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This page is being actively developed and is not yet ready for use. Its content should be considered unofficial and draft. |
While the Australian Road Rules provide an arching framework for driving across the country, there are unique rules bespoke of each state and territory that editors need to be aware of. This page aims to capture the characteristics of each for quick reference.
ACT
NSW
| Type | Can Cross To | Other Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Single continuous centre line |
|
Cannot otherwise cross.
|
| Double continuous centre line |
|
Cannot otherwise cross. |
| Continuous centre line
with a broken centre line (driving on the side of the broken line) |
|
N/A |
| Continuous centre line
with a broken centre line (driving on the side of the continuous line) |
See Single continuous centre line. | N/A |
| Painted islands | Drive up to 50m to:
|
|
| Intersection With | U-Turn permitted |
|---|---|
| Traffic lights | If signed with "U-turn Permitted" (Very uncommon) |
| Without traffic lights | At all intersections, unless signed with "No U-turn" |
| area | default speed limit |
|---|---|
| Built-up areas - areas with street
lights and buildings next to the road less than 100m apart |
50 km/h |
| All other roads | 100 km/h (unless signed otherwise) |
NT
Qld
| Type | can | cannot |
|---|---|---|
| Single continuous centre line | Cross to enter/leave a road or property |
|
| Double continuous centre line | Only cross to safely pass bicycle riders | Cross in all other circumstances |
| Continuous centre line with a
broken centre line (driving on the side of the broken line) |
|
N/A |
| Painted traffic island |
|
Drive on/cross if traffic island is
surrounded with double continuous lines |
| location | WHEN permitted |
|---|---|
| Traffic light (signalled intersection) | Only when signed with "u-turn permitted" |
| Non-signalled intersection | At all intersections unless signed with no u-turn sign |
| Others - children's crossings, level crossings,
marked foot/pedestrian crossings |
Only when signed with "u-turn permitted" |
| area | default speed limit |
|---|---|
| Built-up area | 50 km/h |
| Outside of built-up area | 100 km/h (unless signed otherwise) |
SA
Tas
| Type | Can Cross To | Other Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Single continuous centre line |
|
Cannot otherwise cross.
|
| Double continuous centre line |
|
Cannot otherwise cross. |
| Continuous centre line
with a broken centre line (driving on the side of the broken line) |
|
N/A |
| Continuous centre line
with a broken centre line (driving on the side of the continuous line) |
See Single continuous centre line. | N/A |
| Painted islands | Drive up to 50m to:
|
|
| Intersection With | U-Turn permitted |
|---|---|
| Traffic lights | If signed with "U-turn Permitted" (Very uncommon) |
| Without traffic lights | At all intersections, unless signed with "No U-turn" |
| area | default speed limit |
|---|---|
| Built-up areas - areas with street
lights and buildings next to the road less than 100m apart |
50 km/h |
| All other roads | 100 km/h (unless signed otherwise) |
Vic
| Location | When permitted |
|---|---|
| Traffic light (signalled intersection) | At any intersection where a right turn is permitted, unless a "no u-turn" sign is present |
| Non-signalled intersection | At all intersections unless signed with a "no u-turn" sign |
| Other locations | Only if there is no single or double continuous line down the centre of the road |
| area | default speed limit |
|---|---|
| School zones | 40 km/h |
| Built-up areas, rural and metropolitan towns | 50 km/h |
| Outside of built-up areas | 100 km/h |
- The default speed limit applies when there is no other speed limit sign on the road.
- Variable speed limits are used on some metropolitan freeways, such as the Monash Freeway and M80 Ring Road. In Waze these are usually set as 100 km/h as that is their speed limit most of the time. When an incident occurs on the freeway, these electronic signs can lower the speed limit to as low as 40 km/h depending on the situation, but they will flash brightly so that drivers are aware of this.
WA
| Area | default speed limit |
|---|---|
| Built-up area | 50 km/h |
| Outside of built-up area | 110 km/h |
Area Speed Zones are also in place in WA. The entry to an area will have "Area" indicated, and that limit applies for all roads from that point. The end of the Area is signposted with an "END AREA" black text, with the speed zone limit in a black circle.
Variable Speed Limits are placed on the main Freeway State Route 2 (Kwinana Freeway currently, expanding to the Mitchell Freeway). These indicate a default speed on the gantry if the signs are blank, however in Waze they are mapped to the "usual" speed for the freeway. (For example, the main part is usually 100 km/h, however when blank the speed limit is 80 km/h.) Usual operations have the speed limit always showing on the gantry, with the lower limit a safety buffer if the freeway monitoring systems fail.
Suggested points of discussion:
- When u-turns are and aren't permitted
- Crossing unbroken lines
- Crossing painted traffic islands
- Default speed limits
To do:
Explore whether this information is be displayed in point form or in a table.
Example only:
| Permitted at... | ACT | NSW | Qld | Vic |
| Non-signaled intersections | Never | |||
| Traffic lights | When sign permits | |||
| Whenever you want | Yep |