How to Merge into One Lane

[Onomea]

This is taken from Narragansett's Daily Chuckle:



While most in Narragansett's thread agreed with the sentiment, 30-30remchester commented:

I have worked with several traffic engineers over the years. #1 is a sore spot with many. The fastest way to back up traffic in any construction zone is a single line of traffic. The dual line "zipper" method moves traffic considerably faster. Our state even has sighs to use both lanes till the restricted area and to not bunch up in one single line.

LVSteve, our resident erstwhile Englishman and car/driving aficionado, too, indicated that he agreed with this, and thought American driver reluctance to allow others to merge in front of them silly.

I, too, read somewhere, in a newspaper or a magazine, years ago, that the most efficient way to make progress for all is to advance to the end of the lane that must merge with the other, and then merge. I will not pull out of my lane to jump cars ahead of me, but if my lane is clear, I don't think it is rude to advance to the end of my lane until I must merge.

So, let's try a scientific approach. An S&W Forum poll, if I can make the poll thing work..

 

[Kenna]

Wheres merge when you can but drive in both lanes as long as you can blocking others????

 

[kamloops67]

Wheres merge when you can but drive in both lanes as long as you can blocking others????

Sometimes you wanna follow those guys home …;-)

 

[Kanewpadle]

I will not let you in. You can wait respectfully like everyone else.

I believe that the way you drive says a lot about you. The people here in western Washington are extremely selfish. Most of them have a me first attitude. They expect you to let them in. Some of them will force their way in.

I drive 60 miles round trip. I see these idiots every day. It's forced me to buy a front and rear dash cam.

Plan ahead. Be patient and respectful. You'll get there eventually.

 

[pasound]

Needs an additional technique for merging - be at highway speed when you merge.

Three interstates and a multi-lane "Appalachian Corridor" bisect my city. Speed limits in the city is 60, highway outside is 70. That means everyone (including the 50' semis) are doing 70 in town and 80+ outside. I am glad my small Nissan has great acceleration.

 

[Muss Muggins]

This is what MODOT says to do. I'm no expert . . .

Fact Finders: Merge early or late when one lane is closed?

 

[Kanewpadle]

This is what MODOT says to do. I'm no expert . . .

Fact Finders: Merge early or late when one lane is closed?

The zipper merge is understandable for scheduled or even unscheduled road closures.

But when you're on a 4 lane highway and you know the right lane ends because a mile back a sign says so, plan ahead!

 

[fordson]

Naples Rules: Make a new lane….
For those who have driven in Naples IT, you know what I'm talking about……

 

[jbtrucker]

I try to get in line in advance and will let you in if you are considerate and use your turn signal. I used to get mad but after 35 years driving it's just another day with Dumb A** drivers it won't never change

 

[BC38]

I can't vote for either - my approach is somewhere in between. I'll merge ahead off the lane ending, but I'm not going to jump into the first possible opening either, that just locks you into a longer backup.

 

[Beemerguy53]

This is what MODOT says to do. I'm no expert . . .

Fact Finders: Merge early or late when one lane is closed?

From the link you posted...

"MoDot says if we change the way we merge, we can cut back-ups by 40-to-50-percent."

"We want to the traveling public to use both lanes. Because that route prevents the congestion, keeps people moving... because if you use just one lane, the traffic is going to back up. But if you're using both lanes, then you're using the most amount of space that's possible," commented MoDot Springfield Resident Engineer Brad Gripka.

But hey, what does he know? He's only a traffic engineer. And cutting traffic backups is nowhere near as important as proving your manhood by keeping other people from merging, right?

 

[LVSteve]

The primary reason the zipper doesn't work in the US is because 99% of drivers here have never been taught a proper following distance. In the UK we are taught that once you get above 45 mph you leave a two-second gap to the vehicle in front. At 70 mph that is 204 ft. Yes, you read that right, two-thirds of a football field.

I can assure you from personal experience that doing this sends US born drivers as my passengers into a fit of asphalt agoraphobia. They squirm in their seat, mumbling about "keeping up with traffic" and eyeing the exposed road with suspicion, like one of the critters from a Tremors movie is about to burst up through the surface. If I point out after five minutes I am the exact same distance back from the car in front, so I am "keeping up", the mumbling becomes a whine of "But you're not UP with them?" At this point I am unsure if I should laugh or cry. Why would I want to be closer?

