Can I cross Ballarat's Pleasant Street-Sturt Street intersection on a red light?

Many social media users in recent years had pointed out their confusion after hearing opposing rules from others.

So, what's the go? How is the intersection actually supposed to work?

The intersection is unique to Ballarat because drivers are permitted to proceed against a red light when crossing Sturt Street, from the centre median.

This means if a driver is travelling north or south on Pleasant Street and they are stopped in the middle of the intersection, they can continue crossing if it is safe to do so, even if there is a red light.

Ballarat Highway Patrol Acting Sergeant Guinther Borgelt said the centre lanes were the only part of the intersection where drivers could continue through, despite there being a red light.

"It is like a standard intersection, except for those two middle lanes," Acting Sergeant Borgelt said.

"What you will see on those two middle lanes, those crossover lanes in the centre median, is a broken white line across the road. That indicates a 'give way'.

"That's where the red light does not apply."

Acting Sergeant Borgelt said drivers must obey red lights in all other situations, including entering the intersection from Pleasant Street or Sturt Street.

"If you're going north or south, or even any which way if you find yourself in that centre median little area, you give way to traffic to your left," he said.

"Because that has a broken white line across it that indicates a 'give way', it does not indicate a 'stop' like your standard intersection.

"You'll see all intersections actually follow the same rule. It either doesn't have a line, or it does have a line, or it has a broken line - and that broken line is the same everywhere. It's a give way."

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But the "give way" rule at the busy intersection had not always been in place.

Prior to 2004, the road markings in the centre lanes were actually solid, meaning drivers had to stop for red lights.

The markings were changed in February, 2004, in a bid to reduce congestion.

Acting Sergeant Borgelt said police generally did not see many incidents at the intersection, despite the confusion.

"If (drivers) don't know that rules exists, they will stop there and wait," he said.

"That really doesn't cause any issue because they are obviously not going to pull out of cars anyway.

"(The intersection) is very unique."

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