Until now, tunnel transmissions are not widely used in Europe except in Belgium where state authorities have only been attentive to safety and security in tunnels. It is important to explain why it is necessary to provide tunnels with radiocommunications. In Belgium, the situation is defined by an environment analysis. The tunnel environment is very disturbing for users because of large light intensity variation, visibility diminution, and confined area configuration. Those factors increase human life risk when traffic incidents occur. Since human behaviour is unexpected in unusual situations, the only efficient link between people and safety teams is the human voice which must be optimal under all conditions. Voice propagation needs a support which in our case is radiocommunication needing in our specific environment a specific infrastructure to palliate lack of natural propagation in artificial environment. Telecommunication in an artificial and hazardous environment is a real need, to be procured by the responsible authorities for protection and help to people, users of socio-technical works like tunnels. The results of these considerations show that radiocommunications must be part of the initial studies in designing a tunnel, in order to allow radiating infrastructure to be integrated in the civil engineering work, for example, lighting. This is to guarantee the most efficient location of radiating network in terms of radio coverage.
Samenvatting