www.eurotestmobility.net/eurotest.php?itemno=156&lang=EN to see the EuroTAP tunnel test results for 2007. View the EuroTAP results for the Swiss tunnels at www.tcs.ch/main/fr/home/sicherheit/infrastrukturen/euro_tap.html 05/08.
Luxembourg's minister for public works, Claude Wiseler, and the manager of the roads administration, Georges Molitor, recieved the best European Tunnel Award for the Markusbierg tunnel.
