CityLink

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For other uses of "City Link", see City Link (disambiguation).
See also: Monash Freeway, Tullamarine Freeway, and West Gate Freeway
Image:CityLink.svg
CityLink
Length 22 km
Direction Western link: North – South
Southern link: West – East
Start Tullamarine Freeway
Primary destinations Melbourne Airport
Melbourne CBD
Northern suburbs
Eastern suburbs
End Monash Freeway
Construction dates May 1996 - August 1999
Major junctions West Gate Freeway
Tullamarine Freeway
Calder Freeway
Monash Freeway
Owner Transurban Limited
Operator Transurban Limited
Image:Australian Alphanumeric State Route M1.svg
This route is used for the Southern Section of the tollway.
Image:Australian State Route 43.svg
This route is used for the Western Section of the tollway.

CityLink is a system of Tolled Freeways in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The company Transurban was awarded the contract to construct two new freeways—labelled the Western and Southern Links—directly linking a number of existing freeways to provide a continuous, high-capacity road route to, and around, the central business district.

CityLink is comprised of:

  • Western Link
extended Tullamarine Freeway
Bolte Bridge
Sound Tube
  • Southern Link
Domain tunnel
Burnley tunnel
Batman Avenue

Contents

[edit] Existing freeways

Previously, the city centre was served by four separate freeways:

CityLink saw the widening and upgrading of the inner sections of the Tullamarine and Monash Freeways, as well tolls being imposed, which attracted criticism from road users.

[edit] New freeways

[edit] Western Link

Image:TullamarineFwy.jpg
The sound tube in Flemington used to reduce noise pollution to nearby community housing towers

The elevated Western Link extends the existing Tullamarine Freeway, lengthening it to terminate it five kilometres further south at the West Gate Freeway in Port Melbourne. It includes a new major bridge (the Bolte Bridge, named after former Premier Sir Henry Bolte) over the Yarra River in the Docklands; and a tube-like sound barrier in Flemington where the road passes close to a number of community housing towers. A short distance to the north of the sound tube, a massive sculptural work was placed, called the Melbourne International Gateway, consisting of a giant yellow beam hanging diagonally across the road (nicknamed the "Cheesestick") and a row of smaller red beams alongside the road (the "Zipper").

[edit] Southern Link

The underground Southern Link directly connects the ends of the West Gate and Monash Freeways into one continuous through-way. This link comprises the Burnley and Domain Tunnels which pass under the Royal Botanic Gardens and the Yarra River, each tunnel channelling traffic in different directions. This link also includes a connection to the CBD from the Monash Freeway over a bridge extension of Exhibition Street over the nearby railway lines.

[edit] Tolling system

Main article: e-TAG
Image:City-link-tulla-toll-gantries.jpg
e-TAG toll gantries on the Tullamarine Freeway section of Melbourne's CityLink

There are no toll booths along the entire length of the system, so traffic flow is not impeded.

CityLink uses a DSRC toll system called e-TAG, where an electronic transponder is mounted on the inside of the vehicles' windscreen. Gantries constructed over each carriageway record registration plates and detect the e-TAGs, and deduct toll amounts automatically from the account linked electronically to each tag. Where a tag is not detected, the vehicle's registration is recorded using an automatic number plate recognition system and checked against a database. For infrequent use of the system one can buy a Daypass – by phone, online or at participating service stations. A Daypass can be bought in advance or afterwards (until midnight three days later). The vehicle's registered owner will be sent a fine in the mail if payment is not made.

The system came under fire in 2003 when it was found that e-TAGs did not warn drivers when their batteries were running low, and non-functioning batteries caused vehicles not to be detected by the toll sensors, thereby attracting additional charges and fines.[1] CityLink has since recognised that e-TAGs have a limited lifespan and have undertaken a campaign to raise awareness among customers to contact them should their e-TAG not beep.[2]

[edit] Interchanges

The tolled section begins on the Tullamarine Freeway Image:Australian State Route 43.svg / Image:Australian Route 79.svg south of Pascoe Vale Road/Bell Street interchange in Strathmore. Interchanges on the tolled section of the Tullamarine Freeway are:

The freeway then officially becomes the Citylink "Western Link":

Image:BolteBridge.jpg
The Bolte Bridge, carrying the western link over the Yarra River

The Western Link ends in a junction with the West Gate Freeway, which is not tolled. The West Gate follows west to cross the Yarra over the West Gate Bridge, and also east:

The freeway then officially becomes the Citylink "Southern Link":

The West Gate Freeway then flows into the tolled tunnels: the east-bound Burnley Tunnel (resurfacing at the Barkly Avenue exit on the Monash Freeway), and the west-bound Domain tunnel (travelling under Batman Avenue on the Monash Freeway). Interchanges on the tolled section of the Monash Freeway are:

The Southern Link continues on as the untolled Monash Freeway, eventually ending as the Princes Freeway 45km later, 5km west of Pakenham.

