Happy New Year from Hookturnistan

[Mal Rowe]

ABC presenter Sammy J coined an alternative name for Melbourne:
Hooksturnistan.

If you missed it you can catch up at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGA8oeLuHq0

The attached pic illustrates the rule that keeps right turning cars out
of the way in the city grid, and beyond.

Advisory signs are visible at the left and a rule observing motorist
pulls into the turn lane at right.

Mal Rowe in Hookturnistan

[Richard Youl]

In preparing today’s new video, I was surprised to see that in William St the advance right hand lane arrow goes straight ahead, while the left lane arrow points both left and right.

While logical if you know what Hook turns are, it must be more than baffling for visitors driving down this street. I suppose those lane markings are used elsewhere but I never noticed before. You will clearly see these towards the end of the video.

Driver's View Tram 67a St Kilda Rd to Dudley St Siding with shunting scenes
https://youtu.be/vhN2afF_Qpc


Richard

> On 3 Jan 2025, at 2:39 pm, Mal Rowe <mal....@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> ABC presenter Sammy J coined an alternative name for Melbourne: Hooksturnistan.

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> <3015_CollinSt_3Jan2025.jpg>

[Mick Duncan]

Gday  Richard

Thanks for the R10 vid,no one ever does this stuff

In another life, I would have loved to be a R10 crew member

Cheers,    Mick

[TP]

Hook turns are actually in the Australian Road Rules and apply nationally. It's just that most jurisdictions choose not to use them (probably due to formerly not having trams!), so interstate drivers are not taught to use them in the absence of examples. I think the only other jurisdiction that uses them currently is SA.

Then again, 90% of drivers nationally don't know how to use roundabouts despite there being plenty of examples, so hook turns pale into insignificance by comparison!

Tony P.

[Radcliffe, John (Environment, Waite Campus)]

Hook turns are used at the intersection of King William Street and North Terrace for Adelaide Metro buses turning right from King William Street into North Terrace going east. (At that intersection,, trams turn left into North Terrace going west.)  These turns are not accessible to other motorists. Hook turns were widely used in King William Stret until the early 1950s, but were either replaced by turns from the centre lane, at which time a line was painted adjacent to tram lines delineating the fouling point between turning vehicles and “straight through” trams or the turns were prohibited.  See line on road to right of tracks in attached picture.

John Radcliffe

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tramsdownunder/27dfee87-d2be-4f4d-b524-9c6d87a6c846n%40googlegroups.com.