The Dutch Department of Transport is planning to build a new tunnel near Rotterdam. Although the tunnel has been designed according to standard requirements for tunnel design, the tunnel is so complex that it is unclear how particular design solutions affect the behaviour of car drivers. The new tunnel consists of four tubes, two two-lane tubes in each direction. In the middle of these four tubes a single-lane tube is located that will be used in one direction in the morning and in the other direction in the evening. Based on an earlier simulator study (Theeuwes, Van der Horst, Hoekstra & Kaptein, 1995) it is expected that drivers will be sufficiently prepared to use the single-lane tunnel tube, whereas driving in the single-lane tunnel tube will not result in strange or inadequate driving behaviour. The present study assessed the consequences of the fact that after the tunnel drivers using the single-lane tube need to merge into the main traffic stream. Results show that, given the merging situation at the end of the single-lane tunnel tube, drivers are sufficiently willing to use the single-lane tunnel tube. Results also showed that drivers are able to safely merge in time, given the relatively short merging lane at the South-bound tunnel exit, without showing unacceptable driving behaviour. Finally, it was shown that it is possible to timely and safely merge again into the right lane of the main road, which is important because of the presence of an exit lane towards highway A20, shortly after the North-bound tunnel exit. (A)
Samenvatting