Western Australian drivers being forced to adapt to new merging rules on freeways

Western Australian drivers are being forced to adjust to major changes to road rules on Perth’s freeways.

Newly defined continuity merge lines between freeway on-ramps and traffic lanes mean entering vehicles must now give way to freeway traffic.

In the past, the car in front had the right of way and motorists were expected to merge “like a zip.”

The state government said the merge lines were designed to prevent accidents.

"To be frank, West Australians do not have a great reputation when it comes to merging.  By adopting smarter transport options, we can improve merging, reduce congestion and enhance safety," State Transport Minister Dean Nalder said.

"A total of $8.5 million will be spent on implementing new on-ramp configurations at over 70 locations on our freeways and highways to help keep traffic moving and our roads safer.”

The changes are consistent with the road rules of most other states.

The lines were first rolled out on key Perth roads in January and have now been painted at about 30 of the 55 on-ramps on the Mitchell and Kwinana freeways.

The rest will be completed over the next two weeks.

The changes to on-ramps follow a trial conducted by Main Roads at locations on the Kwinana Freeway which was said to produce positive results with fewer incidents at merge points.