Current Events > Why do people merge so early on closed lanes?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Like for example the left lane is closing soon but you have a while to merge. WHy the fuck do people merge before the merging point?

You slow down the overall flow of traffic because youre blocking the lane trying to get into a congested lane.
---

So you have the right of way and your not that asshat that forces his way in
---

judasmaiden15 posted...

So you have the right of way and your not that asshat that forces his way in

---

Because you're supposed to merge as soon as it's safe, not at the last goddamn minute
---

I remember they were working on some bridge and this dude gunned it to try to cut off the 8 or so cars that were in the correct lane. He was deliberately being an asshole. Everybody sped up though and he had to slam on his brakes before either crashing into another car or falling 40 feet over the edge.
---

DavidWong posted...

Because you're supposed to merge as soon as it's safe, not at the last goddamn minute

---

You guys have no idea how traffic works.
---

gna647 posted...

You guys have no idea how traffic works.

We know how traffic actually works, not the way civil engineers think it works,
---

DavidWong posted...

Because you're supposed to merge as soon as it's safe, not at the last goddamn minute

Nope. Merge at the merge point, in a zipper-like fashion.

Early merging makes it worse for everyone.

https://www.dot.state.mn.us/zippermerge/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wgSjstvsPc" data-time="

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/13/us/why-last-second-lane-mergers-are-good-for-traffic.html

Colorado started to promote the late merge during a highway project more than 10 years ago. Signs were posted, starting two miles from the point of the lane closing. The first signs read, Use both lanes during congestion. The next signs said, Use both lanes to the merge point. When the lane was ending, the last signs read: Take turns. Merge here.

The result? A 15 percent increase in the volume of cars moving through the work zone and a 50 percent decrease in the length of the line, K.C. Matthews, a traffic specifications and standards engineer at the Colorado Department of Transportation, said in an interview last week.

PSA while I'm at it -- if you're in the left hand lane, and you're going equal to or slower than traffic, and your adjacent lane is clear -- yield.
---

philsov posted...

DavidWong posted...

Because you're supposed to merge as soon as it's safe, not at the last goddamn minute

Nope. Merge at the merge point, in a zipper-like fashion.

Early merging makes it worse for everyone.

https://www.dot.state.mn.us/zippermerge/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wgSjstvsPc" data-time="

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/13/us/why-last-second-lane-mergers-are-good-for-traffic.html

Colorado started to promote the late merge during a highway project more than 10 years ago. Signs were posted, starting two miles from the point of the lane closing. The first signs read, Use both lanes during congestion. The next signs said, Use both lanes to the merge point. When the lane was ending, the last signs read: Take turns. Merge here.

The result? A 15 percent increase in the volume of cars moving through the work zone and a 50 percent decrease in the length of the line, K.C. Matthews, a traffic specifications and standards engineer at the Colorado Department of Transportation, said in an interview last week.

PSA while I'm at it -- if you're in the left hand lane, and you're going equal to or slower than traffic, and your adjacent lane is clear -- yield.

You know what happens then? People in the middle lane pull into the merging lane like assholes and speed ahead.
---

DavidWong posted...

You know what happens then? People in the middle lane pull into the merging lane like assholes and speed ahead.

Good. Those lanes are to be used for travel, not to lay fallow. Then they'll orderly merge at the merge point. If everyone is the asshole, it's a net positive. Congestion behind them will be alleviated and there won't be any asshole bypassing them.
---

philsov posted...

DavidWong posted...

You know what happens then? People in the middle lane pull into the merging lane like assholes and speed ahead.

Good. Those lanes are to be used for travel, not to lay fallow. Then they'll orderly merge at the merge point. If everyone is the asshole, it's a net positive. Congestion behind them will be alleviated and there won't be any asshole bypassing them.

Doesn't work.like that in Australia. People are too passive, I think. It just causes congestion because they delay their merge and then merge slowly.
---

All the traffic would flow better if there weren't fucking assholes squeezing in to the front of the line. That shit pisses me off so much.
---

Because speeding up so you can merge at the last possible second slows shit down. If you know the lane is closing there is nothing wrong with taking an opportunity to merge early...I fuckin hate when the lane is a few feet from closing and some asshole speeds up in the merging lane to get ahead of 3 or 4 cars, forcing everyone to break and slowing things down even more.
---

TheVipaGTS posted...

