Car Narrow Enough to Drive past Parked Cars within The Same Lane - Illegal?

mubd1234 on 08/04/2021 - 23:44

Was visiting Melbourne over the long weekend from Sydney in my tiny car and was very impressed by the luxurious wide lanes across the city. Wide lanes wide enough that I could easily fit between the parked cars and the tram lane on Sydney Road when the tram track lane is blocked by right turning traffic or other congestion.

I was tempted, but decided against doing it because I was thinking the yellow dashed lines are only 'there' when there's a clearway in effect (and treated as if they weren't there outside those times and therefore I'd be undertaking illegally). Thinking about it now though, I don't think that's the case because I came across other sections of dashed yellow line along tram lines which didn't correspond with any clearways, so they just seem to be standard lane lines just painted yellow because of the tram tracks.

But I'm still curious about whether it'd be legal to do it…so I ask the OzB brains trust - is the manoeuvre performed in this diagram illegal?

Automotive

Comments

  • deme on 08/04/2021 - 23:46
    -4

    Turn in your license.

    • pegaxs on 09/04/2021 - 08:21

      Hand their license in because they are right and should know it’s ok, or hand license in because this is totally road rule breaking?

      Since you are so full of knowledge, what is the correct answer??

  • SF3 on 08/04/2021 - 23:47
    +3

    Nice effort on your ms-paint 👍

    from Sydney in my tiny car
    tram lane on Sydney Road (in Melbourne)

    Nostalgia?

  • bweiss on 09/04/2021 - 00:17

    That's a completely legit manoeuvre for Melbourne. As long as you can keep your wheels within your lane, you can go for it.
    If I'm parked and you clip my wing mirror I'll be pissed… but that's on me for not folding it in.

    You should probably print out this entire topic (MS Paint included) so that if you're ever pulled over doing this next time you've got some evidence for the cop that people in Melbourne think you're in the right.

    For reference, the yellow lines are trying to act in the opposite direction to what you're thinking. They are trying to keep cars away from the tram tracks. So if you're on the outside lane, you're doing good.

  • spackbace on 09/04/2021 - 01:03
    +1

    Your tiny car is famous on the internet!

    #stockphoto

    • pegaxs on 09/04/2021 - 08:29
      +1

      I owned one of these as well. L251 Charade (Mira). Sad I sold it. But yep, they are a tiny car.

  • Gronk on 09/04/2021 - 07:04

    I live in inner city Melb and generally speaking that space is used by 2 wheeled commuters, I've seen cars try and squeeze through on the odd occasion but doesnt usually end well..

  • Zephyrus on 09/04/2021 - 07:48

    That line on a lot of roads is the boundary of the tram. Trams have pretty tight size requirements so you can guarantee that you won't be hit by a tram outside of that.

  • pegaxs on 09/04/2021 - 08:12
    +1

    Some road rules that apply here…

    76; Keeping clear of trams travelling in tram lanes etc
    141; No overtaking etc to the left of a vehicle
    144; Keeping a safe distance when overtaking
    146; Driving within a single marked lane or line of traffic
    155; Tram lanes
    155A; Tramways

    Maybe others, but this is a good place to start reading them.

  • bobbified on 09/04/2021 - 09:30

    If you can squeeze through, then squeeze through. Half the people I see on the roads (especially in the Melbourne CBD) don't even know how to keep to their lanes anyway. VicRoads doesn't help with their shitty road markings.

  • jjjaar on 09/04/2021 - 10:58

    Yellow line marks out the width of a tram, and the space the tram occupies in the road, it’s not a designated car lane.

    That being said, if there’s space to do that, and there are no bikes already there, and you’re watching for pedestrians that would be crossing in between parked cars (they are hard to see if cars are large) and there’s no tram going in the same direction that you need to wait for passengers to board and alight, then yes you can squeeze through.

    • bweiss on 10/04/2021 - 11:17

      The yellow line marks the area that you are not supposed to enter (i.e. you are supposed to stay to the left of the yellow marking). The right of the yellow marking is a tram lane, for trams.
      To the left of the yellow line is the official car lane (albeit it seems they are often obstructed by car parks on roads like Sydney Rd).

      • jjjaar on 10/04/2021 - 12:19

        Well that’s just incorrect.

