Melbourne’s worst intersections, roads and turning lanes
A BAFFLING new road rule set to confuse drivers on Melbourne’s busiest arterial road is just days away from causing chaos. But Hoddle St isn’t the only hotspot sending drivers mad — these are the city’s worst intersections.
Melbourne
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A BAFFLING new road rule set to confuse drivers on Melbourne’s busiest arterial road is just days away from causing chaos.
The city — already home to the infamously confusing hook turn — will introduce the P-turn
along a notorious traffic hotpot on Hoddle St on Monday, April 16.
Drivers wishing to turn right from Hoddle or Johnston streets will have to go straight through the intersection, and make a U-turn at new turning lanes further ahead.
Motorists are being warned the changes will take some getting used to, with confusion predicted to reign.
NEW P-TURNS TO BE INTRODUCED AT HODDLE ST AND JOHNSTON ST
TRAFFIC NIGHTMARE PREDICTED AS HODDLE ST CLOSES
HODDLE ST TRADERS SAY 24/7 CLEARWAY WILL CAUSE PROBLEMS
The US-inspired, continuous flow intersections have been designed to ease traffic in busy choke points.
Every day, 130,000 motorists use the busy arterial while another 200,000 use intersecting roads to move around Melbourne’s inner city.
It’s little wonder busy intersections are the target of many a driver’s ire.
These are some of Melbourne’s most frustrating roads, turning lanes and intersections:
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OTHER NOTORIOUS MELBOURNE TURN HOT SPOTS
BOARDWALK BLVD BRIDGE, POINT COOK
Want to get from Boardwalk Blvd to Old Geelong Road? You’re going to have to use Point Cook’s biggest bottleneck.
The bridge is right at the sweet spot where the road goes from two lanes to one, has a set of traffic lights at either end and even involves a freeway entry and exit, just to add an extra frustrating edge to the peak hour traffic snarl.
WILLIAMSTOWN RD, YARRAVILLE
With long queues during the morning peak-hour in Yarraville turning onto the West Gate Bridge from the left-hand lane can be a nightmare. Watch for drivers who bypass the turning lane queue, then illegally turn left onto the bridge.
BEACH RD
Anyone who has driven on Beach Rd between Beaumaris and Brighton knows that an abundance of parked cars and cyclists makes it near impossible to drive in the left-hand lane. But some motorists do it anyway, then try to force their way back into the right lane, making trouble for everybody else.
CITY RD, SOUTHBANK
There are long queues in the left-hand lane on City Rd waiting to turn onto Power St to get onto the West Gate Freeway, as drivers whiz past then stick on indicators at the last-minute and try to cut in. Some drivers even cut across when you leave enough space to avoid blocking Southbank Boulevard when the lights change.
MOONEE PONDS JUNCTION
Three busy roads — Mt Alexander, Ascot Vale Rd/Pascoe Vale Rd, Puckle St — and a tram stop intersect in this nightmare junction.
Drivers can be left guessing at the intention of a car ahead when turning left from Mt Alexander into Puckle — are they making a hard left into Ascot Vale Rd or the second left into Puckle?
Coming up Pascoe Vale Rd from the other direction you will find yourself smack bang in the junction with a choice to make and traffic all around you — veer left into Mt Alexander Rd or right and continue into Ascot Vale Rd — if you find yourself confused you’re not alone (watch out for last minute lane changers). Then there’s the trams and bizarre 40km/h zone on Mt Alexander Rd to contend with.
WURRUNJERI WAY
Wurrunjeri is one long straight-ish road, which despite our city’s conservative speed limits, sports one of the few 70kmh zones. Its strength is its weakness — there’s only a couple of ways on and off it. Mostly it’s a two-lane dream from one end of the city to another. However, the second a driver or two fails to pay attention at a light change, traffic starts to concertina, with drivers left to wait.
ROSANNA RD, ROSANNA
The many oversized trucks which travel down the narrow lanes of Rosanna Road make the major thoroughfare a dangerous and congested route. Road users often complain about trucks clipping cars and traffic banking up at times when on-street parking is allowed.
FITZSIMMONS LANE, ELTHAM/TEMPLESTOWE
The notorious roundabout in Eltham clogs traffic travelling through the busy intersection in Melbourne’s north. During peak hours, traffic can bank up for kilometres from Porter St in Templestowe all the way to Main Rd in Eltham.
ALEXANDRA AVE HEADING TOWARDS OLYMPIC BLVD, PUNT ROAD
There are two turning lanes on Alexandra Ave onto Princes Bridge and Olympic Blvd.
One of the turning lanes sees drivers travel to Olympic Blvd and the other is a turning lane onto the CityLink Toll Rd. More often than not there is a large line up of cars in the far left lane, which allows you to travel straight onto Olympic Blvd and Punt Rd. Patient drivers wait. Frustrating drivers travel in the CityLink lane until they reach the intersection and try and push their way into the left-hand lane. This can be even more alarming when they block the lane of traffic heading towards the City Link Lane, as they turn right at the lights to get onto CityLink.
ST KILDA RD AND TOORAK RD TURN OFF
A median strip barrier has recently been added between a St Kilda Rd turning lane towards Toorak Rd, and a lane that continues along St Kilda Rd.
The drivers travelling along St Kilda Rd and turning left onto Toorak Rd usually queue up along St Kilda Rd.
The drivers who don’t realise there is a median barrier, decide they need to turn and try to turn left, blocking all the traffic on St Kilda Rd.
It can be even more frustrating when drivers don’t know what lane they need to be in (because of the median strip) and decide last-minute to make the lane change, usually just a couple of metres before the strip.
MELBOURNE’S MOST DANGEROUS ROADS REVEALED
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WHICH MELBOURNE INTERSECTIONS BOTHER YOU THE MOST?
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