Sydney's most confusing intersections will make you never want to drive again

Updated

In a city that was not so much planned as allowed to grow willy-nilly, there are plenty of idiosyncrasies to test your road logic. Here are our candidates for Sydney's most confusing intersections.

1. Inner-West Test — Marrickville

It's hard to know where to begin with this one, which has too many options and not enough space.

Cars on Victoria Road are left queueing for extended periods before being able to turn onto Edgeware Road — particularly during peak hour.

Negotiating buses, trucks, a pedestrian crossing and parked cars to turn right onto the dual-carriageway artery is particularly tough.

Tim, who lives nearby, knows the intersection better than most.

"It's a total nightmare, during peak hour you can get stuck on Victoria Road and only one or two cars can make it on to Edgeware Road for each green light," he said.

"You see to many people there getting frustrated. When there's lots of traffic it's got to be one of the worst bits of road in Sydney."

Also not helping the matter is a long string of parallel parked cars in the left lane on Edgware Road because, you know, it's Sydney.

2. The Weaver — Blacktown

Behold the M7, in all its toll road glory.

The Westlink motorway links Sydney's northern suburbs with, well, the west, and naturally includes several major junctions — one of which is Sunnyholt Road.

Sunny in name maybe, but more like spaghetti in nature.

Although regulated by traffic lights, negotiating this huge intersection in Blacktown will make you feel like you're having a head-on.

It's the perfect way to continue our countdown of confusing intersections started, but there are plenty of others.

3. Paddo Panic — Paddington

This one takes things to the next level on Paddington's winding streets — an extra stop sign, a bus lane and a give-way sign in a very unusual place.

"I can't tell you how many times I've watched cars stop at that intersection and just not know what to do," Paddington woman Katie Beswick says.

"And if there's a bus coming, you always hear a horn and people start waving their hands."

Enter at your own risk.

4. Kamikaze Corner — Bilgola

Now to the northern beaches, land of glistening surf, the Home and Away set and "Kamikaze Corner", as it is known by those who use it regularly.

The junction of Barrenjoey Road, Plateau Road and Old Barrenjoey Road is enough to make even the safest of drivers sweat.

Despite having a notorious reputation, it's not despised by everyone — stuffed toys and tributes left by locals on the roundabout have been commonplace since 2012.

Complicating matters is that 'The Peninsula' is essentially one road in, one road out. Which means if you want to go for a dip, you need to negotiate Kami Corner.

It is confusing now, but can you believe an extra road was also once part of this roundabout?

5. Halt! Who Goes Where? — Artarmon

Four corners, full of stop signs — hope you're feeling lucky!

The intersection of Clarendon Street and Dickson Avenue on the north shore is unusual, because every car that approaches it is met by a stop sign.

Usually, junctions like this would have a roundabout or traffic lights, but on quiet streets stop signs are a more, erm, affordable option.

The idea is to make drivers stop and think about what they're doing.

"Stop signs help to reduce the speeds of vehicles approaching intersections and reduce the incidence and severity of dangerous T-bone crashes," a NSW Roads and Maritime Services spokesman said.

The more the merrier.

6. The Zig Zag — Revesby

Turn left, then turn right. And do it really, really quickly. That's what people are confronted with when heading from Spinx to Marco avenues in Revesby.

The intersection is controlled by the two sets of traffic lights, but its zig-zag layout leads to confusion and the inevitable chorus of horns.

Here is how your nightmare unfolds.

The uninitiated driver turns left from Sphinx Avenue on to The River Road.

They're quickly tripped up when, before even flicking on the indicator to turn right onto Marvo Avenue, they see a red light.

The signals are actually meant for traffic behind them, stopping cars on The River Road, but the size and layout of the intersection makes this like no other.

Effie Christofedellis, who works at a takeaway shop on the notorious intersection, says she sees up to three minor road rage incidents there every day.

"When somebody doesn't know the area they stop at the red light and a lot of cars line up behind them and beep like crazy," she said.

"They don't know you can turn right on the red."

That number of road rage incidents would probably be higher, but the intersection is also home to Revesby police station.

Topics: education, driver-education, accidents, road, sydney-2000, artarmon-2064, blacktown-2148, bilgola-2107, revesby-2212, paddington-2021, enmore-2042

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