Monday was a big day for Melbourne’s Burnley Tunnel, as the Australian-first pacemaker lighting system was switched on for drivers.
Drivers descending into the tunnel will now see a green band of moving light along the walls, which will help them keep pace through to the tunnel exit. These green bands will move at a speed safe and appropriate to traffic conditions in the tunnel to encourage drivers to maintain a consistent speed, while never exceeding the tunnel’s speed limit of 80km/h.
The Burnley Tunnel is quite steep and deep, meaning drivers tend to slow down as they travel uphill to exit the tunnel. The pacemaker lights are designed to address this and prevent backlogs of traffic that can lead to congestion across the wider road network.
The installation of the new system was funded by Transurban, and also included repainting the tunnel walls and installing new LEDs making the tunnel look brighter, more spacious and ultimately, safer.
A comprehensive road safety audit, which included closely examining the effect of pacemaker lighting on drivers, was completed as part of this project.