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As someone who did not grow up in Melbourne, I understand first-hand what it's like to adjust to the city's unique road rules. I still think I have some form of PTSD from my first experience driving on a road with trams – even though it was almost 20 years ago.
Yes, due to the tram network, Melbourne drivers – whether born-and-bred, new residents or visitors – must learn a few extra road rules.
Arguably, none is so confusing and anxiety-inducing as the hook turn.
Even those born here are sometimes wary of it – even if they also happen to drive for a living.
“I try to avoid the city and avoid the hook turns because they still make me a bit anxious,” Melbourne-born Formula One driver Oscar Piastri said at an event on Tuesday night, The Herald Sun reported.
But is it really that tricky to make the manoeuvre? And why do we do it anyway?
Hook turns are used to keep intersections clear of right-turning cars, which would otherwise be blocking the way of trams.
A hook turn is only required at certain intersections in the CBD and some inner-Melbourne suburbs, and you can tell if you need to do one by looking for the sign below, which reads: 'RIGHT TURN FROM LEFT ONLY'.
How do you do a hook turn?
If you need to turn right, instead of pulling out into the centre of the intersection, you pull out to the left.
You then wait until the traffic lights on the road you are turning onto turn green, before turning right and essentially joining the front of the 'queue' on the road you are turning onto.
The Transport Victoria website explains it like this:
I must admit, as a visual learner, I'm still a little perplexed by this list of instructions. Luckily, we are living in a video world, and Transport Victoria is letting me be a video (watching) girl.
Check out the video at the bottom of this article for a play-by-play on doing a hook turn.
If you're still confused, maybe just like Oscar Piastri, just avoid driving in the city... You can just catch a tram.
Jemimah is Drive's Consumer Editor. She has more than a decade of editorial experience and has previously worked in property and lifestyle journalism for Domain, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and REA Group, among many other publications.
