Help with Hook Turns in Melbourne (for a NSW Driver)

Lkenny12341 on 19/01/2016 - 21:37

I'll be visiting Melbourne over the weekend and was advised to read up on Hook Turns as they are unique to Victoria in Australia. I've watched some videos, read the rules and saw comments on other forums but I am still unclear on the two following things.

I've uploaded a diagram to help explain my questions http://imgur.com/EzciUDZ

  1. When queuing for the turn are you allowed to cover both lanes perpendicular to you? If you refer to the image in the link are the red and blue cars in a legal position? Or should I wait where the orange car is if there's already a car waiting to do a hook where the green car is?

  2. What are most people's thoughts on when I should make the turn? My gut and the rules say I should turn only when the lights in the direction I want to go to turn green. Do people agree?

Thanks and keen to hear your thoughts.

Automotive

Comments

  • Vampyr on 19/01/2016 - 21:39
    +6
    1. Make sure you are going fast enough
    2. Pull up the handbrake as you yank on the wheel.
    3. Prosper
    • burningrage on 20/01/2016 - 08:17

      and shout "Booyah!" afterwards… :-)

  • [Deactivated] on 19/01/2016 - 21:43
    +1

    Red and blue cars are in a legal position
    Turn when the light turns green on the direction you want to turn but keep an eye on cars still traveling straight if they are trying to beat a amber light.

    • poboy on 19/01/2016 - 21:48
      +1

      People trying to execute the hook turn behind you will often start to accelerate when the other light turns red. But they are dumb. You need to wait for the light in front of you to turn green.

    • kenny12341 on 20/01/2016 - 08:54

      Thanks that clears it up a lot

  • supnigs super skids on 19/01/2016 - 21:47
    1. Indicate left, go to intersection then indicate right. Wait for lights to change. Look for no other cars rushing across and turn right when lights are green. Depends on amount of cars waiting. What you wanna do is cutting in front of other cars going straight at the lights. Usually the orange car doesn't make the hook and will be at the start of the next hook attempt
    • poboy on 19/01/2016 - 21:49

      Indicate left first?

      • supnigs super skids on 19/01/2016 - 21:54

        Left first as if you are turning left but move to left of intersection so other cars can go straight. At intersection indicate right. Be careful you don't get t-boned when lights change as you attempt to make the hook

  • krunchy on 19/01/2016 - 21:58
    +4

    Here's a video tutorial!

    https://youtu.be/Q4yHR2UmFCI?&t=52s

    • kenny12341 on 20/01/2016 - 08:51
      +1

      Thanks this helped a lot.

  • sa5ha on 19/01/2016 - 23:03

    The green and red cars would go on that hook turn cycle, when the direction they want to turns light goes green. The blue and orange cars should wait until the next cycle of the traffic lights and would be the first vehicles to complete a hook turn then.

    I don't believe you should be blocking the traffic turning left at the intersection when you're queuing to perform a hook turn, and at least from what I've seen driving in peak hour traffic in the CBD, it makes you mighty unpopular if you do. Generally only a few cars max (depending on which intersection you're in) would be able to fit into the intersection to queue to perform a hook turn at a time.

    • paperkut on 19/01/2016 - 23:41

      No, the blue car is in a correct and legal position. There's no point for the blue car waiting to avoid blocking the intersection because any cars wanting to turn left will be queuing behind it. By "giving way" you are asking the car behind you to take over and turn left from the right lane, which is illegal (changing lane in an intersection is, and you have to be in the left lane to turn left)

  • PurpleHippo on 20/01/2016 - 00:21
    +2

    not all turns are hook turn intersections. Only a few within the CBD. Personally, I wouldn't bother trying to drive through the CBD. Traffic is terrible, trying to find and get into street parking is expensive and a massive pain - especially the bays in the middle of the road.

    What I'd do is try and park somewhere on the outskirts of the CBD and walk/tram to where I want to go.
    Can park at the following:
    - get the weekend parking with secure parking (search for cheap rates - eg https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/229310)
    - park at Melb Central ($20 for the day if you spend $1 at Melb Central - ask the vendor to stamp your ticket)
    - park at crown casino !!!MULTILEVEL!!! for $6 for 6 hours, and pick up a free deck of casino cards from the floor if this deal is still on.

    • kenny12341 on 20/01/2016 - 08:53

      Thanks for the tips. I'm not too familiar with Melbourne but wanted to visit for the Aus Open. I'kk have a look at parking outside the CBD then

      • Ahir87 on 20/01/2016 - 09:14

        CBD trams are free FYI. There is also a free tram to Aus Open.

  • mskeggs on 20/01/2016 - 00:43
    +1

    So I'm a NSW driver that has had a couple of goes at this on various trips to Melbourne. For reference, I have 20+ years of licence and no infringements since I was 18.
    I would make the following cultural comment so:
    - just by posting this you might have considered it more than many VIC drivers
    - I got by with no angry honks by followings others at the intersections in question.
    - people in Melbourne CBD are attuned to folk getting this wrong and, if not forgiving, are at least, not going to crash into you for the error. If the worst outcome is an angry horn, consider it a learning aid!

    • datafellows on 20/01/2016 - 07:21

      25 years behind the wheel and I still managed to get things wrong when I visited Melbourne :)

  • altomic on 20/01/2016 - 01:00
    +2

    born and breed in Melb. as Zim4 said - "not all turns are hook turn intersections. Only a few within the CBD."

    it is only like 5 intersections in victoria and only in Melb CBD. just do 3 left hand turns instead.

    • NancyCat on 20/01/2016 - 10:03

      There are few hook turn intersections in South Melbourne.

  • Azn310 on 20/01/2016 - 02:39

    Omg, i can already hear the honking, beeping, headlight flashing and shouting in my head

  • chumlee on 20/01/2016 - 08:25
    +1

    South Melbourne has hook turns too.

  • ozbargainoid on 20/01/2016 - 09:00

    Its fun in a 14.5 metre long coach. I pretty well took up the whole cross road. (but it beats being centre punched by a dumb a**e tram driver.)

  • WT on 20/01/2016 - 09:51

    Another thing to standardize nation wide..

    • singlemalt72 on 20/01/2016 - 10:07
      +1

      But nobody else really has trams and cars sharing lanes like in Melbourne (one in Adelaide is the exception).

      It will only ever be a Melbourne thing.

      • gooddealmate on 27/01/2016 - 20:54
        +1

        Also one spot that i know of on the Gold Coast tram network.

  • BargainKen on 30/01/2016 - 17:18

    Ban hook turns, problem solved

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