Because speeding up so you can merge at the last possible second slows shit down. If you know the lane is closing there is nothing wrong with taking an opportunity to merge early...I fuckin hate when the lane is a few feet from closing and some asshole speeds up in the merging lane to get ahead of 3 or 4 cars, forcing everyone to break and slowing things down even more.

Wouldn't be a problem if everyone just zipper merged.
---

TheVipaGTS posted...

I fuckin hate when the lane is a few feet from closing and some asshole speeds up in the merging lane to get ahead of 3 or 4 cars, forcing everyone to break and slowing things down even more.

If everyone merged at the merge point there wouldn't be a 3-4 car gap that some asshole could utilize in the first place. Early mergers caused that gap.
---

Kavatar posted...

TheVipaGTS posted...

Because speeding up so you can merge at the last possible second slows shit down. If you know the lane is closing there is nothing wrong with taking an opportunity to merge early...I fuckin hate when the lane is a few feet from closing and some asshole speeds up in the merging lane to get ahead of 3 or 4 cars, forcing everyone to break and slowing things down even more.

Wouldn't be a problem if everyone just zipper merged.

Shut the fuck up with this shit. Zipper merge my ass.
---

DavidWong posted...

You know what happens then? People in the middle lane pull into the merging lane like assholes and speed ahead.

If you could read you'd realize in the ideal scenario both lanes are in use so that can't happen.
---

TheCyborgNinja posted...

I remember they were working on some bridge and this dude gunned it to try to cut off the 8 or so cars that were in the correct lane. He was deliberately being an asshole. Everybody sped up though and he had to slam on his brakes before either crashing into another car or falling 40 feet over the edge.

10/10
---

Nobody ever yields. When traffic is busy and I merge late I end up stopped on the road merging I to moving traffic. Usually I just cut someone off a little earlier because there's no choice, I'm moving with traffic and they aren't yielding so they can have the side of my car. Traffic here is shit though. Most cities I've driven in aren't anywhere near as bad about it.
---

gna647 posted...

You slow down the overall flow of traffic because youre blocking the lane trying to get into a congested lane.

Much better than totally stoping traffic because you have to force your way in. Would you yield to the merging car?
---

philsov posted...

Nope. Merge at the merge point, in a zipper-like fashion.

People are assholes and don't yield.
---

Ever been the guy at the end of the line, stopped and trying to get in? It sucks and even if a big enough gap opens up, the people behind you will take it before it gets to you

Honestly it would be 1000% better if all city traffic was entirely automated. Cars could go the speed limit all the time. Speed limits could be increased.
---

philsov posted...

DavidWong posted...

Because you're supposed to merge as soon as it's safe, not at the last goddamn minute

Nope. Merge at the merge point, in a zipper-like fashion.

Early merging makes it worse for everyone.

https://www.dot.state.mn.us/zippermerge/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wgSjstvsPc" data-time="

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/13/us/why-last-second-lane-mergers-are-good-for-traffic.html

Colorado started to promote the late merge during a highway project more than 10 years ago. Signs were posted, starting two miles from the point of the lane closing. The first signs read, Use both lanes during congestion. The next signs said, Use both lanes to the merge point. When the lane was ending, the last signs read: Take turns. Merge here.

The result? A 15 percent increase in the volume of cars moving through the work zone and a 50 percent decrease in the length of the line, K.C. Matthews, a traffic specifications and standards engineer at the Colorado Department of Transportation, said in an interview last week.

PSA while I'm at it -- if you're in the left hand lane, and you're going equal to or slower than traffic, and your adjacent lane is clear -- yield.

Yeah, we have one of those every 50 feet. Nine times out of ten, some moron panics and brings traffic to a complete stop to merge.

If you fuck up, then fix your mistake at your own inconvenience. Selfish drivers cause fatalities.
---

The problem is late or early merge it is not being at speed with the flow of traffic
---

Pitlord_Special posted...

Ever been the guy at the end of the line, stopped and trying to get in? It sucks and even if a big enough gap opens up, the people behind you will take it before it gets to you

I see this happen all the time.

There's ALWAYS a selfish prick who doesn't want to wait their turn and zips in before you. I've lost count of how many accidents I've seen caused by these derpbags.
---

P4wn4g3 posted...

Nobody ever yields. When traffic is busy and I merge late I end up stopped on the road merging I to moving traffic. Usually I just cut someone off a little earlier because there's no choice, I'm moving with traffic and they aren't yielding so they can have the side of my car. Traffic here is shit though. Most cities I've driven in aren't anywhere near as bad about it.