Now, if you think about it, 204 ft is plenty of room for a zipper merge with no slowing, but the major mental block I describe above means that it cannot be done right in this country. People are too bunched up to start with so traffic always has to slow when people start merging in to maintain any kind of following distance. Add in the ones who will always charge to the front for the reason I mentioned elsewhere, and we get the congestion we all know and hate.

 

[paplinker]

The Pa turnpike and RT 80 are notorious for lane closures. They just started using signage to use the zipper method.

What is happening is that people see the one lane in 2 miles sign and merge at that point. That quickly turns a 2 mile back up of course into a four mile backup. Then what happens is that the back up gets so long people don't know whats happening because the lane is backed up miles before the first merge sign pops up. At times a one lane backup can be 5-10 miles deep even before a sign is ever read. It turns the whole thing into a mess.

Having these merge here signs hopefully will turn a mess into something better than people cutting in late because they have to and hopefully less accidents and road rage.

I have driven this road for 43 years so I understand whats likely to happen but many are from all over the country or others who plain just don't care.

 

[Beemerguy53]

Good points, LVSteve. In the USA, if you leave a safe following distance between you and the car in front of you, somebody will dive in and occupy it.

In Germany, in addition to the speed cameras that adorn the highways, there are automatic tailgating cameras in use. While I really hate the whole Big Brother aspect of this, from personal observation I can tell you that drivers in Germany do not tailgate for the most part...

Tailgating detection

 

[Onomea]

I will not let you in. You can wait respectfully like everyone else. ..

I think being respectful means using your turn signal and waiting patiently for a driver in the lane you want to merge to slow, indicating "go ahead and merge." I find many drivers don't want to allow you to merge, and will speed up when they see my turn signal. But I find if I wait, turn signal on, pretty soon, a driver will slow for me, allowing me to merge.

I drive fairly aggressively, the car and me, I mean, but whenever I see a driver ahead of me signaling it wants to enter my lane, I pause and wait.

I can't vote for either - my approach is somewhere in between. I'll merge ahead off the lane ending, but I'm not going to jump into the first possible opening either, that just locks you into a longer backup.

This. This is what I do if one can merge at a reasonable speed. But when it is bumper to bumper, stop and go, I will go to the very end to merge.

The other thing I'd like to point out is the gap between your car and the car in front of you. The point LVSteve makes. More space is better. It is safer. And if everyone is going 80 MPH, and someone wants to get in front of you in that big gap, so what? And conversely, if it is stop and go, what's a car length lost?

---

So far, 81% are with the merge as soon as possible camp. Interesting. Maybe this is because US drivers feel insulted or challenged or whatever when someone wants to merge in front of them?

 

[soFlaNative]

I'm gonna start an over/under on any traffic related thread

.
Regular as my after morning coffee constitutional.

99% of drivers here have never been taught

 

[Beemerguy53]

...What is happening is that people see the one lane in 2 miles sign and merge at that point. That quickly turns a 2 mile back up of course into a four mile backup. Then what happens is that the back up gets so long people don't know whats happening because the lane is backed up miles before the first merge sign pops up. At times a one lane backup can be 5-10 miles deep even before a sign is ever read. It turns the whole thing into a mess...

Thanks for your succinct and excellent explanation of what happens when people merge before they have to.

I would add that what compounds the problem is that those drivers who've merged earlier than they had to then resent anybody else merging after they did. They act as if folks who use the entire lane before merging are somehow "butting in line". I've even seen early mergers straddle lanes or maneuver their cars to keep people behind them from merging. It's astonishing...

 

[Model 19 6"]

In This case I enjoy seeing a 18 wheeler move over and block them from passing.

 

[dmar]

Thanks for your succinct and excellent explanation of what happens when people merge before they have to.

I would add that what compounds the problem is that those drivers who've merged earlier than they had to then resent anybody else merging after they did. They act as if folks who use the entire lane before merging are somehow "butting in line". I've even seen early mergers straddle lanes or maneuver their cars to keep people behind them from merging. It's astonishing...

I agree with the above. I'll be direct here, so apologies in advance. With all due respect to people who just fall in line way too soon at a lane merge, they really don't understand the proper way to navigate a merge.

