NSW Traffic Law - Turning Left onto a Main Road?

[Lucaslly97]

Hi,

I wanted to know if it is illegal to turn left when there is oncoming traffic on the main road given the following circumstances under traffic law:

- I am turning left
- Oncoming traffic is only in the middle and/or right lane
- Turning left onto the most left lane where there are not any oncoming traffic on that lane

 

[Rob Legat - SBPL]

Generally, it is not illegal to turn left at any time so long as you give way to oncoming traffic and obey all road signs and signals. However, I feel like there are relevant factual circumstances to this situation which haven't been disclosed.

 

[Scruff]

When turning left into a multi lane road,

1. the lane you are turning into has to be clear,
2. all lanes to the left of that lane have to be clear,
3. the lane immediately to the right of that lane has to be clear.

So,
If you turn into the left most lane of a two lane road, you have to give way to all traffic in both lanes.
If you turn into the left most lane of a three lane road, you have to give way to all traffic in the first two lanes but not the third.
If you turn into the middle lane of a three lane road, you have to give way to all traffic in all three lanes.
If you turn into the second left most lane of a four lane road, you have to give way to all traffic in the first three lanes but not the fourth.
etc, etc, etc...

So to answer your question, yes - it is illegal. In the scenario you provided, you must give way to traffic in both the left and middle lanes, not just the left most lane.