Highway 'minitunnels': an option for the urban environment?

Highway minitunnels, also referred to as limited facility tunnels, are small-diameter structures accessible only to light vehicles and with a typical headroom of 2.6 m. They may be used to segregate road users so as to maximise surface space for pedestrians and cyclists, to alleviate congestion hot-spots, to by-pass complex junctions or to improve interchange facilities for transferring from cars to public transport. Research to develop design guidelines has addressed a range of specific issues: possible construction methods, operational issues such as signs, and safety issues such as access for emergency services. A full-scale vehicle simulator has been used to examine the responses of drivers to a range of virtual minitunnels.
Highway minitunnels, also referred to as limited facility tunnels, are small-diameter structures accessible only to light vehicles and with a typical headroom of 2.6 m. They may be used to segregate road users so as to maximise surface space for pedestrians and cyclists, to alleviate congestion hot-spots, to by-pass complex junctions or to improve interchange facilities for transferring from cars to public transport. Research to develop design guidelines has addressed a range of specific issues: possible construction methods, operational issues such as signs, and safety issues such as access for emergency services. A full-scale vehicle simulator has been used to examine the responses of drivers to a range of virtual minitunnels.