As cited in a couple of posts by various state traffic departments, it's inefficient to leave an open lane unoccupied. All lanes that are open to traffic are free to be occupied and that space should be utilized. At the point of the actual merge then there should be an alternating, or zipper merge. The proper and respectful thing is to alternate allowing vehicles into the lane. Unfortunately those that are ignorant to proper procedure, or just feel that they need to fall in line early, get upset with vehicles that go down the empty lane then merge at the end. Sorry, but that's on you, not the other guy. Drivers using the empty lane should do so at a safe speed if they are next to a stopped line of merging traffic. Always signal to merge, and always allow for alternating merging.

And yes, I always try keep a safe distance behind the car in front of me. Tailgating is one of the most dangerous things to do on the roadway.

 

[Rustyt1953]

 

[coltle6920]

I already said my piece in a thread that I probably started not too long ago. I gave as an example 3 lanes cut down to 2 right before an intersection controlled by a traffic light.

My policy is simple... Traffic lights don't last that long. Once the "train" gets moving don't expect it to slow down to let you in. As Spock would say "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few". When the light turns red then and only then would I think about letting you in.

There's nothing arrogant about how I feel. People are always allowed to merge when traffic is already stopped. I see it every day. Traffic stopped at a light and someone is trying to exit from a gas station (or similar) to get on the road. No problem. Just don't try it once the traffic is moving.

 

[Rustyt1953]

Rudeness begets rudeness.

Courtesy begets courtesy.

Kindness begets kindness.

Put me down for the last two.

 

[ladder13]

Road behavior is very impersonal, drivers gonna do what they please, especially the ones with illegal tint, and then we have the German imports and Dodge Chargers.

Good luck leaving 10ft ifo you nevermind 204. You never saw four cars try to piggyback when you let one in?

I get a kick out of the drivers who try to get around the last second mergers when there is virtually no pavement left.

 

[Tom S.]

Good points, LVSteve. In the USA, if you leave a safe following distance between you and the car in front of you, somebody will dive in and occupy it.

In Germany, in addition to the speed cameras that adorn the highways, there are automatic tailgating cameras in use. While I really hate the whole Big Brother aspect of this, from personal observation I can tell you that drivers in Germany do not tailgate for the most part...

Tailgating detection

What's the next logical step - shutting off a car that made a turn without using their turn signal?

 

[Alton]

If traffic is heavy go to the end of the lane before merging, if traffic is light merge asap

 

[kozmic]

There are usually signs well in advance of lane closures and areas to merge lanes. I may not necessarily switch with the first sign a mile out, but more often than not within a 1/2 mile or so with my blinker on and a friendly "thank you wave" to the person who let's me in.
As far as letting folks in, please don't come screwing up behind everyone at highway speeds and then try to cut in at the very last second. Chances are you'll be waiting until I've passed. I'm all for courtesy to other drivers, there are limits.

 

[Breakaway500]

So I guess using the barrels as slalom run is a no go?

 

[zeke]

If traffic is heavy go to the end of the lane before merging, if traffic is light merge asap

As pointed out, there are varying circumstances. When merging into normal traffic at normal speeds, am going to merge as soon as safe. Am not considering this the same as backed up stop and go traffic, which requires someone to let you merge. We have constant construction on the main north-south highway just outside of town. Am going to merge over as soon as safely possible, as the speed limit drops from 65 mph to 55 mph. Driving up to the choke point and then trying to merge into fast traffic is dangerous, and ill advised (am trying to be polite here).

As far as traffic engineers pushing "zipper" merging, it appears to just use the blocked lane for storage and making the traffic line shorter. If people followed it, it may also keep people from being stuck in the blocked lane for excessive time periods.

Only so many cars can pass a single point at a time. The only way to increase the flow is to increase velocity. My respect for our states traffic "engineers" stopped when they tried to ignore centuries of concrete construction to eliminate joints in the concrete. Granted they figured it out after paving the highway from southern to northern boundaries years ago.

 

[Greyman50]

Gee, what happened to alternate merge???? Used to see signs posted years ago.

 

[Onomea]

That's the "zipper" method mentioned above. In some countries, this is the custom. No signs needed because everyone does it.

(Other countries, e.g., India, it's absolute bedlam. Much worse than anything over here.)

So far, a mere 22% zipperheads on the forum.