Sharing the Road: Cyclists, Trams, Trucks and Emergency Vehicles

Why sharing the road is its own skill

Most learner drivers start by thinking about other cars. Other cars are predictable: they’re about the same size as you, they travel at about the same speed, and they sit in the middle of a lane. The road users that catch new drivers out are the ones that don’t fit that pattern.

A bike rider is small, easy to miss in a mirror and has almost no protection if you get it wrong. A motorcycle can appear between two lanes of stopped traffic. A pedestrian can be hidden by a parked van. A truck is so big that the driver can’t see a whole car sitting next to the cab. An ambulance needs you to get out of the way right now, even when your light is green.

Passing bike riders: the 1 metre and 1.5 metre rule

Victoria has a minimum passing distance for bike riders. According to the TAC and Transport Victoria, when you pass a bike rider you must leave at least:

• 1 metre on roads with a speed limit of 60 km/h or less
• 1.5 metres on roads with a speed limit over 60 km/h

The distance is measured between the side of your vehicle and the bike. The rule applies to drivers and to motorcycle riders. Transport Victoria refers to it as the rule for keeping a safe distance when passing a bicycle or electric scooter, so give e-scooter riders the same room.

Note the wording: the distance is tied to the speed limit of the road, not the speed you happen to be doing. On an 80 km/h road you still need 1.5 metres, even if traffic is crawling.

Bike lanes don’t cancel the rule

A painted bike lane doesn’t mean you can pass as close as you like. The TAC notes that you still need to provide space if someone is riding in a bicycle lane. On a narrow road where the bike lane and your lane are both tight, that can mean easing towards the right side of your lane, or waiting.

You can cross the centre line to give room

To make the passing distance practical, the rules let you cross lines you’d normally have to stay behind. Transport Victoria says you may cross solid single lines, double lines or centre lines when overtaking a bike, but only if the way ahead is clear and it’s safe to do so. The TAC describes it as briefly crossing the centre line when you have a clear view ahead.

You can also cross into a tram lane to pass a bike rider if it’s safe and you don’t get in the way of any approaching tram.

Riding two abreast is legal

You’ll often see bike riders side by side, especially on weekend mornings. That’s allowed. The TAC explains that bike riders can ride two abreast as long as they’re no more than 1.5 metres apart. When you pass a pair of riders, your gap is to the rider nearest you.

Bike lanes and bike boxes

Driving in a bike lane

You must not drive in a bicycle lane except in a few situations. Transport Victoria lists them as when it’s necessary to:

• Enter or leave a road
• Pass a vehicle that’s turning right or making a U-turn
• Enter another traffic lane
• Enter a parking space
• Pull over or park, where that’s allowed

Even then, you can only drive in a bicycle lane for a maximum of 50 metres. Before you move into a bike lane to turn left, check your left mirror and do a head check over your left shoulder. That’s the lane a rider will be in.

Bike boxes at traffic lights

Some intersections have a bike box: a painted area in front of the normal stop line, usually with a bicycle symbol. When the lights are red, you must stop before the first white line of the bike box, and when the lights turn green you should give bike riders a head start.

Opening your car door: the dooring rule

“Dooring” is when a car door opens into the path of a bike rider. For the rider it’s sudden, it’s hard to avoid, and it can throw them into the traffic lane beside them.

Transport Victoria states that it’s an offence to cause a hazard to any person or vehicle by opening a car door, leaving a door open, or while getting out of a vehicle. That covers the driver and passengers.

1. i.
   Check your mirror

   Before touching the handle, look in your right mirror (or left mirror for passengers on the kerb side) for bikes, e-scooters, motorcycles and cars coming up behind.

2. ii.
   Do a head check

   Turn your head and look back over your shoulder. A bike rider can sit in the gap your mirror doesn’t cover.

3. iii.
   Open with your far hand

   Transport Victoria suggests opening the door with your left hand. Reaching across your body turns your shoulders and makes you look back.

4. iv.
   Open slowly, get out quickly

   Open the door a little first, then get out and close it without leaving it hanging open into the lane.

