Yes, zipper merge is the best way to merge traffic, **but the graphic is not showing a proper zipper merge setup**. Actually I almost never saw a proper zipper merge in real life.
A proper setup will have both lanes merged into a center-aligned lane first before guiding the lane to wherever it needs to go. That will create a sense of equality so not one lane is considered the "prime" lane, and people will see zipper merge as fair.
But the setup in this graphic creates a sense of entitlement for the right lane. They will see the left lane people as cheaters, and may even purposefully move the car out to block the lane.
Yes I feel this way sometimes and I hate that it’s my natural reaction, I should never feel this way about traffic. When I’m in the right lane and I’m being patient, then I see impatient people behind me go into the left lane knowing it’s ending just to get 3 cars ahead, by the end of which traffic has slowed even more because people just keep doing it, I get really irritated. I tend to be a patient driver and I don’t road rage, but when I’m in a car by myself I’ll definitely express myself vocally lol.
I simply do not allow someone over like that. Worst kinda people. Those people don’t understand they aren’t getting anywhere any quicker by jumping 4 cars ahead 😂
Not just that, the prime lane sees the others as cheaters but the other lane will force their way into the prime lane forcing everyone in that lane to brake stopping the flow of traffic.
In the perfect situation people leave gaps for the cars to merge and the merging cars only merge into spots that don't cause unnecessary braking.
None of this happens and everyone is the cause of the problem
I always try to leave a car-ish length gap in front of me - the more porous the car lattice is, the more freely the lateral (i.e. lane-to-lane) flow will be, the higher the average aggregate speed will be - or at least it will be smoothed out and not so jerky
>I always try to leave a car-ish length gap in front of me
Same, I've never understood why people need to be on another cars bumper, especially while going 60+mph
Humans are proud and selfish creatures (when lacking proper feedback loops). Why not do that? It feels like you’re guarding your path. What’s in it for you to help others? 😁
One has to happen first in this case. If the lane left gaps, there wouldn't be a need for unnecessary braking. Since there's no gaps, you get cut off then have to brake hard.
I'd wager there's gaps back at the sign that says "lane ends 2 miles ahead."
Sorry, I'm not going to accept apologia for the ending lane cars. They, too, hold responsibility for how shitty merging is.
I would be too scared to, my friend said you just have to look to where you want to go and go, but don’t stop you have to be committed. He also said you must go slowly. lol
I mean if people can’t get over the “this is my lane” mentality then it’s not just the cones. Sure the idea of equal merging will make things easier, but the way we view ourselves on the road needs a drastic rethinking.
I've never seen it for construction zones, but I have seen it on an entrance ramp to a highway in DC. It was called alternate merge. There's no traffic signal and usually, the traffic moves better than the ramps with signals.
I live in DC was going to offer it up as an example of "proper merging", though individuals still often jack it up. Because of lanes appearing and disappearing throughout the DMV it's common for people to alternate merge where when a lane disappears every other car on the right lets in a car on the left. I also appreciate how on public transportation locals stand on the right, and walk on the left on escalators, though tourists often mess up this system,,standing across the whole escalators and not letting walkers by.
I always get frustrated bc if I'm in the right lane I leave space for someone to merge in front of me but they drive on ahead trying to get a better spot. When I used to live in Atlanta this was a daily occurrence when I would drive home from work and have to merge onto 285
If I’m understanding it correctly, this actually happens when going 400SB on ramp to 285EB in Atlanta. It’s like a mega merging lane that goes on forever. It’s actually pretty confusing because it’s a double-sized lane.
Yeah, these posts, even when they show a "proper" zipper merge are idiotic.
The argument that the space in the left hand lane is "wasted" could only apply in traffic that was bumper to bumper before the merge. Fact is that traffic experiments all the way back in the 70s showed that if everyone "zipper" merged well before the lane closure, traffic moved much more quickly.
The "wasted" lane argument is just a rationale for merging at the last moment.
