Transport for NSW has revealed plans to boost GPS signals in Sydney’s road tunnels to help motorists, freight and emergency services navigate the tunnels more accurately, quickly and safely.
Deputy Secretary for Greater Sydney at Transport for NSW, Elizabeth Mildwater said ‘repeaters’ are banned in tunnels but the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) was considering changing the law to let the technology be used.
“As many motorists know, GPS signals don’t work in road tunnels because they lose the line of sight to satellites,” Ms Mildwater said.
“Some vehicles use other technology but GPS is the most accurate and is used by emergency services,” she said.
“Transport for NSW has made a submission to the Federal regulator to install and trial re-transmission points inside tunnels to simulate satellite signals.”
Ms Mildwater said the trial would investigate the effects of in-tunnel devices on receivers aboard emergency services vehicles as well as other devices such as smartphones and GPS units.
Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) Deputy Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell said the boost in GPS signals could mean quicker response times should an emergency occur.
“With multiple entry and exit points to our tunnels it can be difficult to find the exact location of an incident,” Mr Fewtrell said.
“GPS data would mean our crews could instantly pinpoint these locations and reduce our response times,” he said.
Mr Fewtrell said anything that delayed FRNSW response capability was likely to increase the risk to life and property.
Transport for NSW said the initiative was supported by NSW Telco Authority, Fire & Rescue NSW, NSW Ambulance and NSW Police.
