Victoria begins trial to cut blocked intersections

The Victorian State Government will be trialling a new approach to tackle congestion on the streets of Melbourne by highlighting six busy intersections – dubbing the campaign "Don't Block the Box".

Each of the six intersections have been chosen thanks to their tendency to be regularly blocked during peak times, mainly by cars entering but not passing through, blocking other motorists from crossing and potentially holding up trams.

To raise awareness of the issue, the Government will paint a yellow box across the intersection and mark it with an X, notifying road users to keep the area clear.

As of July 2021, the penalty for not keeping an intersection clear is a $165 fine and a loss of three demerit points, with Victorian road rule 128 stating: "A driver must not enter an intersection or crossing when the intersection or crossing is blocked or the road beyond the intersection or crossing is blocked."

Victorian Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Ben Carroll, said the trial is a solid way to increase awareness without causing further delays to the road network.

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"This trial will help motorists navigate intersections without holding up other road users – by keeping the yellow box clear everyone gets a better run," said Minister Carroll.

"Don’t block intersections. It’s as simple as that. You’ll get to where you need to go in less time, and it will make the network safer for everyone."

The trial is the first stage of two planned to reduce congestion, with the second stage coming into effect in September, utilising road safety cameras at the busy intersections to identify offenders and collect data on the frequency of offences being committed.

The six intersections to be used in the trial are: Swan Street/Burnley Street, Monash Freeway/Warrigal Road, High Street/Malvern Road, Williamsons Road/Foote Street, Power Street/Riversdale Road and Mickleham Road/Tullamarine Freeway Interchange.