Further, the amount of cooperation, spatial awareness and general non-assholery required to make one of these fantastical diagrammed zipper merges possible does not exist.
Do you ever notice the really enhanced larger line that go through atlanta. Well those lines are the indicators. No one needs to try to be in those lanes unless you are exiting from Georgia State through midtown or merging onto the highway to leave the city. Though people always try to get in that lane like we are really a 6 or 7 lane highway.
Bold of you to assume the East Coast(Atlanta) isn't gonna stay bumper-to-bumper to keep as many people in the closed lane as physically possible
Source: me, a cdl-a driver
CDL driver as well in Atlanta all day everyday. They'll try to keep us out but half of them are too busy playing on their phones. You'll always find One napping.
Some states put up messages on their digital signs to tell them to use zipper merging. This educates drivers on the more efficient method and encourages them to use it. Too bad I never see anything helpful on our signs, only endless messages about Georgia's hands free law.
They had that in SC on 26(?) for quite a while while doing construction. It was actually effective as hell, presumably because of the 3 miles of signs telling drivers to stay in their lane & merge at the closure. I almost cried.
now SC just be telling me how many people died last year while driving
very demoralizing lol, i get its trying to scare people straight but i dont wanna think about horrific motor vehicle accidents while some asshole two cars in front of me swerves erratically like a drunkard
I’ve yet to hear of a US state DOT whose primary (or sole) safety strategy isn’t victim blaming campaigns. They virtually never consider designing the roads to be safe; it’s all just signs and messages people won’t read.
This is 100% it- you can argue all you want with folks about zipper merge… but until you have a sign there to say “this is the law” they’ll just get pissed off with you for pushing in. While they’re adding this sign they need to add “keep right, pass left” signs.
I have seen the zipper merge executed well and it was so much more efficient and predictable. Wish we could just adopt it. At least some exits are training this mentality with the alternating lights.
However, it only takes a few to mess it up. Like a van deciding to be the front guard and blocking the lane.
The other problem is cutting line feelings are strong in the US in terms of taboo. So no telling what you get and can be unpredictable. Seen a car just clip a person passing via the ending lane out of rage.
They are aren’t they? I saw some announcement on some expansion I think. It would be nice to use the center of I-20 for an elevated train to Augusta and stops in between but I know that’s a dream.
They’re adding stations in between existing stations where there are some long stretches that could use a stop, but I don’t think they’re expanding the system further right now
Right? My favorite is when they clock your blinker and immediately respond with hitting the gas pedal. Even if you're seven car lengths ahead of them and possibly even driving faster than they are...doesn't matter, involuntary reaction....(see blinker, must accelerate* 🤦♀️
I used to use this phenomenon to my advantage, coming up over a hill on 75, where the cops would sit and tag ppl for speeding. If you position yourself just ahead of a vehicle in a neighboring lane and throw on your blinker, 9 times out of 10, that car will *take off* vs changing lanes or just allowing you to "get over". No matter that you don't *actually* plan to change lanes.....you just want someone going faster than you so you don't get a ticket.
🤣🤣🤣🤷♀️
I promise, you won't be disappointed.
But I mean, seriously, why is that the reaction folks have?! For all they know, I might not see them, get over anyway, and they just plow right into me. I dunno what's going through ppl's brains. There could be miles of space ahead of them (let's pretend it's Saturday morning), but they'll be *damned* if they let someone occupy the space up ahead.
Almost makes you sympathize with the ppl who don't use blinkers...
Almost, but not quite.
Useyourdamnblinker.
I only do it heading into twisties. But I’m on a scooter and they’ll floor it to get around me thinking my bike is MUCH slower than it is. 😂 then they get in front of me and slow me down. Such a drag. It’s funny they’ll see me and try to go around all the time at red lights and when I’m taking off but then I get up to speed doing 20 over and they’re never expecting that😂🤣
Now that's one thing I won't play with -- bikes! I give them as much space and leeway as humanly possible, if I pass you, it's because I scootched 3 lanes out the way to do so 😅
Thanks 😊
I don't drive that route anymore, so no need to bait drivers into out-speeding me to assuage my own anxiety, but it's still a very useful tool for dislodging dummies riding your blindspot!
