Eastlink Usage

[ESS364]

Interested how many people still use Eastlink now that tolls have started. My theory is most younger drivers don't because of the cost but would if it was free.

My view is, this discriminates against young people putting them at greater risk. They should be encouraged to use it .

Having seen the high volume of traffic in the first month then a drastic reduction when tolls came in suggests many now have stopped.

My case: I did use it every day but now use it only occassionally to go from city to home (Burwood Rd exit). I have gone back to using Springvale Rd although the single exit lane has stuffed that up.

Interested in your views.

[Bravotwozero]

I've been using it every day since it opened. Mainly between the Ringwood Bypass and Wellington Road. Trips are capped at under $5 or something like that so it isn't that much. Apparently the cameras are getting switched on (or may already have been) soon so be careful fellas!

[cpbait]

yeh i use eastlink a bit as my g/f lives in rowville so i use it between wellington rd and cheltenham rd whenever i go there, very handy, oh and the age thing, i'm 24 and it only works out as $1.50 each time as i use it only coming home, save me bout 5 mins and its 100km/h the whole way

[Cobez]

I will be soon, getting dad to link my car onto his Eastlink / Citylink account. Very handy indeed, as a few of my friends live in Brunswick off Lygon street, using Eastlink, it takes me about 23 minutes to get there from my house, as opposed to almost an hour going the long way.

[vxcalais_01]

I used it twice in the free period, but never since. Although i do use City link the full length from Blackburn to Tullamarine(Tunnel and Bolte) every morning, and use it home again, all the way 3 days a week. So i paying around $50 a week for that. What does whole Eastlink cost ?

[Bravotwozero]

Each trip is capped at $4.95. There is also a 20% discount for cars travelling on Eastlink during the weekend and public holidays. Something I don't think Citylink do. Oh, and it isn't a car park!

EastLink Maps

[Reaper]

Sometimes I use it several times a day. It saves me almost an hour each time. Hope it stays like this

Reaper

[stocky]

yeah i use it sometimes to get from boronia road to the monash. it costs me less than $3 a trip, and i probably save that much in fuel by not going through all the red lights on stud road

[Evolution_Ends_Here]

i used for whole month when it was free but i can't afford to use it on tolls, when i drive pass police rd after work, its so dead now, that will tell them scum government to put toll on a new freeway

[commsirac]

Interested how many people still use Eastlink now that tolls have started. My theory is most younger drivers don't because of the cost but would if it was free.

My view is, this discriminates against young people putting them at greater risk. They should be encouraged to use it .

.

Puts them at greater risk of what? being a motorist is not a necessity, people should be paying for the priviledge.

encourage people to use it? perhaps in preference to travelling on springvale rd, but in the bigger scheme of things its a bit like encouraging low tar cigarettes.

I have used the road and it does make getting from the south east to ringwood etc very fast. However, like every other new road or road that gets widened it encourages the development of the suburban sprawl in Melbourne and for people to continue to or actually begin to commute large distances as part of their daily routine and an inevitable increase in total emissions.

I was amazed at the amount of real estate that the road actually uses and what must have been the total cost of it all. For my likes the same amount of money invested in the public transport infrastructure would be of much more value to the community.

[commsirac]

i used for whole month when it was free but i can't afford to use it on tolls, when i drive pass police rd after work, its so dead now, that will tell them scum government to put toll on a new freeway

personally, I think the user pays principle is fine for roads.

[minux]

personally, I think the user pays principle is fine for roads.

Couldn't agree more, i think all city arterials should be charged to be used, if traffic jams get bad enough more people will use public transport and eventually we may actually see money spent on it. What makes me laugh most is that the idiot running the state went on and on about Kennett not spending money on public transport(this was when kennett was trying to get things going) yet this clown has not spent a $ of worthwhile money. Fairly typical.

Anyway we used Eastlink over the weekend, bloody hell, fantastic. Worth every dollar to travel on.

[Nevyn]

Eastlink is great for getting from the monash to the northern suburbs. I've used it a number of times now....but I'm not happy with the pricing. Citylink costs a bit under $12 for a day pass or weekend pass. Eastlink is $9.50? for one trip each way, and u can't double back once u've turned off. Its a rip off in that way. If I'm not wanting to link up with the Eastern freeway I use Stud Rd.....seems to have less traffic now, but if I can help it I never use it during peak times.

[stocky]

i thought trips were capped at $5 one way?

[Morton]

I used it regularly when it first opened. Havn't been down there since it was tolled. I imagine if you had a tag account, and were only using a small section, it would be worth it - but up my end, where the first toll point is the expensive tunnel, it's not worth it.

[saber]

When I go visit friends or family back down on the peninsula, I use the entire eastlink road, plus the easter freeway as well (get on/off at Bulleen road). Saves me a good half hour during peak, and more off peak, well worth it.

[Rishy]

I havent used it and I highly doubt I ever will. I thought about it due to my new job being in Clayton, but the time it would save me is negligible.

[Nevyn]

i thought trips were capped at $5 one way?

they are capped at $4.96 per trip.........

Trips with a tag usually cost less than a trip pass. See the following three examples for a car.

From Eastern Freeway to Maroondah Highway (through the Mullum Mullum tunnel):

* Tag $2.28
* Trip pass $4.96
* Tag would save $2.68



From Princes Highway to Monash Freeway:

* Tag $0.40 (the $0.50 toll is reduced by 20% as it is a single section trip)
* Trip pass $4.96
* Tag would save $4.56



Full length trip on EastLink, from Frankston Freeway to Eastern Freeway on the weekend:

* Tag $3.97 (the $4.96 toll cap is reduced by 20% on weekends)
* Trip pass $4.96 (trip passes are not discounted at weekends)
* Tag would save $0.99


As a country person, I'm not going to open an account.....if I go to Melb for the weekend I can get a pass for Citylink that covers from 12pm Friday till the Monday, one cost......on Eastlink it will cost me $4.96 for every trip I do on the freeway. Its the same for a day pass during the week.

[arrow224]

I haven't used it, and will probably never use it, purely because I have no need to travel between the destinations it offers, and even if I did, there are always other roads that do the similar, if not same, thing.

[Reaper]

Yeah they are capped at $4.96 for passenger vehicles. As per my prev post - I use it heaps. Matter of fact - I'm going to use it now

Reaper

[LightningVP]

I havn't used it, dont have any intentions of using it, don't even use citylink, waste of money for me as using citylink only saves me about 5 mins to work and have no need to go on the eastern, if I go that way I can go around it quite easily...

[v8_jofes]

Used it tonight, took a mate into the city. Got on it at Ringwood. Going through the tunnel at 80km'hr with it held back in 2nd sitting on around 3krpm is such a fun thing to do very addictive to drop down to 70 so I could power on just that little bit more to 80, even though it's only a v6, god i love the sound of it.
$5 or whatever it's going to be was certainly worth it, even if it was just for a laugh heh

[taskmaster]

[QUOTE=commsirac;874332] being a motorist is not a necessity, people should be paying for the priviledge.

seen the price of petrol latly??


trust me we ARE paying