I'd better tell my story alluded to while I was down south.
South of Kempsey I was in a roadworks 80 zone behind a long line of slow moving traffic on a single lane divided road. I slipped into a turn lane on the right and ran up a couple of hundred metres only to see a Policeman at the top of the hill radaring the traffic. He suddenly bolted for his car. I took off hoping it wasn't me he wanted but he caught me a couple of kays down the road. He breathalysed me then asked me if I remembered overtaking a vehicle using the turn lane and crossing a painted island. I admitted it. He told me to wait there then he sat in his car for 15 minutes checking my data and searching his book of offences. He couldn't find the offence. I stood beside his car watching him poring over his booklet pointing to every item with his pen and then rechecking back through it. He came back to me and said, "If I booked you for what you did it would be a $330 fine and 3 demerit points." I looked suitably penitent and he said, "Let that be a warning." So I shook his hand and offered him a Mentos (which he couldn't take because it probably constituted a bribe.
I was wise enough not to ask him what the offence he was letting me off was- that would have been cheeky and provocative. While it's unusual, irregular and arguably unwise, there is no law laid down saying you can't use a turning lane to over-take a vehicle.
I think he was so sure he had me on a big misdemeanor that he failed to get the radar reading of 10 kays over, and forgot the crossing of the painted island (which might not be worth writing a ticket for).
This recounting is not intended to belittle the Policeman who was quite a nice young fellow, nor to suggest this is a recommended manoeuvre. I just thought it was an interesting encounter. The interview took place here: S31.16219, E152.82086
