Do you merge sooner, or later?

[5030]

Does happen, but IMO, it depends on where you drive. Around here, I seem to encounter more of the really aggressive idiots who just stick their fender in front of you and dare you to hit them.

I suppose I might if I were driving a junker but the time, $$ and inconvenience involved with getting in an accident isn't worth it. Especially true if you're driving a decent vehicle.

Dick heads are everywhere. Just slow down and merge behind the DH, then accelerate in the fast lane and get around the DH and go about your business. Life is way too short to be confrontational. besides, if you hit his vehicle you get the ticket for failure to yield.

Being retired, I'm never in a hurry and I always leave for anything with time to spare and I always drive a couple miles per under the posted limit, sometimes more than a few under but always faster than the posted minimum speed. Amazing how good a fuel mileage you can get by driving under the posted limit as well and driving under the posted limit on a multi lane highway keeps you out of wadded up screamers and tailgators and your own space with room to spare.

 

[Jstpssng]

Several years ago I took an 18 year old army buddy home from Ft Sill to his family home in Nebraska. Was out one night at a party while staying with his parents and was talking to one of his high school friends that was 16 at that time. She was complaining that her dad had sold her car. I asked her why her dad had sold her car and she said that she was late getting home and was going to miss her curfew and her dad clocked her at 102. He was a Nebraska Highway Patrol.

lived in Fulton, Ms. and the parties were usually in Tupelo, Ms, about 20 miles away. Connected by one prime rural road. Her father, a Doctor, had a strict curfew. So one night after a ball game she was late getting home and drove a "wee fast". The local constabulary knew the car and her father and her well. So when they clocked the car going like a bat out of Hades across the river bottoms they just let her continue on without stopping her. But they did call her father.
The reports were that the muffler was red when she got home. Her father put the car up on cement blocks for about a month

It seems like the Beach Boys sang a song about them...

 

[Jstpssng]

When it comes to entering the highway, we don't have merge signs. They say "Yield"

 

[Oaktree]

2) Never seen a sign that say use both lanes until merge point.
4) Maybe its just this state but I'm assuming no one has ever heard of the zipper merge. I asked 10 of my close friends all in their mid to late 70's and they never heard of it. I never heard of it till this thread.

Same here. I figured a "zipper merge" must mean alternating lanes, but no one I know ever uses that term. Ditto on the "use both lanes" sign. Doesn't really make much sense to me.

Driving a truck helps, especially an older/uglier one, at least some smarter commuters are less likely to jam their tiny Altima or Corolla dangerously in front of it.

In the early 80s I had a job that required me to fly in and out of Boston. In those pre-big dig days getting to the airport was even more of a zoo than it is now. I had this ratty old Dodge Dart...almost no one challenged me...guess they figured one more dent wouldn't even faze me.

 

[newbury]

In the early 80s I had a job that required me to fly in and out of Boston. In those pre-big dig days getting to the airport was even more of a zoo than it is now. I had this ratty old Dodge Dart...almost no one challenged me...guess they figured one more dent wouldn't even faze me.

Same here in the 80's and 90's. There was a group of 3 of us who frequently flew from DC to Boston and rented a car to drive to the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development Center research facility) headquartered in Hanover, New Hampshire. It became a game to find a car WITHOUT dents.

 

[RandyT]

On ramp signage plainly states 'Yield'. That don't mean surrender.

On ramps are meant for accelerating up to the speed the traffic is going at and then applying your turn indicator and SMOOTHLY merging into the flow of traffic which, is, exactly what I always do and if I'm proceeding along in the granny lane on a double lane highway and someone wants to merge on, if I can, I always move inti the faster lane and allow them to merge on. Has to do with being a courteous driver and being aware of what is going on around you.

Actually moving over if possible to allow vehicles to enter from the entrance ramp is actually the law in IL.. The law is written in such a way that basically gives drivers implied right of way when entering from the entrance ramp on divided highways.

 

[JasperFrank]

"resist merging early, as that leads to more backups"

You can only get zipper to work if people give the space to zip into. They do not: Not in the USA. Even if I open up an area for a Semi, that I know has to zip, some clown will jump in, pass and mess it up. Then I have to slow more to reopen that space for the Semi. ;(

 

[steve tym]

The zipper method does not mean you get to fly to the end of the closed lane then expect someone to slam on their brakes to let you in. The zipper method means when they post a lane closure, you look for a hole, or make a hole (if you're in the thru lane) and start to merge.

 

[Farmer495]

It's all about mutual respect. Too many think driving is a race or competition.

Zipper merge works perfect for those who know how to drive.

If you are the type that gets mad because someone passes you or merges ahead of you, then you are the problem.

 

[Farmer495]

Yes but (there's always a but LOL) you still would have the same amount of backed up cars just divided by two lanes, right? The cars would not get thru the neck any faster.