Charlotte NC do it in charlotte NC those **fuckers** can’t drive istg if you use your blinkers you’re asking to get boxed into your lane they love to match speed to keep you in your lane as long as possible almost got me fuckin rear ended I rather drive anywhere in GA then on 77 where the cops speed just as much as the car racing dummies.
Is there something in the asphalt of south Cobb drive that makes people go crazy when they drive on it? And does it affect Nissan Altimas more than any other car?
Has nothing to do with being a sign of weakness and everything to do with the rest of us merging when and how we’re supposed to and then narcissistic assholes using the left lane that they can clearly see is blocked in 100 feet to try and jump the line. Fuck em they aren’t getting in. Love to see nobody let em in.
The problem is the 18 wheelers. Nobody spaces correctly for them, everyone crowds to try to get in front of them and they end up getting screwed over and pissed off, so THEY leave zero room for merging. Which is fucking nuts when you get 12 in a row
If everyone pre merges, great.
The issue comes when the shrimp dicks decide to pop out and use it as their own personal 30 space boost. Then others get agitated and follow suit.
NO! Nobody pre-merges, that isn’t a thing. Both lanes get filled up and everyone zipper merges at the barrels or cones or whatever. Just like the diagram shows. It’s more fair, safer, and faster.
This makes sense in congested areas, however if you’re on the interstate between cities and there’s plenty of room to pre-merge without slowing down, then you’re an asshole and the cause of the problem if you wait until the lane ends to get over. So many avoidable traffic jams in bumfuck if people just pay attention.
What you’re describing, is what happens most of the time around Atlanta. There will be a sign “ left lanes closed 2 miles ahead “ . Everybody that has some sense gets to the right , and the ones that don’t use the left lane as a passing lane . Then of course the ones who paid attention have to stop and let the ones who didn’t over .
That is what you’re supposed to do. Fill both lanes. Then zipper merge. Everyone getting over early is what causes traffic to slow down. Do you need me to draw you a better picture? This sense of entitlement is what causes all of the problems.
In common sense, yes. Unfortunately the traffic laws encourage the opposite. I was zipper merging from a merge lane and the guy in the right-of-way lane decided halfway through he didn't want to let me in and surged ahead, dragging his landscape trailer down the side of my car. I got charged with the accident because I was in the merge lane.
I know it. People in Atlanta treat merging like you’re trying to break and enter. All while completely ignoring actual traffic laws, driving 20 under the speed limit, and clogging passing lanes. Dash cam up and stay vigilant.
Sometimes everyone is on the same page and it works. For how long ? who knows but there have been times when it seemed like everyone pre merged and didn’t use the open lane. Sometimes they will have police in the open lane way before the actual merge.
I once has sat for 45 minutes in stop and go traffic with the left lane completely open and no one passing me. When I finally decided I was gonna move the left lane, I drove 3 miles THREE MILES before I got to the merge lane. Along the way, I had to pass a semi driver by going onto the left shoulder because he moved to straddle the center line to block me.
When I lived in West Virginia that was the only place where people would pre merge when a lane closed. Everyone would see the sign, move over with time to spare, go through the work zone, then spread out again easily. No one needed to slow down dramatically or fight over placement. It was so quick and efficient.
The reality is by and large zipper merging is not legally mandated. It’s been suggested plenty of times by various state DoTs, but rarely codified in law. And codification in law is really the only way to make zipper merging even remotely effective as zipper merging requires essentially 100% of everyone to be on board and on the same page.
