Bizarre new road rules leave Aussie drivers confused

There are already dozens of do’s and don’ts for drivers to abide by on the road, but a new set of rules is sweeping the country, and they already have motorists confused. 

Melbourne drivers, who are already battling crippling peak hour conditions, are now trying to learn how to do a ‘P-turn’ after VicRoads introduced the American-style manoeuvre this week to help the flow of traffic at one of the city’s busiest intersections. 

The baffling new rule was implemented at the Hoddle and Johnston streets intersection in Collingwood – a notorious point of congestion just north of the Melbourne CBD.  

The P-turn ask drivers who want to turn right from Hoddle Street onto Johnston Street to drive straight through the intersection and perform a U-turn across three lanes before turning left onto Johnston Street. Coming the other way, drivers wanting to turn right onto Hoddle Street first have to turn left, then perform a U-turn and drive through the intersection.

The government released a handy video prior to the change to help drivers understand how the tricky manoeuvre was supposed to work. 

Speaking on 3AW Monday morning, Chris Miller from VicRoads said the P-turn rollout had gone smoothly, despite drivers taking to social media to complain about the bizarre change. 

“I’ve never seen Hoddle St flowing quite so nicely,” Miller said on Monday. “We used to have people queued up in that right lane trying to turn right on Johnston.”

Angry motorists weren’t as convinced and took to social media to slam the new road rule and called it “quite possibly the silliest idea someone has ever come up with”.

“Considering hook turns are beyond some Melbourne drivers even today, good luck with this,” one driver wrote on Facebook. Another added: “That’s not achieving anything but making ppl wait for and extra set of lights!”

There were some encouraging reactions though and some said “if the research stacks up I think this is a positive move”. 

Meanwhile in Perth, motorists have been left baffled by a new four-way stop sign intersection recently installed in Rockingham.  With no explanation as to who has right of way, drivers have been stopping at the intersection and awkwardly waiting to see who makes the first move, Perth Now reports. 

Basic road rules suggest drivers should give way to the right, but a lack of signage has left many confused. 

One driver took to Twitter saying: “When u pull up to a 4 way stop sign and nobody knows whose turn it is to go so u all try to go at the same time.”

RT @CourtneyConn_: When u pull up to a 4 way stop sign and nobody knows whose turn it is to go so u all try to go at the same time https://t.co/4cU2iHKXrq

— 🗣 (@CoryForKing) April 17, 2018

Last month RACQ urged Queensland drivers to brush up on their road-rule knowledge, even the most obscure ones. Over a 12-month period, hundreds of people were fined for breaking rules that few drivers are likely aware of, leading to dangerous conditions on the road. 

What do you think of the P-turn? Does it sound useful or silly? Who do you think should give way at a four-way stop sign intersection?