Melbourne Burnley Tunnel lighting tech to help drivers keep pace with the speed limit
The Burnley Tunnel in Melbourne is getting a new lighting system designed to encourage drivers to maintain their speed rather than slow down.
Slow and inattentive drivers are a major cause of congestion along one of Melbourne's main arterial roads, say authorities, but a new hi-tech lighting system aims to help improve traffic flow – by encouraging drivers to keep pace with the speed limit.
The Burnley Tunnel – a tollway that connects eastbound traffic from the West Gate Freeway to the Monash Freeway, bypassing city streets – will soon switch on 'pacemaker lighting', which is designed to encourage drivers to maintain their speed by giving them a visual reference as to how fast they should be travelling.
As the Burnley runs deep under the Yarra River, there's a steep incline on exit. Given there are few visual cues inside the low-light tunnel to act as a speed reference, many drivers unwittingly slow down and cause a build-up of traffic.
The new lighting system will have a green band of LEDs appearing to keep pace with traffic, providing drivers with a reference in their periphery that will make it more obvious when they're losing speed.
Testing conducted by Transurban, the private company that manages the Burnley Tunnel, shows the system improves the consistency of speed at the slope.
The project will also brighten up the tunnel with all-new white LED lighting – though the bright lights have raised concerns that drivers' could become startled or their eyes could take too long to adjust when entering or exiting at night.
Drivers will begin to notice changes during February 2023 as the lighting is turned on, with the pacemaker lighting system expected to be fully operational in the coming months.