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How to handle Punt Road P-turns
Melbourne’s first ‘continuous flow intersection’ is about to open.
Melburnians are set to experience Victoria’s first ‘continuous flow intersection’, as the revamped junction of Punt Road and Swan Street opens to traffic this Sunday 17 March.
The US-style intersections give more ‘green-light time’ for north-south traffic by moving right-turning traffic away from the intersection via new lanes or ‘remote’ right turns (or ‘P-turns’), which direct right-turning drivers through the intersection to do a right turn beyond it.
- Drivers travelling south on Punt Road wanting to turn right towards the CBD will use the right-hand lanes and turn prior to Olympic Boulevard.
- Drivers travelling west on Swan Street wanting to turn right towards Clifton Hill will use the right lane to go straight through the Punt Road intersection, then make a U-turn on Swan Street, before turning left into Punt Road.
- Drivers travelling north on Punt Road wanting to turn right away from the CBD will turn left into the right lane on Olympic Boulevard, then make a U-turn on Swan Street to head towards Richmond.
- Drivers will no longer be able to turn right onto Punt Road from Olympic Boulevard to travel south.
Melburnians first got to grips with P-turns at the intersection of Moorooduc Highway and Cranbourne Road in Frankston in 2009, and Hoddle and Johnston streets last April.
RACV’s general manager public policy Bryce Prosser says it is always good to look at innovative ways to tackle traffic congestion, and RACV would watch the changes closely to make sure they deliver the benefits that have been promised to all road users.
While the reworked intersection would provide some relief, he says more work is needed, including removing on-street parking along Hoddle Street to make room for a complete northbound bus lane.
According to Major Road Projects Victoria, 330,000 people travel along and across Punt Road and Hoddle Street each day.