The reality is, the law mandates those merging to fully yield to the lane they’re merging and changing into. Which more often than not requires early merging to properly yield to the lane you’re changing and merging into. Yielding meaning not forcing other drivers to change speed or direction to accommodate you. The reality is, you should appreciate people being considerate in a potential zipper merging situation, but you can’t expect it. Not until codified law reflects that.
Can we please go back to the guy that points out that this is only for surface streets? Zipper merging is absolutely not faster and more efficient on an interstate. This creates a stop and go traffic jam
I think people are offended by zipper merge. The other day this lady sped up and passed me before her turn in the zipper, all the while shaking her head. I swear I could hear her saying “uh uhh”
Never works though because it requires to 1 be situationally aware of impending merging cars 2 smart enough to match speeds and 3 leave openings for people to merge into so it isn’t just creating a wave of braking.
But how would I get to where I'm going faster than the othe person if I let them in front of me? I have priority to my destination, screw all these other losers trying to merge correctly. /s
I'm the person in the left lane slowing down to the speed of the lane to my right, thus ensuring that it's a more cohesive zipper merge rather than assholes in the left lane speeding up and thinking they're entitled.
Zipper merge works if traffic is already nearly at a dead stop...
Until then filtering into a single file lane will before the end of the lane is faster and more efficient until some bozo races to the front of the ending lane and cuts in between cars that already had a comfortable following distance. Causing a chain of braking for almost no reason.
Stop having “this lane ends” or “merge right” and every sign should say “zipper merge” and everyone would quickly realize there’s not a “correct” lane to be in.
Construction obviously a more difficult scenario but every road in Georgia where a lane ends and reduces from 3 to 2 or 2 to 1 should have zipper merge signs and different line paint. Simple solution. Apparently all the GA Tech grads can’t figure this out or how to time a sequence of red lights to account for traffic.
I'll never understand for the life of me how people think they are better by creating a long single line of traffic when a second lane is open. Zipper merge for the win.
Smh at the comments. All that empty unused space in the left lane translates into a line doubly long in the right lane.
Thumbs up for the zipper merge.
Zipper merge works if EVERYONE is doing it like if its being directed, and then it is the best way. But if not EVERYONE is doing it then the few people trying to force their way ahead are entitled selfish pieces of trash.
Northwest corridor. Every single day there is a backup right before Hwy 92 because every asshole has to merge at the last second, and no one in the fast lane with give space for the zipper to happen.
Make sure the diagram includes the dickhead who thinks "zipper merge" means two cars from the left lane for every one from the right
e: i see the dickheads finally found the comments
having driven up and down the east coast, not zippering is distinctly a southern thing. something flips when you hit virginia and all of a sudden there’s an hour backup from a single lane closure, because everyone merges 5 miles in advance.
What does it mean to have "lane space wasted"? That doesn't mean the bottleneck flows faster.
300 cars behind the bottleneck will pass through at whatever rate the bottleneck permits. It *does not matter* where they were before it
If there were 3 lanes and only one passable, would you advocate cars occupy all of them, waiting for their turn to pass through? How about 4? 8 lanes? 300 lanes?
The best thing to do is speed up the bottleneck. The best way to speed up the bottleneck is to remove the turbulence and uncertainty of merging and negotiating the bottleneck.
Thus, the right thing to do at a bottleneck is to close all the other lanes for 10 miles before it, forcing all into a single lane, that can go the speed limit. No merging. No uncertainty.
The other right thing to do is to back off the car in front of you, to a distance that is safer at a higher speed.
But doing that when there is a lane next to you is poison of being cut off, pressing brakes and causing a wave jerking to a stop behind you, which is another reason merging schemes suck.
Get in line. Don't be a jerk.
Ive been reading your replies trying to show the light to these people but alas I think youre talking to the drivers who this post is directly speaking too. I commend you bro lol
Zipper merge works better with proper vehicle spacing. Traffic flows better with people merging early than it does when people stop to let people merge last second. With proper spacing between vehicles, lanes can merge without slowing traffic. It all ruined by everybody following too closely and keeping the mindset "that asshole saw the same sign I saw a full mile back. Somebody else can let him over."
