Tunnel Running

Tunnel Running is a kind of recreational motor vehicle activity, in the form of a road rally for owners of high performance sports cars. It emphasises recreational driving in a group, and in particular, journeys involving tunnels, often at night when little other traffic is present. [http://www.rides-mag.com 'RIDES' magazine] , May/June 2006, p.41-42. [http://me-tan.wtfux.org/vehicles/TunnelRun/USA-TunnelRunRides.jpg] ] At times convoys of over 200 cars have driven through tunnels in this manner."Autocar", February 2006, p.68-69. [http://me-tan.wtfux.org/vehicles/TunnelRun/Autocar0206TunnelRun.jpg] and [http://www.speedtv.com/articles/automotive/lifestyle/22194/] ] Like flash mobs, tunnel runs tend to be organised in a clandestine manner, [As described in both reviews organisation of runs tends to be via a "members only" website with directions and routes often only handed out at the rendez-vous; the description "clandestine" was also used in the Islington Council description.] although some groups do inform police about 'runs' beforehand.

The activity originated in 2004 in the UK and focuses on the enjoyment of the noises engines make in enclosed spaces rather than outright speed, this makes it rare among sports car clubs The originating group runs regular "Tunnel Runs". They are known as the London Tunnel Runners and were founded in 2004.

Background and history

Tunnel Running or "tunnelling", originated as a social activity amongst TVR enthusiasts in 2004. Some sources state it was originated by one person, Eddie Wharram, others that it started with a group of "six enthusiasts" - "Autocar" state that six people "turned up" following a suggestion. Eddie Wharram stated in an interview that the initial motive was simply the "unbelievable" noise caused by echoes of a large displacement engine within the confines of a tunnel. This has since evolved into a much larger 'membership' where runs are organised in a democratic manner with no overall leaders. Out of this unwritten rules have been created whereby participation and mutual appreciation of others cars are the aim instead of any perceived competition.

Semi-regular meetings have since followed, often at night or pre-dawn to avoid congestion and gatecrashing by people who may not care for the safety of others. At times runs could comprise of more than 200 cars so the late times meant it was also beneficial to people not familiar with London to be able to follow in convoy. Since forming, The London Tunnel Runners have visited areas such as Wales, the south coast of England and as far asParis.

On all runs, route and logistical information is often provided by the organisers, themselves enthusiasts. Due to the size and nature of the group, traffic jams have been known to occur by passers by trying to take photographs. An example of this is the run to Paris where a minor traffic jam occurred near the Eiffel tower as locals stopped to take pictures but, whilst the police attended shortly after the jam started, their action was for the most part limited to curiosity and chatting with Tunnelers.

Organisation

Vehicles

Whilst it is not a requirement to have a particular type of car in order to attend, due the nature of the group, an attendee's car tends to be one of the following:
# A recognised high performance vehicle;
# A recognised classic vehicle;
# A vehicle considered to be unique enough to attract interest;
# A performance version of a standard car. (i.e. Golf GTI, BMW M3)

Membership

The criteria for membership is stated by the organisers to be one of maturity, respect for others and their property. The runs are organised within a restricted internet forum to prevent them from being gatecrashed by unwanted parties, who may not have the same core beliefs, and bring the London Tunnel Run into disrepute.

International aspects

There are a number of international members who drive to the UK so they can join the runs. From 2007 onwards a group of Dutch members have joined Tunnel Runs on more than one occasion. They will usually arrive early on a Saturday morning to be met by a number of the UK Tunnel Runners where they may go to an event before the tunnel run.

Safety issues

The original group maintains active relations with the Metropolitan Police Service to make sure that inconvenience to the general public is kept to a minimum. Many other groups have been founded since tunnel running has become more popular, as a result of this, some groups who do not maintain the same respect for the law have caused negative feelings towards tunnel runners. To combat this the London Tunnel Runners liase with the police before every run, to enable the police to deal with genuine complaints that may be made towards the group, such as the complaint from Islington Council.

Complaints and criticisms

In late 2006, complaints by Islington Council led to contact from the police. This was caused by Tunnel Runners who had developed a predilection for the underpasses under the Barbican Estate. The reason for this was due to the fact they are wide and spacious meaning multiple cars can be in the tunnels at once. The complaint centered around the problem that they are above ground and act as underpasses for a 2000-apartment central London housing estate, meaning the noise would reverberate through the apartment block. This combined with the time of the runs caused some tenants to complainIslington Gazette, 24 January 2007. "Bid to halt tunnel racers". [http://www.islingtongazette.co.uk/content/islington/gazette/news/story.aspx?brand=ISLGOnline&category=news&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=newsislg&itemid=WeED24%20Jan%202007%2011%3A09%3A15%3A520] ] The council named the problem group as the "London Tunnellers", in doing so, they described them as a "clandestine group of sports car enthusiasts" and stated that they were "quite notorious in certain circles" due to their choice of location and activity. The Police when commenting on the matter stated that "It seems the idea [of the runs] is to make as much noise as possible, using high-powered sports cars. But there have been no allegations of speeding or dangerous driving."

London Tunnel Run in the Media

The programme "Vroom Vroom" on mainstream satellite channel Sky One carried a report on the tunnel run where presenter Emma Parker Bowles was invited to join the run. Youtube videos available [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjMyf5xUceg here.] Throughout the event the presenter changed between cars experiencing the many different aspects of a run.

A video of a Tunnel Run has also been made by a tunnel runner so people can appreciate the experience, this can be seen [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-Ms0bXw1js here] (the main run begins around 6½ minutes into the video).

Channel 4's 4car website produced an article on the event detailing the event, they also created a gallery of photos, they are available [http://www.channel4.com/4car/gallery/gallery.jsp?id=556&page=9 here.]

Redline Magazine produced an article on the group in December 2007. Link: [http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f155/jamesdennis556/DSCI0006.jpg] & [http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f155/jamesdennis556/DSCI0005.jpg]

References