Queensland Road Rules
The Queensland Road Rules that significantly differ from the Australian Road Rules are as follows:
Keeping left
A driver must give a minimum distance when passing a bicycle or personal mobility device rider of one metre when the speed limit is not more than 60km/h and 1.5m if the speed limit is over 60km/h. A driver may drive cross the centre of the road (including over double lines) to pass a bicycle or personal mobility device. Read more on keeping left.
Motorcycles
An open licence motorcycle rider may lane or edge filter if it is safe and they don’t ride faster than 30km/h. Lane filtering is riding between stationary or slow-moving vehicles. Edge filtering is riding on a sealed road shoulder, or emergency stopping lane, past stationary or slow-moving traffic on major roads – such as highways and freeways, where the speed limit is 90km/h.
A motorcycle rider is not required to provide a change of direction signal if they are lane filtering. Read more on lane filtering.
Quad bikes and utility off-road vehicles
Quad bike passengers must be at least 8 years old and when seated, their feet must reach the footrests provided for use by a pillion passenger.
Utility off-road vehicle passengers when seated must have their feet placed flat on the floor and if there is one, hold the vehicle’s handrail.
Special purpose lanes
Taxis and bicycles are permitted to drive in bus and tram lanes. Read more on special purpose lanes.
Personal mobility devices
In Queensland, personal mobility devices are classified as vehicles and riders must obey the general road rules.
Personal mobility device riders:
- are allowed to wear an approved bicycle or motorbike helmet
- must have a warning device (such as a bell) for devices with handlebars
- children aged 12 to 15 must ride with adult supervision
- riders must not drink and ride.
In Queensland, personal mobility device riders can ride on:
- footpaths, shared paths, separated paths and bike paths at 12 km/h (unless otherwise signed)
- local streets (with a speed limit of 50km/h or less and with no dividing line or median strip, or one-way streets with only 1 marked lane) at 25 km/h
- bike lanes on roads with a speed limit of 50km/h or less at 25 km/h
- bike lanes that are physically separated from other lanes of traffic (for example, by bollards or raised median strip) at 25km/h.
Personal mobility device riders can ride on the road in some limited circumstances to:
- avoid an obstruction on a path or bike lane for up to 50m
- bike lanes that are physically separated from other lanes of traffic (for example, by bollards or raised median strip).
- access a bicycle storage box at an intersection
- move out of the way of an emergency vehicle
- travel through an intersection between a road, bike lane or path that they are permitted to be in.
Read about more road rules for personal mobility devices.
Animals
A person must not ride or lead an animal on a road if it is practicable to ride or lead the animal on a road-related area.
A driver that is made aware of a restive horse must drive as near as practicable to the far-left side of the road and stop their vehicle’s engine. The driver must not move until they are sure their vehicle’s engine or its movement will not aggravate the horse. Read more on sharing the road with animals.