Hook turn sign, Melbourne

A hook turn is a special right-turn manouvre required in parts of Melbourne, Australia. A hook turn is where a motorist turns right at an intersection from the leftmost lane of traffic. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (746x843, 511 KB) Summary Hook turn sign in Melbourne CBD Taken by Melburnian Licensing Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (746x843, 511 KB) Summary Hook turn sign in Melbourne CBD Taken by Melburnian Licensing Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Melbourne is the state capital and largest city in the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-largest city in Australia (after Sydney), with a population of approximately 3. ...

In Australia, traffic drives on the left-hand side of the road. Therefore, right-turning traffic must cross traffic driving in the opposite direction. The hook turn allows motorists to wait on the left side of the road for opposing traffic, as well as continuing traffic, to stop at the traffic signal before turning through the intersection. This article concerns rules of the road regarding land vehicles; for sea-going vehicles, see International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea. ... Traffic lights will sometimes differ where there are several lanes of traffic. ...

Usage

• At intersections where the "Right Turn from Left Lane only" sign is present, motorists are not allowed to make a traditional right-turn. Motorists intending to turn right must instead follow the hook turn procedure described below.
• At intersections without the sign, hook turns are disallowed.

The Procedure

Vehicles waiting in line for signal change prior to turning right.

The hook turn, taken by myself (1) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The hook turn, taken by myself (1) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

Prepare

1. Keep Left: You must be in the leftmost lane to execute a hookturn, as if you were making a left turn.
2. Indicate: Use your right-turn signal to indicate the hook turn at least 30 metres prior to the intersection.
3. Enter: Using the left turning lane, enter the intersection (when the traffic signal is green), and move half-way into the intersection (as pictured).

Wait & Watch

You may only turn when the traffic signal of the cross-road changes to green (after your traffic signal changes to red) and it is safe to proceed. While waiting for the light to change, be aware of the following hazards: Traffic lights will sometimes differ where there are several lanes of traffic. ...

• Traffic approaching from behind: Some people do run red lights. Be careful.
  
• Pedestrians: Pedestrians have the right-of-way over turning vehicles at all times in Victoria. Be aware of pedestrians on your right, who you may need to give way (yield the right-of-way) to.
• Emergency Vehicles: Emergency vehicles have the right-of-way at all times. If you hear sirens or see emergency lights, activate your hazard lights and do not proceed.

In many parts of the world traffic is generally organized, flowing in lanes of travel for a particular direction, with interchanges, traffic signals, or signage at intersections to facilitate the orderly and timely flow of traffic. ... In road transport, a yield (American English) or give way (Commonwealth English) traffic sign indicates that a driver of a vehicle must slow down and prepare to stop if necessary (usually while merging into traffic on another road) but does not need to stop if there is no reason to. ... In many parts of the world traffic is generally organized, flowing in lanes of travel for a particular direction, with interchanges, traffic signals, or signage at intersections to facilitate the orderly and timely flow of traffic. ...

Execute

Vehicles executing right-turn manoeuvre after signal change.

As soon as the traffic light turns amber, do a final safety check for the aforementioned hazards. Once the cross-road signal changes to green, immediately execute the turn. The hook turn, taken by myself (2) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The hook turn, taken by myself (2) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

Note: The "wait" rule has changed numerous times. Motorists used to be permitted to conduct the hookturn as soon as the signal changed to amber, and it was safe to turn. The current revision of Victoria's road rules demand that the motorist wait until the "traffic lights on the road they are entering into turn green". The City of Melbourne website, and other publications, contain obsolete information, indicating that it is permissible to execute the turn on amber or red. The interpretation of the law is that, the queue of cars which has entered the intersection and stopped in the left lane has joined onto the front of the queue for the street into which they are turning. They now obey the rules of driving forward through an intersection, and as such turn only once the lights have gone green.

Completion

Turning manoeuvres are completed and traffic proceeds on cross street.

Cross-traffic now proceeds with a green light.
The hook turn, taken by myself (3) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The hook turn, taken by myself (3) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

Reasons for use

Primarily, the hook turn allows both the clear passage of trams (which are common in Melbourne) and alleviates right-turning drivers from having to wait or check that there are no trams crossing the driver's path. In the central city, cars are generally not allowed to travel on tram lanes (although it is allowed in the suburbs), so dedicated right-turn lanes are not possible. A modern tram in the Töölö district of Helsinki, Finland Map showing the tramway system in Oslo, Norway Volkswagen Cargo-Tram in Dresden. ...

The manoeuvre also allows the passage of traffic wishing to continue straight ahead unobstructed. Assuming there is no tram line and the hook turn is not used, drivers who wish to travel straight ahead at an intersection must enter the left-turning lane and continue straight past the right-turning traffic (and may need to merge back into the right lane if the intersection leads to a road which has one lane partially reserved for parking). Inconsistently such a rule is not found, for example, in other cites with trams, such as, Toronto, Canada, where they simply halt left turning cars (note that in Canada motorists drive on the right) to allow the passage of streetcars (trams), even though cities in Canada have a wide and well planned street layout, as does Melbourne. A modern tram in the Töölö district of Helsinki, Finland Map showing the tramway system in Oslo, Norway Volkswagen Cargo-Tram in Dresden. ... Template:Hide = Motto: Template:Unhide = Diversity Our Strength Established: March 6, 1834 Area: East to West: 43 km North to South: 21 km629. ... A CLRV streetcar, used on most of the TTCs streetcar routes, is seen here in downtown Toronto. ...

Prevalence

Hook turn intersections are found primarily in the Melbourne Central Business District (downtown) area and its immediate surrounds. Melbourne is the state capital and largest city in the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-largest city in Australia (after Sydney), with a population of approximately 3. ... The central business district of Melbourne, Australia. ...

Cyclists

Unlike motorists, cyclists are permitted to make hook turns at all intersections in Victoria, Australia. Motto: Peace and Prosperity Other Australian states and territories Capital Melbourne Governor HE Mr John Landy Premier Steve Bracks (ALP) Area 237,629 km² (6th)  - Land 227,416 km²  - Water 10,213 km² (4. ...

Controversy

Hook turns are, in reality, one of the easiest right turns to execute, as the drivers do not have to judge a gap between cars coming the other direction. Nevertheless, hook turns are found only in the inner city, and most people encounter them only very rarely, and as such find them daunting and try to avoid them. This fear was celebrated in the TISM song Get thee in my behind, Satan, comparing the feat of performing a hook turn on Swanston Street to various comical implausibilities; Swanston Street provided the most notorious instance of a hook turn for drivers in the CBD, prior to the closure of the street to car traffic in the 1990s. TISM (an acronym of This Is Serious Mum) are an Australian alternative rock band. ... Swanston Street, looking north from the corner of Bourke Street Swanston Street is a major thoroughfare in the centre of Melbourne, Australia. ...

In 2003, it was announced that all intersections in Clarendon St, South Melbourne would become hook turn intersections, the first time that there were hook turns outside of the CBD. Residents and business owners in the area protested vigorously, claiming that motorists found hook turns confusing, and they would hence lose business. Other businesses argued that they would lose parking spaces. One year after their introduction, residents and business owners continued to complain about the hook turns. South Melbourne is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ...

External links

• VicRoads: Information for tourists about Victoria's road rules (See "Hook Turns" section)
• Driving in the City (Melbourne)
• Animation of the hook turn manoeuvre
• The Clarendon St Campaign - Site opposing hook turns in the context of a tram project