Brussels, 16/01/2003 (Agence Europe) - In response to the Mont Blanc, Tauern and Saint Gothard tunnel disasters, the European Commission presented, on Thursday, a proposal of directive aimed at ensuring a uniform, constant and high level of protection for all European citizens in tunnels on the tran-European road network. The Commission puts forward minimum harmonised safety requirements for infrastructure, exploitation, traffic rules and signalling to improve road users' protection in most tunnels and to guarantee that the available safety equipment is conform. "Too many lives that could have been saved were lost in the last years' tunnel accidents", Loyola de Palacio told the press. The Vice Commission President responsible for energy and transport added that: "the European Union has the responsibility to ensure a high level of safety so that they can play their decisive role in the functioning and development of the entire European economy". In this respect, she recalled the major economic costs resulting from a disaster like that in the Mont Blanc tunnel, which, after closure, partially cut Italy off from the internal market for many long months.
The Commission proposes that all tunnels over 500 metres in length and which are part of the Trans-European Road Network should meet the new, harmonised safety requirements. Over 500 tunnels in use, in construction or on the drawing board are concerned by this. In most countries, tunnels should be conform to the new standards within ten years after the date when the directive takes effect. The proposal establishes a series of standards concerning the organisation, roles and responsibilities of various bodies responsible for tunnel security, as well as technical standards applicable to infrastructure, to their use, to the traffic rules and to user information. It above all requires that each country designate an administrative authority responsible for security and safety in tunnels, and one or several control bodies to carry out assessments, tests or inspection. The proposal mainly aims at preventing critical situations which are a threat for human life, the environment and tunnel installations, and which are likely to upset local economies. The second objective is to bring together the conditions required to allow all persons directly involved in a very serious accident, such as an enormous fire, to ensure their own survival.
To attain the objective of prevention, the measures proposed essentially concern: 1) the definition of the main tasks of the tunnel manager, which are: to ensure the safety of users and operating personnel, both in norm conditions (prevention) and in case of accident, control the smooth running of all the installations (including ventilation and lighting, etc.) under normal operating conditions and adapt them in relation to needs in case of accident, and assure the adequate maintenance of all structural and electro-mechanical installations; 2) better information for road users on safety in the tunnels, notably through information campaigns conducted at national level; 3) the construction of bi-tube tunnels that offer much higher safety potential in case of fires. The Commission consequently proposes that henceforth mono-tube tunnels only be built if long-term forecasts indicate that traffic will remain at a reasonable level (inferior to 50% of saturation level); 4) obligation to draw up emergency intervention plans in close collaboration with the intervention services
The goal being to limit the possible consequences of accidents or fire, the proposal recommends a package of prior conditions to: 1) improve communication between the tunnel manager and road user in a tunnel; 2) enable people directly involved in an incident to ensure their own survival through appropriate information and signposts; 3) enable users to react immediately to avoid a worsening of the situation. The defining elements are the obligation for all heavy goods vehicles, buses and coaches entering a tunnel to be equipped with an extinguisher, and the prerequisite that and HGV carying additional fuel tanks to be empty when crossing the tunnel. Furthermore, HGVs carrying hazardous goods or goods of a thermal power of over 30 MW are also a source of grave concern, the Commission acknowledges: "they should be equipped with adequate extinction systems; 4) tunnels will also have to respect strict standards, for example, regarding safety exits or distances between garages or even the number of tubes.
Commenting on the proposal, Loyola de Palacio stressed that the cost for Member States would amount to a total of between 2.6 and 6.3 billion euro, depending on whether all existing tunnels are brought up to standard or Member States decide on substitution measures. The proposal, indeed, provides for that, given the high costs implementing these provisions will incur, Member States being able to implement less onerous measures, as long as they guarantee an adequate level of safety. The effectiveness of these alternative measures (restrictions on traffic, for example) would be assessed with the help of a risk analysis.
Regarding the timeframe for implementation, the Commission proposes that the renovation of all tunnels be completed within ten years from the date when the directive takes effect. In the three years following that date, at least 10% of the tunnels should be up to scratch in all Member States. And 50% of the tunnels should conform within six years. Aware of difficulties this timeframe could incur for countries like Italy and Austria (half of the EU tunnels concerned are in Italy and over 10% in Austria), the Commission has provided for, when in a country the density of tunnels targeted by the directive exceeds the average European density, the State in question being able to extend the timeframe by 50%.