A tunnel incident warning system trial in Portugal has concluded with results indicating the ETSI ITS G5 short-range communication technology used has reached a level of maturity sufficient to warrant widespread roll-out.

The trial was part of the C-Roads Portugal (PT) initiative, comprising five C-ITS testbed macro pilot cases in the Atlantic Corridor in Portugal, as well as testbed of pilot cases. The aim is to expedite the deployment of national scale cooperative intelligent transport systems (C-ITS) and services to help reduce the amount of road deaths.

Zero road fatalities

Portuguese road death figures are above the European average and authorities are committed to EU’s vision of zero road fatalities by 2050.

Cohda Wireless supported C-ITS technology developer and systems integrator Allbesmart in the pilot project in the 1,620m long Gardunha tunnel on Portugal’s A23 highway between cities of Castelo Branco and Fundão, testing the performance of V2X communication to deliver a tunnel incident warning service under real conditions.

Other project partners included the leading road operator Globalvia which manages the Gardunha tunnel and operates the A23 highway. 

“The trial proved our ability to deliver accurate and timely warning messages to drivers approaching the tunnel, even allowing them to exit the road at the next junction, if required”

It is widely accepted that accidents in road tunnels are more dangerous than in the open air while hazardous substances are considerably more difficult to remove. When accidents occur in tunnels, smoke can cause poor visibility and the resulting decrease in oxygen can occur rapidly.

Source: Smart Cities World