Bike riders at intersections and roundabouts

Turning left across a bike rider

The riskiest moment with bike riders is often a left turn. The rider is travelling straight on, on your left, and you’re turning across their path. Transport Victoria is direct about it: you must give way to bike riders in traffic lanes or bike lanes if you’re crossing or turning across the lane. It also warns that bike riders may be in your blind spot on your left.

• Check your left mirror early, before you slow down for the turn
• Indicate in plenty of time so riders know what you’re doing
• Do a head check over your left shoulder just before you turn
• If a rider is alongside or close behind, let them go through first

Roundabouts

At a multi-lane roundabout, bike riders may do something you wouldn’t. Transport Victoria’s roundabout rules say a person riding a bicycle, an electric scooter or an animal (such as a horse) can stay in the left lane until they leave the roundabout, even if they’re going straight ahead or turning right. They must give way to any vehicle exiting the roundabout.

For you, that means a rider in the left lane may keep going around past the exit you expected them to take. Don’t assume. Watch their position and wait until their intention is clear. For the rest of the roundabout rules, see our guide to roundabout rules in Victoria.

Hook turns by bike riders

Bike riders are allowed to do a hook turn to turn right at any intersection, unless signs say otherwise. So you may see a rider waiting on the far left side of an intersection, ready to turn right when the lights change. Give them space and don’t read it as a mistake.

Motorcycles and lane filtering

Lane filtering is legal, lane splitting is not

Transport Victoria draws a clear line between the two:

Riders can’t lane filter if a sign says they can’t, in a bicycle lane, on a shared path or road shoulder, between traffic and the kerb, or between lanes of traffic travelling in opposite directions. Learner riders can’t lane filter at all.

What that means for you as a driver

Transport Victoria points out that because filtering is legal, riders may appear in places you might not traditionally expect them. In stop-start traffic, a motorcycle can come up between your lane and the next one. That’s why the head check before changing lanes matters even in a traffic jam, when it feels like nothing is moving.

• Check mirrors and do a head check before every lane change, including at low speed
• Don’t drift towards the line in slow traffic; hold your lane position
• Remember that motorcycle braking distances are typically longer than a car’s, so don’t cut in close in front of one
• Try to make eye contact with riders at intersections

Pedestrians and crossings

Pedestrians have no protection at all, and most of the rules protecting them are about giving way. Transport Victoria sets out the main ones for drivers:

• Pedestrian (zebra) crossings: you must give way to any pedestrian on or near the crossing, and never overtake another vehicle that’s stopped at the crossing
• Children’s crossings: drive at a speed that lets you stop safely, and stop if a pedestrian is on or near the crossing
• Turning at intersections: you must give way to any pedestrians crossing the road you’re turning into (except at a roundabout without a pedestrian crossing)
• Shared zones: you must give way to pedestrians
• Flashing yellow lights: you can go once you’ve given way to all pedestrians on the crossing

The “never overtake a stopped vehicle at a crossing” rule matters on multi-lane roads. If the car in the lane beside you has stopped at a crossing, assume it’s stopped for someone you can’t see yet.

Transport Victoria also asks drivers to be patient with vision-impaired pedestrians, who may not make eye contact or respond to a wave. Wait until they’ve finished crossing.

Spotting hidden pedestrians early is a core part of the Hazard Perception Test, and it’s something our instructors talk through on every suburban lesson.

Trucks: blind spots and stopping distances

Trucks and buses are where a new driver’s instincts are most likely to be wrong. Transport Victoria’s advice is short: trucks and buses have very large blind spots, so always stay back to stay safe.

Where a truck driver can’t see you

Victoria Police gives a simple test: if you can’t see the truck driver in the truck’s mirror, they can’t see you. It lists three blind spots:

• Beside the truck’s left door
• Directly behind the truck, and for quite a distance behind it
• Immediately in front of the truck

Trucks take longer to stop

Victoria Police notes that a truck travelling at 60 km/h takes 10 metres longer to come to a complete stop than a car, and at 100 km/h it takes almost 30 metres longer. That’s why cutting in front of a truck is so dangerous. If traffic ahead stops suddenly, the truck driver may not be able to stop behind you.

