Driving Around Town

You're ready for a road trip and Melbourne is your destination. Here are our tips for arriving safely and getting around without any fuss.

Trams

Cars share the roads with trams on many streets within Melbourne and the inner suburbs. With these trams come some important rules about driving near them:

+ Tram lanes are designated by a tram lane sign (that may indicate hours of operation) and a continuous yellow line. You must not drive in a tram lane during the times it is operational, except for up to 50 metres before turning, so long as you do not obstruct the progress of a tram.

+ You may only overtake a tram on the left.

+ Do not drive past the rear of a tram stopped at a tram stop (where there is no safety zone, dividing strip or traffic island).

+ You must stop level with the rear of the tram and wait for people to get on and off. The tram doors must be closed again before proceeding.

Hook Turns

Due to tram lines running down the middle of major city streets, there are some intersections in the city where cars turning right must do so from the left lane.

The vehicle remains in the left lane until the traffic lights for the road it's entering turn green, then carefully executes its turn.

Click here for a short video demonstration by VicRoads on how to perform a hook turn.

Bicycle Lanes

Bicycle lanes are indicated by a bicycle lane sign and a continuous or broken white line. You must not drive in a bicycle lane during the times it is operational, except for up to 50 metres before turning or when parking. You must always give way to cyclists already in the bicycle lane.

Bicycle lanes are also typically No Stopping areas during peak times. It's an offence to stop a vehicle in a No Stopping area for any length of time – even to quickly drop off a passenger – and fines are issued on the spot to drivers caught doing so by City of Melbourne parking officers.

Freeways

Major freeways including the West Gate, the Monash and the Tullamarine are all linked conveniently by CityLink, a non-stop expressway. Tolls are charged on some Melbourne roads, including CityLink and Eastlink.

To use these tollways you must either open an account (and receive a remote monitoring device, called an eTag, to attach to the car) or buy a pass before you travel. If you forget to purchase a pass prior to travel, you have three days to purchase a pass before you are issued with a fine.

For more information on how to pay tolls, visit the CityLink and Eastlink websites.