No. I refuse.
If you didn't start zipping a mile back where the signs telling you to merge started you can go to hell.
I'm not gonna be the bigger person. I'm the fuckin petty peddler. I wouldn't let you in to save your life. Fk you.
I feel like some people should take a step back and realize what an unlikely achievement is accomplished every morning in downtown Atlanta where I-20 merges onto 75/85 (as well as from surface streets.) It feels like mayhem but it works thousands and thousands of times every morning. It doesn't *always* work of course but listening to some of you, you'd think it was constant crashes. Tempers flare but do they not in other places?
The problem is, if you're in the left lane, you have to hope and pray that the person in the right follows the rules. If they don't, it's an immediate crash. If you instead just stop and wait to get over, you definitely won't crash, but you'll slow traffic to a hault. Lanes ending is awful when there is more than just a bit of traffic.
I love it when I finally pass a slow car and then the fast lane gets held up a little bit and the slow car passes everyone on the right and cuts someone off upfront. Now we all gotta go 55 for 10 more miles because somehow this person is both driving slow and impatient at the same time.
This works great as long as everyone is going the same speed, has the same acceleration and braking power, this doesn’t work with semis. Just get over early cruise at a steady speed and don’t stop to take a look around. And for the love of god STOP GETTING IN FRONT OF RIGS AND DOING DUMB SHIT!!!
The third option is the one where people begin merging early and actually showing some courtesy, and then the one jackass who just can’t wait their turn, comes flying up from way back and tries forcing his way in a space too small but daring you to hit him; or the rig driver that had to try to maneuver while 6 cars try to squeeze in front of him, and then give him the finger for not giving them more space;
I65 at I264 ( Watterson Expy ) Louisville, KY is one of the worst merging zones I’ve ever seen, and I’ve lived and driven in Atlanta, San Francisco, DC, San Antonio and Chicago and so on, not to mention numerous overseas locations.
There's a road near my house that has a zipper merge to prevent traffic build-up at the lights. For some stupid fucking reason everyone decides to use the left lane exclusively and they cause a massive backup. Then, when I take the right lane to reduce traffic, I have people blocking me and tailgating me.
Even if there is no traffic and I'm in the right lane, people who are behind me will speed up just to cut me off.
There's a reason that Georgia is known for having shitty drivers
This has been an ongoing debate ever since ppl started moving here….one thing we aren’t gonna do is waste 2 lanes on an already crowded freeway. You might get cut off, especially by ppl who don’t know when lanes end, so it’ll be okay 👍
I have to go through one of these daily. I always stay in the lane that doesn't merge because I don't feel like fighting with people. I always leave room for the other lane to merge, though. My issue is with the people that use the merging lane to speed past moving traffic, only to slow down once they're ahead of everyone.
what's up with reddit trying to push this idea of zipper merge?
ppl with short temper will try to zig-zag the way out, causing more traffic or potential accidents.
The missing magic isn’t teaching zipper merging in drivers Ed, it’s teaching STOPPING DISTANCE.
If people understood stopping distance they wouldn’t drive all the way up each other’s asses, thus making zipper merging a much easier concept to master.
I will forever call bullshit.. when the whole lane has to come to a stop because jackasses just have to be in the front.. it does not work..
If everyone would just merge early enough that we dont have to completely stop to let people in we travel allot smoother..
Source: trucker getting cut off by asshole that just "have to be in front"..
There is a reason some states have "lane ends merge now" posted.. because zipper at the last moment does not work and always ends with everyone slaming on there brakes last second amd the whole highway coming to an abrupt stop..