Overtaking a truck

Victoria Police’s overtaking advice for trucks:

1. i.
   Get into the driver’s view

   Slow down until you can see the driver in the truck’s mirrors. That means the driver knows you’re there.

2. ii.
   Check the truck’s indicators

   If the truck is about to change lanes or turn, wait for another opportunity.

3. iii.
   Allow plenty of time

   Police say it takes about 25 seconds to overtake a large truck on the open road. Only go when you have the room to finish.

4. iv.
   Don’t cut back in close

   Move back into the lane only when there’s a good gap in front of the truck, not straight after you clear its front.

“Do Not Overtake Turning Vehicle” signs

Long vehicles can’t turn from a single lane the way a car does. Transport Victoria explains that trucks or vehicles over 7.5 metres long displaying a “Do Not Overtake Turning Vehicle” sign are allowed to use more than one lane to turn, and you’re not allowed to overtake them while they’re turning.

What the sign warns you about is a truck that looks like it’s doing one thing and is actually doing another. Transport Victoria notes that large vehicles may need to swing out to the right to turn left: the left indicator is on, but the truck moves right first, leaving what looks like an open gap on its left.

That gap is exactly where cars and bikes get trapped. Transport Victoria’s general advice is: don’t pass a large vehicle turning left or right, and never overtake a turning truck on the inside or the outside. Stay back, give it the room it needs, and go once it’s completed the turn.

Buses pulling out from a stop

You must give way to a bus leaving a bus stop in some situations. Under the Road Safety Road Rules (rule 77), you must give way to a bus if all of these apply:

• You’re driving in a built-up area
• You’re in the left lane or left line of traffic (or a bike lane on the far left)
• The bus is stopped or moving slowly at the far left of the road, on the shoulder or in a bus-stop bay
• The bus displays a “Give way to buses” sign and its right indicator is on
• The bus is about to enter or move along in your lane

“Give way” means slowing down and, if necessary, stopping to avoid a collision. In practice, when you see a bus at a stop with its right indicator flashing, ease off and let it out.

Transport Victoria also reminds drivers that you must not stop or park within 20 metres before or 10 metres after a bus stop sign, unless parking signs allow it. Buses need that space to pull in and out, and it keeps sight lines clear for passengers crossing.

Trams: the core rules

Trams have their own set of rules, and we cover them in more detail in our guide to hook turns and city driving. Here are the essentials every driver in Melbourne needs to know. For hook turns and tram lanes in the CBD, see our hook turns and tram rules guide.

• Roadside tram stops: you must stop behind a tram at a roadside tram stop. Your vehicle must not pass the back end of the tram.
• Wait for the doors: stay behind the tram until the doors close and all pedestrians have finished crossing. Then you can pass at no more than 10 km/h, once the road is clear of pedestrians.
• Safety zones: if the stop has a safety zone (a raised platform or island), you can drive past the tram at a safe speed, to the left of the safety zone.
• Roundabouts: give way to a tram entering or approaching a roundabout.
• Tram lanes: don’t drive in a tram lane except to avoid an obstacle, overtake a bike rider safely, or turn right where allowed, and then only for a maximum of 50 metres.

Emergency vehicles with lights and sirens

When a police car, ambulance or fire truck comes up behind you with its lights flashing or siren on, the rule is clear. According to the TAC, if a vehicle has red, blue or magenta lights flashing or its siren sounding, you must:

• Move out of its way
• Give way, and stop if necessary, even if you have a green traffic light

1. i.
   Stay calm and find it

   Check your mirrors to work out where the vehicle is and which lane it’s using. Sirens can be hard to place, especially with the windows up.

2. ii.
   Signal and move over

   Indicate and move towards the left side of the road when it’s safe, leaving a clear path. On a multi-lane road, watch what other drivers are doing so you all make room in the same place.

3. iii.
   Don’t block an intersection

   If you’re waiting at lights, you may need to let the emergency vehicle through even on a green. Hold back rather than pulling into the middle of the intersection.

4. iv.
   Check before you move off

   Once it’s passed, check your mirrors again. There may be another emergency vehicle following the first.