Youd be found at fault for that.
---

It's really all dependent on traffic. If traffic is moving fairly smoothly then there's no reason to not merge as soon as it's safe. If traffic is stopped, then you're just a dick for merging if there's still a ways to go before the lane ends, since you're just contributing to traffic.

Also start using your turn signals and blind spots, unless you live in like India or something there's no reason to be driving on the shoulder every time.
---

EscapeFromHell posted...

Pitlord_Special posted...

Ever been the guy at the end of the line, stopped and trying to get in? It sucks and even if a big enough gap opens up, the people behind you will take it before it gets to you

I see this happen all the time.

There's ALWAYS a selfish prick who doesn't want to wait their turn and zips in before you. I've lost count of how many accidents I've seen caused by these derpbags.

When an emergency vehicle goes past and everybody pulls to the shoulder. People behind you will try to speed up and overtake you after it passes, to be first in line. I always just pull out. Nope!
---

Payzmaykr posted...

EscapeFromHell posted...

Pitlord_Special posted...

Ever been the guy at the end of the line, stopped and trying to get in? It sucks and even if a big enough gap opens up, the people behind you will take it before it gets to you

I see this happen all the time.

There's ALWAYS a selfish prick who doesn't want to wait their turn and zips in before you. I've lost count of how many accidents I've seen caused by these derpbags.

When an emergency vehicle goes past and everybody pulls to the shoulder. People behind you will try to speed up and overtake you after it passes, to be first in line. I always just pull out. Nope!

I hear you, but sometimes they're so close you just have to let them be their selfish selves, or risk getting into an accident.

I'm kind of lucky, in a sense, because I have mild .5 second road rage, and then I'm fine. Like, I'll get cut off in an intersection (of all places) and I'll yell, "You fucking asshole!" or something, then, as if I'm bipolar, I'll think to myself, "Did I forget to take the trash out last night?" :D
---

Payzmaykr posted...

P4wn4g3 posted...

Nobody ever yields. When traffic is busy and I merge late I end up stopped on the road merging I to moving traffic. Usually I just cut someone off a little earlier because there's no choice, I'm moving with traffic and they aren't yielding so they can have the side of my car. Traffic here is shit though. Most cities I've driven in aren't anywhere near as bad about it.

Youd be found at fault for that.

Which is why I merge with the flow of traffic instead
---

Honest answer? I don't trust that I'll be let in at the end of the lane.

The "zipper merge" relies on people being confident that the drivers at the end of the lane will let them in when in the US you are more likely to have people intentionally make an effort to cram together to prevent you from safely merging.

In most states in the US you are actually legally at fault if someone speeds up to cut you off while you try to merge and you run into them.

the worst is when people just have to get where they're going in such a hurry they can't let one car through. People are assholes when they're driving and I thought I was doing them a favor by not jetting out at the first opportunity but the favor isn't returned lol.

Honestly since I live near such a busy road I'm just gonna start gunning it as soon as it looks like I can get on the road. Fuck em if they have to slow down to not hit me
---

Atralis posted...

Honest answer? I don't trust that I'll be let in at the end of the lane.

The "zipper merge" relies on people being confident that the drivers at the end of the lane will let them in when in the US you are more likely to have people intentionally make an effort to cram together to prevent you from safely merging.

Pro-tip: They're gonna let you merge regardless. And you're causing less traffic for everyone because you're keeping the ratios of cars on the highway to cars in the merge lane closer to 1:1 instead of 15:1, because if you stop or even slowdown halfway before the lane ends just to merge, I can guarantee another five cars are gonna just cruise on down to the end of the lane and get in front of you.
---

Ive tried to explain zipper merging to people here and it just doesnt click. Ive even seen people go half way into the closing lane like a dick to keep people from passing them.
---

What bigger assholes do here is theyll drive in an exit only lane to speed ahead of traffic and then switch back out of the exit only lane and cause traffic for everyone else in the lane next to the exit only one

Because people don't understand zipper formation. Instead they think they're being righteous or they think they own the lane. Either way is usually boils down to power tripping, it's something people can have control over.
---

CruelBuffalo posted...

What bigger assholes do here is theyll drive in an exit only lane to speed ahead of traffic and then switch back out of the exit only lane and cause traffic for everyone else in the lane next to the exit only one

Yes that's wrong. If I catch someone doing that I usually will close the gap because screw people like that.
---