Melbourne traffic snarls creating suburb rat run nightmares

MELBOURNE’S congestion crisis is driving motorists off busy roads and on to residential streets. Find out where Melbourne’s rat runs hotspots are.

MELBOURNE’S congestion crisis is driving motorists off busy roads and on to residential rat runs, with peak-hour drivers creating havoc on suburban streets.

A Sunday Herald Sun analysis has identified 10 hot spots where families are being driven mad by cars using their local area as cheat streets to dodge traffic snarls.

The problem has become so severe that local councils have been forced to intervene by trialling 30kmh zones and using other road control methods to limit long lines of cars.

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Roads Minister Luke Donnellan said rat running was a problem all across Melbourne.

“That’s why we’re investing more than any government in our state’s history to reduce congestion and give local roads back to local drivers,” he said.

“Road duplications and improved intersections through our Suburban Roads Upgrade will boost traffic flow and safety across the road network, increase capacity on main roads, and get through traffic off local streets.”

Notorious bottle necks such as Hoddle St, Rosanna Rd and Boundary Rd are some of the worst offenders, with commuters using nearby side streets not built for high volumes of traffic.

The Andrews Government has vowed to tackle the problem through a $2.2 billion upgrade package for suburban roads, the Mordialloc Freeway and the North East Link.

VicRoads journey services director Sameem Moslih said the agency was also rolling out more improvements to encourage drivers back on to main roads.

“Rat running significantly impacts on congestion and the safety of drivers, cyclists and pedestrians using local roads,” he said.

Yarra councillor Stephen Jolly, whose ward covers much of Hoddle St, said the council had been forced to trial 30kmh zones and build heavy-duty speed bumps to discourage dangerous rat-running around the inner-city.

RAT-RUN ‘LIKE A MINI GRAND PRIX’

Bolton St, Eltham, in 2014. Picture: Adam Elwood

“These are tiny little streets, almost one lane at times, that have streams of frustrated peak-hour cars,” he said.

“There are no bad guys here. This is a conflict that’s been manufactured by the long-term neglect of public transport options.”

Victoria Police’s Sergeant Julie-Anne Newman said local officers and highway patrol units regularly travel down side streets as part of their duties.

“Road users need to consider not only their own safety but that of other road users, pedestrians and cyclists when darting down side streets and ask themselves in trying to save a few seconds, is it really worth the risk?”

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