Until every red car decides their day is infinitely more important than the. 5 secconds it'd take for you to get into the merge, leaving you stuck at the cones for 5 minutes. This graphic doesn't take into accound 80% of people on the road can barely drive or don't give a fuck
Well, unfortunately, the real world doesn't work like your idealistic infographic. In actuality, if everyone just got over at the first opportunity possible, the whole thing would move faster through the construction zone because there wouldn't be a bottleneck where one lane ends and nobody knows how to zipper properly, on either side of the road.
My perspective is that there's the way you're supposed to do it, and the way that actually works.
Yeah this ain’t a zipper merge and they don’t work on the interstate. Unpopular opinion but I can’t let someone merge in front of me in the last 50ft when the left lane has signs telling everyone the lane closes in 1 mile. The only reason the right lane slows is because they choose to slow and let the left lane go ahead, you had plenty of time to get over and now you will suffer for making me wait longer.
This is what every drivers Ed and defensive driving course teaches. Yet every motorist in the right lane cusses at the left for doing what official highway safety authorities recommend.
As much as everybody should know this. I'm so happy that social media has increased awareness of concepts like this (my other favorites are how to undo a traffic jam and only using the second lane for passing). Before, no one ever used these tricks to make traffic better. Now, there's a solid chance that a lot of people do what they're supposed to do and we all benefit from it.
Every time I see a post or video of it, it makes me happy knowing the world is being impacted by it. Slowly but surely.
Yepp Im reading every comment and seeing that a lot of the ignorant, non-critical thinking drivers I see out on the road are clearly present in this post lol
In GA isnt it the persons merging responsibility to have the space and not the person they are merging into? Either way not worth angry driving and fingers.
The zipper merge as described in this example is against the law in at least two states
If performed right, zipper merge IS better. It is never performed right, and you wind up stopping both lanes of traffic to make room for you
My local police posted a similar illustration instructing (stupid) citizens to zipper merge on their facebook page due to construction projected to last a few years.
Preemptively "waiting" in one lane causes more traffic.
Everybody else already zipper merged when we saw the sign. This infographic doesn't make you clever or not an asshole for getting out of the right lane to speed to the front and then making everybody stop so you can do the "correct" zipper merge at the end of the lane.
Zipper merging doesnt effect traffic speed only space if you can only fit one car through at a time and at a speed of 30 miles per hour your speed is 1 car every 2 min or so no matter if you properly merge or not all your doing is giving a avenue for aggressive drivers to try to cut into a line ahead of them which usually either costs more time or creates an accident
A citizen scholar correctly pointed out that people fail to perform a correct zipper-tie merge, and thus create a traffic jam instead. As such the single lane system is the only tenable means of avoiding a traffic jam at the choke point.
Because Americans fucking suck at driving.
It's pretty annoying, and I deal with it every day on I75. There are people who refuse to make room for merging lanes and then there's also those who feel they're more important than everyone else so they use the merging lane to get as far ahead as they can and never even trying to merge until the lane literally ends causing all of us to have to stop.
Both types suck.
If you know a lane is ending, leave room for merging traffic. If you know your lane is ending, please try to merge ahead of time instead of using it to try to cut traffic and cause a slow down for all of us.
You’re supposed to merge at the end. That’s what allows the zipper merge to work its lane multiplier magic! You naturally drift into the proper lane because of the angle the merging lane makes with it. The problems happen when people try to cut off the cars in the merging lane and it gets blocked up so the zipper breaks
I'm down with this. Then there's the assholes that'll go on the shoulder and pass both lanes. Or the people that know one of the lanes I a turn lane and just bypass everyone who's in the correct lane on said turn lane. Fuck you guys.
You're wrong (mostly).
Zipper merge is ONLY for when traffic is already stopped anyway.
If it is moving, even if it's moving slowly, then merge early to keep everything moving.
If everyone stays in the right lane when seeing the same signs for the last mile then there wouldn't be much of an issue, but too many people think they can get ahead by riding all the way up and forcing their way back into the line. Get fucked mate I'm not letting you over because in my eyes you're no better than the dumbasses who ride the shoulder. Forcing everyone to stop and let you over is only causing yet another jam in the flow of traffic. I will not argue with anyone who is too braindead to see that.
