Estudio de caso

6.2.1 Emergency call stations

Emergency call stations must be provided in tunnels with lengths of ≥ 400 m on one side at regular intervals of ≤ 150 m as well as at the beginning and the end of the emergency routes. In the tunnel and trough area, they must be built to be walkable and closed off from the traffic area with doors.

Irrespective of the tunnel length, it is required to position emergency call stations at the tunnel portals.

Every emergency and breakdown bay must be equipped with an emergency call station.

Figure 20: Indication of the emergency call station (dimensions according to StVO) (sign 365-51 StVO “SOS telephone”)

The booth must have the following minimum dimensions: width 1.50 m/depth 1.00 m/height 2.25 m. The emergency call station must be indicated by means of signs and lights (Figure 20). As an exception, it is possible to provide an emergency call recess instead of a booth in order to keep the costs down (e.g. shield driving). The colour “traffic orange”

(RAL 2009) must be selected for the emergency call station.

The booths do not have to be designed to the requirements of a case of fire and thus must be marked with corresponding signs (e.g. “Leave booth immediately in case of fire!”).

Location detection is necessary for all emergency call stations.

Upon opening of the door to the emergency call station, the provided warning lamp at the emergency call station switches to yellow all-around light in order to warn the approaching traffic of a possible obstacle.

The emergency call including the location detection is transmitted to the monitoring centre. From there, the incoming calls are acknowledged.

On motorways, the motorway-specific devices must be used (Figure 21). On all other roads, the emergency call devices of Deutsche Telekom or equivalent devices must be used (Figure 22).

6.2.2 Video monitoring

In tunnels with lengths ≥ 400 m, tunnels with a high frequency of HGVs (≥ 4000 HGV x km/tube and day) as well as tunnels with underground access and exit roads, video systems are necessary for monitoring the tunnel area, which must be planned according to the object.

Figure 21: Emergency call station for federal motorways

For this, fixed, and for the portals, preferably swivelling, cameras must be installed at the sides next to or above the road at intervals of 75 to 150 m.

The video monitoring of the traffic area must be designed without gaps. It must include the emergency exits and emergency routes.

The video pictures are transmitted to monitors in a continuously staffed monitoring centre (24 h). Several cameras can be switched to one monitor, if desired.

The video monitoring must take place event-oriented and programme-controlled. If the use of an emergency call station is displayed, an emergency exit is used or a fire alarm is triggered, the cameras

in this section must be switched to the monitor automatically. In case of a fire alarm, traffic or operational disturbances or the use of an emergency call station, an additional acoustic alarm message in the monitoring centre is advisable.

In addition, the monitoring centre must be able to cut in a call manually at any time.

In case an alarm is triggered due to an error case or accident, the video images of the respective zone must be recorded automatically in order to enable a later analysis. The information coming into the central control unit as well as the directions issued by the control unit also must be recorded.

Figure 22: Emergency call station for other roads

6.2.3 Tunnel radio

In order to ensure a reliable radio operation for fulfilling the tasks of the operational road maintenance and the BOS services (police, fire brigade and emergency services) in every tunnel, it is necessary – irrespective of the constructional and local conditions of the tunnel – that all of the following radio services are always provided free of interruptions in the tunnel tubes, cross shafts, technology rooms and similar:

- 1 to 2 channels operational road maintenance (AM/SM) in the 2-m band

- channel police 2-m band - 1 channel police 4-m band

- 1 to 2 channels fire brigade/emergency service 2-m band

- 1 to 2 channels fire brigade/emergency service 4-m band

- optionally 3 channels in accordance with the realisation concept of the future digital radio network BOS (70-cm band).

The necessity of a tunnel radio system must be determined by means of radio-technical examinations and field intensity measurements with respect to the corresponding object.

In an area of 150 m around the tunnel portals all other access roads to the tunnel as well as in the service buildings, all radio channels installed in the tunnel must be maintained available. Here, the

compatibility with the provided radio networks and systems must be considered. The operation and monitoring of all functions of the BOS radio systems must be ensured from the respectively responsible control centre of the fire and disaster protection authorities as well as the emergency services.

Insofar as the fire brigade and emergency services have separate radio operation channels with an assignment to different control centres, separate channels must be provided for these.

The basic equipment of the tunnel includes the transmitter, the radio antenna, the leakage cable or similar. The installation and operation of additional radio-technical devices (e.g. mobile telephone system) for additional demand is up to the operators.

The BOS radio technology must meet the requirements of the Technical regulations of the BOS for common-wave or locally-fixed radio systems.

When using repeater technology, the radio systems used must comply with the valid type examination reports for channel-selective technology by the purchasing agency of the federal ministry of the interior.

The leakage cable must be installed in such a way that a dropping can be ruled out as far as possible also in the event of a fire. In order to also be able to maintain the functioning in case of a local damaging, the leakage cable must be supplied from both sides.

6.2.4 Traffic radio/radio

The reception of at least one VHF radio channel with traffic radio recognition (RDS or RDSTMC) must be ensured in the tunnel. If more than one traffic radio channel is to be supplied, the costs for all additional channels must be distributed to all channels. An option for providing information during the broadcast must be agreed upon with the broadcasting corporations offering traffic radio. The monitoring centre, the police station or the service building can be the centre providing information. Preferably, stored texts are used. Before the tunnel portals, unofficial road signs “Radio on” (black letters on white background) must be positioned on both sides.

For short tunnels (< 400 m), these signs are not necessary.

6.2.5 Loudspeaker systems

Tunnels that are video-monitored must be equipped with loudspeakers in the tunnel and at the tunnel portals, which ensure that the road users are informed in the tunnel by means of announcements (direct voice announcement or stored text).

Possibilities for making announcements must be provided in the continuously staffed centre as well as the tunnel control room.

The loudspeakers must be arranged in such a way that the announcements can be understood when the

windows are open and the vehicles are driving at slow speed.

The loudspeakers must be operated individually and in groups.

In order to achieve an optimum distribution of the sound at a correct positioning of the loudspeakers, a sound-related examination must be performed in the tunnels prior to the installation of the loudspeaker systems.

When designing the systems, the following aspects must be considered in particular:

- A noise level of 90 dB must be considered.

- The calculated understandability values must be achieved for the total level (direct and diffuse) in the range above 100 dB, for a frequency response of 50 to 6000 Hz – which is decisive for the distance of the loudspeakers to each other.

- The reverberation times in the tunnel in the especially critical frequency range of 400 to 500 Hz of 3.2 s to 1000 Hz falling to 1.6 s must be considered.

- The road users are informed about the coming announcement by means of acoustic signals.

It must be checked whether, for example, a tight frequency spectrum as well as a lowering of the noise level can be used to increase the distances between the loudspeakers.