Slow to 40 past stopped emergency and roadside vehicles

This rule covers far more than ambulances and police cars, so it’s worth knowing the full list. The TAC explains that you must slow to 40 km/h when passing these vehicles if they’re stationary or moving slower than 10 km/h and have flashing lights or an alarm sounding:

• Emergency vehicles, including ambulance, fire services and State Emergency Service
• Enforcement vehicles, including Victoria Police
• Accident towing and breakdown towing vehicles
• Roadside assistance vehicles
• Incident response services
• Escort vehicles

The flashing lights can be red, blue or magenta, and the rule also applies to vehicles with amber (yellow) lights.

How to do it properly

• Slow down early. The rule says you must approach at a speed that lets you stop safely before passing the vehicle, not just hit 40 km/h as you go by.
• Pass at 40 km/h or less and be ready to stop if directed.
• Speed up again only once you’re a safe distance past the scene, so you don’t put workers there in danger.
• Check your mirrors as you slow. Drivers behind you may not have seen the lights yet.

There’s one exception in the Road Safety Road Rules (rule 79A): the rule doesn’t apply if the road is divided by a median strip and the vehicle is on the other side of the median. So on a road without a median strip, it also applies to a vehicle stopped on the opposite side.

The TAC notes that this rule is enforced with laser and other speed measuring devices and in-car video, and emergency workers can report drivers to police. Penalties can include fines, demerit points, licence suspension and vehicle impoundment. On a probationary licence, where the demerit threshold is much lower, that’s a serious risk. See our Victorian P plate rules guide for how demerit points work on your Ps.

Sharing the road at a glance

Here’s a quick reference for the main rules in this guide.

Common questions about sharing the road

Is the 1 metre rule based on my speed or the speed limit?

The speed limit. Transport Victoria and the TAC describe the distances in terms of the road’s speed limit: 1 metre on roads up to 60 km/h, 1.5 metres on roads over 60 km/h.

Can I cross double lines to pass a bike rider?

Yes, but only when you have a clear view ahead and it’s safe. Transport Victoria’s rules allow you to cross solid single lines, double lines or centre lines when overtaking a bike. If you can’t see far enough ahead, stay behind the rider.

What if an ambulance comes up behind me while I’m stopped at a red light?

You must give way and stop if necessary, even on a green light. At a red light, stay calm, don’t move into the intersection unless it’s clearly safe, and watch how other drivers are making room. If you’re not sure, staying where you are is usually better than a sudden move.

Are motorcyclists allowed to ride between cars at the lights?

Yes, if traffic is stopped or slow and they’re travelling at no more than 30 km/h. That’s lane filtering, and it’s legal in Victoria with conditions. Learner riders can’t do it. Riding between lanes of fast-moving traffic (lane splitting) is illegal.

Habits that make sharing the road easier

The rules tell you what you must do. These habits are what our instructors see make the biggest difference for learners and new P platers in busy traffic around Mitcham and Melbourne’s east.

If you’re just starting out, our beginner driving lessons build these habits from your first drive. If you’ve been driving for a while and busy roads with trucks, trams and bikes still make you nervous, a few refresher lessons can help. And for how these skills are assessed on test day, read how to pass your VicRoads driving test first time.

Sources and further reading

We’ve written this guide from the official sources below. Road rules can change, so treat those pages as the final word and check them if anything here doesn’t match what you see on the road.

• Transport Victoria: Driving with bike riders
• TAC: Cycling safety, the laws
• Transport Victoria: Roundabouts
• Transport Victoria: Motorcycle road rules
• Transport Victoria: Drivers and sharing the road
• Transport Victoria: Drivers sharing the road with pedestrians
• Victoria Police: Trucks and heavy vehicles
• Transport Victoria: Driving safely around trucks and buses
• Transport Victoria: Truck and heavy vehicle road rules
• Transport Victoria: Share the road safely with trucks
• Road Safety Road Rules 2017: Rule 77, Giving way to buses
• Transport Victoria: Driving with trams
• TAC: Emergency workers and road workers
• Road Safety Road Rules 2017: Rule 79A, Emergency and enforcement vehicles