In an urban setting maybe, not on a 100 series (or interstate if you're US) You could have a gap 100ft long, if there's no gap directly at the neck, then the gaps aren't making any difference at all to traffic flow.
I like a good, civil disagreement

Have you been stuck in the fiasco that was on the 102 near Truro? One single file lane of cars backed up blocking two exits at times. If both lanes were full and people zipper merged properly it wouldn't be several km of block up.

 

[Jstpssng]

It's all about mutual respect. Too many think driving is a race or competition.

Zipper merge works perfect for those who know how to drive.

If you are the type that gets mad because someone passes you or merges ahead of you, then you are the problem.

50 years ago in Driver's Ed the instructor told us that traffic laws are merely enforced courtesy.

 

[bdhsfz6]

Not quite the same thing but the uncaring and unknowing drivers that really get me are the ones who block a lane of traffic waiting in line at a fast food drive thru.

We have one in town where a single lane road is often blocked by these idiots, causing a traffic jam. I got caught in the backup once and it was the only time I ever saw a state trooper loose his cool. He put on his lights and drove down past the line of cars on the opposite side of the road to the fast food entrance. He got out and started screaming at the drivers causing the backup. I think he made his monthly traffic ticket quota that day.

 

[Jstpssng]

^^^^
Also not quite the same as you mention, but when there is a long line of oncoming traffic and somebody wants to turn left. So they will sit there letting traffic back up behind them. Maybe it's foolish but I will forgo my turn to avoid tying up 20 or more cars behind me.

 

[WinterDeere]

50 years ago in Driver's Ed the instructor told us that traffic laws are merely enforced courtesy.

I like that. And it extends to those idiots who don’t accept their posted or legal right-of-way. Few things piss me off more than some idiot, usually older men, who stop traffic and wave someone thru, against the legal right of way. It most often happens when they’re turning off the main road, I’m stuck behind them, and they’re waiving some other too-slow driver onto the main road in front me me.

Traffic laws are not discretionary, don’t go making up your own, just get the F out of my way and follow the law.

 

[square1]

^^^^
Also not quite the same as you mention, but when there is a long line of oncoming traffic and somebody wants to turn left. So they will sit there letting traffic back up behind them. Maybe it's foolish but I will forgo my turn to avoid tying up 20 or more cars behind me.

That's is a wonderful gesture.
Was 2nd in line at the stop sign while going straight through a normally busy 2 lane last Wednesday afternoon (t-day traffic making it even worse). The vehicle in front of me wanted to turn left. There was no 2nd line of traffic in our direction.
There was a long line of tree service trucks turning right opposite us. Every opportunity the fool turning left in front of me could have turned he waived one of the trees service trucks through until they were all gone. Meanwhile traffic built up to at least a half dozen vehicles behind me. I didn't act on it, but I swear there are times road rage has a place (not serious of course).

 

[square1]

As for merging, there are several factors. What am I driving? Tow vehicle & trailer? I'm merging at the first opportunity.
How many semis are in the through lane in front of me? A bunch, I'm staying in the lane that needs to merge for a while. I hardly ever, if ever wait until the last minute. That practice seems to create bottlenecks.

 

[newkiotiguy]

The zipper method does not mean you get to fly to the end of the closed lane then expect someone to slam on their brakes to let you in. The zipper method means when they post a lane closure, you look for a hole, or make a hole (if you're in the thru lane) and start to merge.

That isn't even close to how it is supposed to work. It means every other car goes at the end of the line. It's not hard to figure out but for some it is. It's not for when there are 20 cars on the road. It's for reducing the accordion effect on a long line of traffic.

 

[Jstpssng]

There are a couple of intersections I go through on the way to my mother's which are two lanes through the light, which allows people to get up to speed before merging. Inevitably as soon as the lanes merge traffic slows by about 10mph. This weekend I went through the second intersection and was leaving space for the car on the right. I could tell by the way he was driving I'd regret it and I was right. As near as I could tell he would step on the gas to bring it up to speed; then back off until it dropped 5-10 mph.The only exception was when I could pass, then he'd maintain speed. I followed him for about 12 miles before I was able to get by him, and at that point I stomped on the gas and completely disregarded the speed limit.

Few things piss me off more than some idiot, usually older men, who stop traffic and wave someone thru

Don't feel alone. In the time it takes for them to be "polite" we all could have gotten through.
There is a left turn onto an on ramp I use where people do this. I've been stopped crossways in the road when the light changed from the other direction. On one occasion the guy in front caused me to stop just as the truck was shifting gears. This messed up the computer so I had to pull over into the breakdown lane, shut the truck off and allow it to reset.

 

[steve tym]

That isn't even close to how it is supposed to work. It means every other car goes at the end of the line. It's not hard to figure out but for some it is. It's not for when there are 20 cars on the road. It's for reducing the accordion effect on a long line of traffic.

Sounds like traffic has to come to a stop to make that work.

 

[newkiotiguy]

The traffic is always going to be at a stop in rush hour in road construction. Did you watch any of the videos posted on here? It's truly unbelievable that people can't understand this