East-west link protesters say no to ‘rat’s nest of off-ramps’

The Age: East-west link protesters say no to ‘rat’s nest of off-ramps’ Stephen Cauchi.

About 250 local residents have gathered at the Ross Straw baseball field in Parkville to protest against the proposed east-west link

Under current plans for the toll road, the field will be replaced by a series of off-ramps. Residents gathered at the baseball clubhouse, enjoyed a sausage sizzle and waved banners bearing slogans such as: “Trains not tolls” and “Say no to the $8b tunnel.”

A map, created by the state government’s Linking Melbourne Authority and seen by Fairfax Media, contains dotted lines indicating on and off ramps that connect the elevated link to Arden Street and to Lloyd Street, above. Photo: GoogleThe meeting was addressed by local councillors, park officials, local ALP state members and Federal Greens MP Adam Bandt.

Mr Bandt called the project “a monstrosity” that would “tear up the park and turn it into a rat’s nest of on and off-ramps.

“This freeway will do nothing to ease Melbourne’s traffic congestion and everything to wreck those parts that make this city great,” he said.
The Evo apartment building will be ringed by roads and flyovers under the East-West link proposal.

On Thursday, Fairfax Media lifted the lid on previously concealed ramps that will connect the east-west link to Arden Street in the inner north, funnelling thousands of vehicles on to Kensington and North Melbourne streets.

The secret plans for the second stage of the planned multibillion-dollar toll road show ”future Arden Street ramps” joining a four-lane elevated road alongside CityLink.

Meanwhile, in Parkville, it has been revealed residents who bought off the plan apartments in a building called Evo will be completely encircled by a tangle of toll roads and ramps.

“There will be a huge tunnel mouth and two flyovers here. They will be so close to some residents that they will be able to reach out and touch them,” Mr Bandt said.

“There’s a great swath of land down the middle of the Eastern Freeway that is just begging for a train line. That is the best way to get cars off our roads.”

Mr Bandt said that building tollroads to fix traffic congestion was like “loosening your belt to cure obesity.”

Resident Penny Analytis, of nearby Travancore, said she was particularly concerned about stage two of the project, which would come “ridiculously close” to homes .

“It will have a terrible impact for local residents,” she said, describing the east-west link as “a terrible idea.”

“Stage two runs to the west of City Link and there’s a children’s playground and it will run right next to that and the council estate.”

3 thoughts on “East-west link protesters say no to ‘rat’s nest of off-ramps’”

  1. Jim says:

    And its precisely these off ramps that will make this project a inner city traffic disaster. Yes, you’ll get close to your inner city destination fast, but the moment you get onto the off ramp to merge with inner city traffic, you’ll grind to a halt and go at walking speed the last few kilometres on the packed out inner city roads. And this is the “benefit” we will get for giving up parkland and the amenity that gives Melbourne its edge as a city and putting the State finances at risk if something goes wrong just like the Desal!!! lol !!!! This is why we need the Doncaster railway ASAP – to get thousands of peak hour city commuter cars off the roads. And after that, the Metro tunnel and Airport railways.

  2. Parkville Pete says:

    I think those two kids who spoke last at the the demonstration summed up the whole thing with their declaration that “it’s Parkville not Tunnelville”.

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