[edit] Controversies

  • As part of the development of CityLink, existing roads were upgraded and expanded, and tolling points were added. Toll charges now apply to the Monash Freeway (between Toorak Road and Punt Road) and the Tullamarine Freeway (south of Bulla Road). Some people saw this as 'free' roads being taken away.[3]
  • Some nearby roads were altered to restrict rat-runs; to stop people using neighbourhood back streets as short cuts to avoid the toll.[4] Some people have viewed this as local councils 'forcing' people to use CityLink. [5]
  • CityLink account holders can, if they make multiple trips in a day, pay more to use the road than a casual user. A 24 hour Pass, for example, is charged at a flat rate, but an account holder pays per-trip. If an account holder makes multiple trips in a single day, they may pay more than a pass customer would. However, CityLink recognises this and account customers can remove their e-TAG device and buy a pass for the day - just like casual customers. However there is a limit to the number of passes that can be bought each 12 months. [6]
  • The contract between the Government and CityLink's owner Transurban has protections for both parties. One of these is the ability for Transurban to make a claim against the State Government if the State Government does something that reduces the number of cars that could use CityLink. In 2001 Transurban commenced legal proceedings against the State of Victoria over the construction of Wurundjeri Way through the Melbourne Docklands. It was alleged that this 'free' road was competing with CityLink and causing it to earn less revenue.[7] This can potentially also be applied if the capacity of other roads or rail routes parallel to CityLink are expanded.[8] [9]
  • CityLink received negative media coverage when it was wrongly claimed that CityLink account holders' credit card details were stored on Transurban's public webserver and that someone had hacked into the system and stolen tens of thousands of customers details. Customer details were stolen, not by a hacker via the web, but by a former employee who had had misused access to the secure IT systems.[10].
  • The two CityLink tunnels have regularly featured as discussion points on talkback radio, firstly for air quality. In the early days of operation, the air quality in the tunnels appeared smoggy. CityLink worked a way around the problem by adjusting the venting system which improved quality and dispersed exhaust fumes more effectively. [11] The second issue was regarding the use of massive quantities of fresh drinking water pumped into the system to stabilise the tunnel environs. After some time, CityLink sought and obtained approval from the State Government to build a water recycling plant which meant they could rely primarily on recycled, and not drinking, water. [12]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Age - 'e-TAG woes take toll on Transurban shares' - August 21, 2003. Retrieved on 2007-08-12.
  2. ^ CityLink - Using your e-TAG device. Retrieved on 2007-08-12.
  3. ^ ABC Radio 'The World Today' - 'Melbourne drivers object to CityLink' - Wednesday, 14 June. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
  4. ^ Minister of Transport media release - 'DATA SHOWS IMPROVEMENT IN CITY LINK TRAFFIC FLOW' - Thursday, September 21, 2000. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
  5. ^ Inquiry into Managing Transport Congestion by Moonee Valley City Council - 4 January 2006. Retrieved on 2007-08-12.
  6. ^ CityLink - Types of Passes
  7. ^ Minister of Transport media release - 'TRANSURBAN CLAIM OF $35 MILLION' - Thursday, March 1, 2001. Retrieved on 2007-08-12.
  8. ^ The Age - 'Tollway buyback would save money and ease traffic' - February 3, 2005. Retrieved on 2007-08-12.
  9. ^ The Age - 'Bracks' freeway folly will cost us dearly' - April 29, 2004. Retrieved on 2007-08-12.
  10. ^ Transurban - Media release issued 5 Dec 2002
  11. ^ CityLink - Tunnel Brochure
  12. ^ CityLink - Using Water Wisely Brochure

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://india.smashits.com/wikipedia/CityLink"
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