DKT- Do not drive past a stopped tram with its doors open. Stop level with the rear.
- Give way to pedestrians between a tram and the kerb.
- Broken yellow lines beside tram tracks give trams priority at all times.
- Treat a bus travelling along tram tracks as a tram.
Young, inexperienced drivers are involved in more tram-pedestrian crashes than experienced drivers, so take extra care.
Stopped trams
- Where a tram is at a stop with no safety zone between you and it, stop level with the rear and do not go while the doors are open. Give way to pedestrians crossing between the tram and the left side of the road.
- You may pass a stopped tram only if no pedestrians are on the road and the doors are closed, or if a uniformed tram employee signals you through. Do not exceed 10 km/h while passing.
- Slow down near safety zones, tram stops and bus stops.
Priority and roundabouts
- Give way to a tram moving into or across a roundabout.
- Do not pass on the right of a tram unless its tracks are at or near the far left of the road.
- With a broken yellow line beside the tracks you may drive on the tracks, but you must keep out of a tram's path and must not delay it. To turn right, let the tram pass or keep going and turn further on. Never pull out in front of a tram.
Tram lanes and tramways
| Type | How you know | The rule |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time tram lane | Continuous yellow line beside the tracks, Tram Lane sign without times | Do not drive in it. You may use it for up to 50 metres to enter or leave the road, or briefly to pass a bicycle rider. |
| Part-time tram lane | Tram Lane sign showing hours, continuous yellow line | Same as above during the hours shown. Never delay a tram, even outside the hours. |
| Tramway | Tramway sign, double continuous yellow lines or a separation kerb | Do not drive in it unless avoiding an obstruction. Cross only where breaks allow it. |
If a parked or double-parked vehicle blocks your lane, you may have to use a tramway. You are not breaking the law, but return to your own lane as soon as possible. See special purpose lanes.
Leave their safety margin
Trams are longer and heavier than cars and take longer to stop. When passing a tram or changing lanes, do not pull into the empty space directly in front of it. The railway level crossing rules also apply to tram level crossings, so obey the signs there. See level crossings.
Based on the Victorian Road to Solo Driving handbook and the VicRoads learner and probationary pages. Rules change from time to time, so check vicroads.vic.gov.au for the latest.
Quick answers
Can you drive past a stopped tram in Victoria?
Not if its doors are open at a stop with no safety zone. You must stop level with the rear. You may pass only when no pedestrians are on the road and the doors are closed, or a uniformed tram employee signals you, and not above 10 km/h.
What do yellow lines beside tram tracks mean?
Broken yellow lines give trams priority at all times. Continuous yellow lines mean a tram lane, and double continuous yellow lines mean a tramway.