Fog in the Bulli Tops area of Wollongong occurs on average for over 50 days per year with visibilities often dropping below 50 m. A 1974 system to provide driver assistance in these conditions was no longer maintainable and could not be shown to have any affect on motorists. In 1992 the RTA commenced a research project on what current technology could do to address the problems experienced by these drivers. In conjunction with this research a replacement Driver Aid system for the Bulli Tops section of the Sydney-Wollongong F6 Freeway was developed and commissioned in 1995. The research project developed a system which could track individual vehicles during fog periods and advise consequently if their speed was consequently if their speed was inappropriate for the conditions. In addition to the potential benefits offered during periods of fog, the ability to monitor individual vehicles allowed the targeting of individual speeding vehicles in normal flow conditions to be undertaken. With the knowledge that a system was both technologically workable and could be shown to have an effect on driver behaviour, a full system was developed. The new system consisted of 24 fibre-optic signs, 12 visibility detectors and emergency telephones provided over a 10 km length of freeway. This paper deals with the results of the research. and how the conclusions were incorporated into the final product. (A)
Abstract