        Sydney road is only a 20m wide road, as with many other tram roads that do not have tram-only lanes. It is typically, 2.5 footpath, 2.6m car park lane, 1.4m “bike” space, then 3.5m shared car and tram lane (x2). Though as I stated above, in many situations, the 1.4+3.5 = one movement lane.

        If the single yellow painted line meant no one else could enter that area other than trams, then there would physically be no space for general traffic on these streets as the parking lane is there.

        Streets with tram-only lanes are marked with either physical kerbs, or signs above. But streets like Sydney Road have on-street parking, not a designated tram only lane.

        • bweiss on 10/04/2021 - 12:45

          huh?
          When did I say anything about 'tram-only lanes' (i.e. a tramway)?

          76 Keeping clear of trams travelling in tram lanes etc.
          (1) A driver must not move into the path of an approaching tram travelling in a tram lane or travelling on tram tracks marked along the left side of the tracks by a broken or continuous yellow line parallel to the tracks.
          Penalty: 3 penalty units.
          (2) If a driver is in the path of an approaching tram travelling in a tram lane or travelling on tram tracks marked along the left side of the tracks by a broken or continuous yellow line parallel to the tracks, the driver must move out of the path of the tram as soon as the driver can do so safely.
          Penalty: 3 penalty units

          155 Tram lanes
          (1) A driver (except the driver of a tram, tram recovery vehicle or public bus) must not drive in a tram lane, unless the driver is permitted to drive in the tram lane under this rule or rule 158.
          Penalty: 3 penalty units
          (2) A driver may drive in a tram lane if the driver is driving a truck and it is necessary for the driver to drive in the tram lane to reach a place to drop off, or pick up, passengers or goods.
          (3) A tram lane is a part of a road with tram tracks
          that—
          (a) is between a tram lane sign and an end tram lane sign; and
          (b) is marked along the left side of the tracks (when facing the direction of travel of a tram on the tracks) by a continuous yellow line parallel to the tracks.

          If you can avoid driving over the tram tracks, then you should avoid driving over the tram tracks. The yellow lines are to tell you that you are not supposed to drive over the tram tracks. That is the exact reason that the yellow lines are there.

          • jjjaar on 10/04/2021 - 15:12

            @bweiss: My point was that vehicles in many streets across Melbourne have to drive in (non-dedicated) tram lanes. In your original post you said:

            The yellow line marks the area that you are not supposed to enter

            If you are not allowed to enter these lanes, then vehicles would never be able to travel down the majority of tram streets (Sydney Rd, Brunswick St, Chapel St, Smith St, Gordon St, Droop St, Maribyrnong Rd, Mt Alexander Rd, Grantham St, Dawson St, Gilbert Rd, High St x3, Doncaster Rd, Burke Rd, Glenferrie Rd, Malvern Rd, Balaclava Rd, to name a few) due to parked cars and lack of space for them to be completely clear of the tram lane.

            I wholeheartedly agree that people should keep clear of tram lanes and tracks, but across the majority of Melbourne it is simply impossible.

  • bweiss on 10/04/2021 - 15:46

    'supposed to' is equivalent to a 'should', not a 'shall'. Here's an example to help you out a little…

    https://www.grammarly.com/blog/supposed-to/ (horrible reference, but Macquarie is paywalled)

    To be supposed to do something implies that the subject is obligated and expected to do the main verb’s action, although there is a possibility it won’t happen.

    The magician is supposed to pull a rabbit out of his hat.
    Here, there is an expectation that the magician will be able to perform his trick correctly, but there is always a chance that he won’t succeed. The sentence conveys this expectation and the reader must now wait to see if that expectation will be fulfilled.

    This is the case with the solid yellow line. You (as a car driver) are supposed to keep to the left of it. To the right of the line is intended for the primary usage of trams (and buses).
    However, there are situations when you can use that right hand lane, such as when your primary lane is obstructed (and there is no tram present, or advancing towards you, in the right hand lane), or if you need to turn right.

    Chapel St is all kinds of messed up though.
    They've got a solid white line for the cycle lane, solid yellow lines (and sometimes broken yellow lines) for some of the car parks for reasons I have no idea about (maybe the painters ran out of white?).. it just needs a few hook turn situations and it could be a true road test for new drivers.

    https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/safety-and-road-rules/road-r…

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