Say No > Eastlink: The great petrol waster - Bad for fuel economy - fuel consumption
Introduction to The great petrol waster
Eastlink is a tollway opened in 2008, linking the outer north eastern and south eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. If you live in Victoria, chances are, you will already know all about this.
Where and how it wastes my fuel
Let's face it: Eastlink wastes my petrol. And probably yours too. In most of my work journeys, I go from the inner suburbs to the outer eastern suburbs, usually taking one of the following roads:
- Ferntree Gully Road
- High Street Road
- Burwood Highway
Almost everytime I use the above roads, I cross over Eastlink. And eight times out of ten, the traffic lights are red, or turn red as I approach an Eastlink intersection.
What does this mean? I am forced to stop. Forced to stop at a motorway that was supposedly meant to save time and money. Turning momentum into wasted heat. A reduction in the fuel efficiency and economy of my vehicle.
Eastlink has wasted my time and money. I have no need to travel from north to south in the outer eastern suburbs. If it were toll-free, I wouldn't have a complaint. But the fact that Eastlink causes me to waste time and money (i.e. petrol costs) AND costs money to use AND is of little use to me makes me furious.
They're greedy
Worse still, Eastlink is greedy. Why? Let's look at an example - Citylink. I can ride my motorcycle through Melbourne's Citylink tollways without paying a cent. Transurban (operator of Citylink) were smart enough to waive the tolls for motorcyclists, knowing full well that motorcycles pollute much less than cars. Motorcyclists are rewarded for their good deeds. However, Eastlink provides no rewards for two-wheelers. Granted, the tolls for motorcycles on Eastlink are half that of cars, but having to go through the inconvenience of maintaining an account and paying the tolls and fees is sobering enough to make anyone ditch the idea altogether.
Update: Motorists complain of false fines from faulty speed cameras
Moved to Eastlink Speed Camera - Faulty cameras, speeding fines
See also: Traffic Light Intelligence - Australian Traffic Lights are dumb
conrad walker, Sat, 13 Mar 2010 09:45 pm: Reply