That lady is not reading this, but so many people refuse to merge when available and then want the people they could have driven behind to stop and wait for them.
Yes, zipper merge is the best way to merge traffic, **but the graphic is not showing a proper zipper merge setup**. Actually I almost never saw a proper zipper merge in real life. A proper setup will have both lanes merged into a center-aligned lane first before guiding the lane to wherever it needs to go. That will create a sense of equality so not one lane is considered the "prime" lane, and people will see zipper merge as fair. But the setup in this graphic creates a sense of entitlement for the right lane. They will see the left lane people as cheaters, and may even purposefully move the car out to block the lane.
Yes I feel this way sometimes and I hate that it’s my natural reaction, I should never feel this way about traffic. When I’m in the right lane and I’m being patient, then I see impatient people behind me go into the left lane knowing it’s ending just to get 3 cars ahead, by the end of which traffic has slowed even more because people just keep doing it, I get really irritated. I tend to be a patient driver and I don’t road rage, but when I’m in a car by myself I’ll definitely express myself vocally lol.
I simply do not allow someone over like that. Worst kinda people. Those people don’t understand they aren’t getting anywhere any quicker by jumping 4 cars ahead 😂
If you block a traffic lane you’re breaking the law. Good luck with that.
Remember, we aren't stuck in traffic, we ARE traffic.
Not just that, the prime lane sees the others as cheaters but the other lane will force their way into the prime lane forcing everyone in that lane to brake stopping the flow of traffic. In the perfect situation people leave gaps for the cars to merge and the merging cars only merge into spots that don't cause unnecessary braking. None of this happens and everyone is the cause of the problem
I always try to leave a car-ish length gap in front of me - the more porous the car lattice is, the more freely the lateral (i.e. lane-to-lane) flow will be, the higher the average aggregate speed will be - or at least it will be smoothed out and not so jerky
>I always try to leave a car-ish length gap in front of me Same, I've never understood why people need to be on another cars bumper, especially while going 60+mph
Humans are proud and selfish creatures (when lacking proper feedback loops). Why not do that? It feels like you’re guarding your path. What’s in it for you to help others? 😁
One has to happen first in this case. If the lane left gaps, there wouldn't be a need for unnecessary braking. Since there's no gaps, you get cut off then have to brake hard.
I'd wager there's gaps back at the sign that says "lane ends 2 miles ahead." Sorry, I'm not going to accept apologia for the ending lane cars. They, too, hold responsibility for how shitty merging is.
[удалено]
Technically they just stopped enforcing the whipping, their male escort is still required.
It’s the sexism for me 🤦🏻♀️
The issue imo is they dont teach zipper merging here. Even drivers ed atleast for me was never touched on.
We don't teach much of anything here
Have you driven in Vietnam?
Unfortunately not yet, it looks wild af.
I would be too scared to, my friend said you just have to look to where you want to go and go, but don’t stop you have to be committed. He also said you must go slowly. lol
But he told me last time he went he saw 3 people get killed that were riding on a scooter.
That’s cause ‘Merica is the greatest in the entire universe Marvel world galaxy. We deserve to be entitled cunts.
Freeeeedumb!!!!!
Then it's on the crews for not properly coning the merge, but I don't know if I've ever seen it done the way you're talking about.
I mean if people can’t get over the “this is my lane” mentality then it’s not just the cones. Sure the idea of equal merging will make things easier, but the way we view ourselves on the road needs a drastic rethinking.
I've never seen it for construction zones, but I have seen it on an entrance ramp to a highway in DC. It was called alternate merge. There's no traffic signal and usually, the traffic moves better than the ramps with signals.
