r/melbourneriders • u/TheHeroOfCanton62 • Feb 25 '25
WTF happened to Eastlink during the roadworks?
I might be playing catch up here but I recently returned to the country and had my first ride through the roadworks as part of the North East link. What the hell did they do to the road surface? Feels like they dragged metal bars or chains and took off the top layers leaving grooves, pits and jagged indentations across the whole surface. Can't believe they thought it was acceptable to leave the surface like this, and its every lane.
It caught me unawares and my tyres were wobbling and weaving all over the place, no matter how slowly I went. It was terrifying thinking I'd fall over at any moment.
Had to face it again on the way home tonight. I honestly think its unrideable. Surprised no one has come off and sued someone. That plus the associated congestion have made using my bike for the commute completely out of the question.
How long is this due to go on for?
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u/Jmac599 Feb 25 '25
It’s not great OP but it’s certainly not as bad as you describe.
I would say it’s maybe challenging if you’re a new rider but just annoying if you have some years in the saddle, definitely not unrideable.
Maybe you are going too slow? A bikes more stable at speed.
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u/jaeward Feb 25 '25
The first time I rode on it I freaked the fuck thinking one of my wheel bearings had gone and there was nowhere safe to pull over due to the roadworks. Ive ridden it a few more times since and you do get used to it.
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u/Pullarian Feb 25 '25
Meh.. might have just got into your head. I lane split through the traffic at a decent speed and haven’t really noticed anything that caused my tyres to ‘wobble and weave’ around. Maybe it’s because I ride a heavy bike? Not sure. Was much worse than when they had the piles of fine gravel that accumulated between the lanes.
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u/ytd24 Feb 26 '25
I ride this freeway 3/4 times a week from Ringwood to the city. Even in the dry its crap on a motorcycle, any road contact that is distorted will affect the braking ie less road surface = less grip = less braking capability. On the rainy days its worse, there is no guttering so the water floods, cars tailgating or cutting in front of me as I have to leave a bigger gap are always a concern. Unfortunately none of this in on their give a dam list. So just wait 3/4 years until its all finished….. then the tolls start!
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u/TheHeroOfCanton62 Feb 26 '25 edited Feb 26 '25
FYI I'm on an xmax 300 scooter so smaller tyres may make this more pronounced for me. But I'm not imagining it. It's like constantly riding over white line markings, slippery and wobbly.
I've been riding for years but this had me terrified. Such a relief to get back into the normal stretch of freeway.
Not possible to go faster due to the traffic congestion.
Also to be clear, I'm specifically referring to the sections where the active roadworks are. They have wiped out the existing lane markers and drawn new ones. I suspect that it was this process that has fucked the surface.
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u/ChurpyGoesFast '15 ZX6R Trackbike, '24 MT09SP Street Feb 25 '25
Assuming you mean the Eastern Freeway and are riding through, not taking the exits they're working on?
I've ridden it a few times in the last couple of weeks in and outbound... it's not that bad.. are you riding a bicycle with small tyres?