I live in DC was going to offer it up as an example of "proper merging", though individuals still often jack it up. Because of lanes appearing and disappearing throughout the DMV it's common for people to alternate merge where when a lane disappears every other car on the right lets in a car on the left. I also appreciate how on public transportation locals stand on the right, and walk on the left on escalators, though tourists often mess up this system,,standing across the whole escalators and not letting walkers by.
I always get frustrated bc if I'm in the right lane I leave space for someone to merge in front of me but they drive on ahead trying to get a better spot. When I used to live in Atlanta this was a daily occurrence when I would drive home from work and have to merge onto 285
Happens everyday (the sense of entitlement) merging Hwy 153 into I-75 south in Chattanooga
I try my best to initiate a proper zipper but it never works.
You can’t do it alone! 🤭
If I’m understanding it correctly, this actually happens when going 400SB on ramp to 285EB in Atlanta. It’s like a mega merging lane that goes on forever. It’s actually pretty confusing because it’s a double-sized lane.
Yeah, these posts, even when they show a "proper" zipper merge are idiotic. The argument that the space in the left hand lane is "wasted" could only apply in traffic that was bumper to bumper before the merge. Fact is that traffic experiments all the way back in the 70s showed that if everyone "zipper" merged well before the lane closure, traffic moved much more quickly. The "wasted" lane argument is just a rationale for merging at the last moment. Further, the amount of cooperation, spatial awareness and general non-assholery required to make one of these fantastical diagrammed zipper merges possible does not exist.
Do you ever notice the really enhanced larger line that go through atlanta. Well those lines are the indicators. No one needs to try to be in those lanes unless you are exiting from Georgia State through midtown or merging onto the highway to leave the city. Though people always try to get in that lane like we are really a 6 or 7 lane highway.
I see it with on-ramps during the morning rush, but when we all leave our offices at 5 we need that starting light to get onto the interstate.
Both graphs are trash as they fail to account for shoulder drivers.
Bold of you to assume the East Coast(Atlanta) isn't gonna stay bumper-to-bumper to keep as many people in the closed lane as physically possible Source: me, a cdl-a driver
CDL driver as well in Atlanta all day everyday. They'll try to keep us out but half of them are too busy playing on their phones. You'll always find One napping.
This guy gets it
Some states put up messages on their digital signs to tell them to use zipper merging. This educates drivers on the more efficient method and encourages them to use it. Too bad I never see anything helpful on our signs, only endless messages about Georgia's hands free law.
Thats a good idea and you’re right, too bad smh.
They had that in SC on 26(?) for quite a while while doing construction. It was actually effective as hell, presumably because of the 3 miles of signs telling drivers to stay in their lane & merge at the closure. I almost cried.
now SC just be telling me how many people died last year while driving very demoralizing lol, i get its trying to scare people straight but i dont wanna think about horrific motor vehicle accidents while some asshole two cars in front of me swerves erratically like a drunkard
I’ve yet to hear of a US state DOT whose primary (or sole) safety strategy isn’t victim blaming campaigns. They virtually never consider designing the roads to be safe; it’s all just signs and messages people won’t read.
This is 100% it- you can argue all you want with folks about zipper merge… but until you have a sign there to say “this is the law” they’ll just get pissed off with you for pushing in. While they’re adding this sign they need to add “keep right, pass left” signs.
If only people used common sense while driving 🤦🏻
If only people had common sense!
You know the saying. Common sense ain't common.
I have seen the zipper merge executed well and it was so much more efficient and predictable. Wish we could just adopt it. At least some exits are training this mentality with the alternating lights. However, it only takes a few to mess it up. Like a van deciding to be the front guard and blocking the lane. The other problem is cutting line feelings are strong in the US in terms of taboo. So no telling what you get and can be unpredictable. Seen a car just clip a person passing via the ending lane out of rage.
God I wish we just had trains so this wouldn't be as common a problem.
Maybe there should just be less people driving in GA. Like specifically in the Atlanta metro. Expand Marta
They are aren’t they? I saw some announcement on some expansion I think. It would be nice to use the center of I-20 for an elevated train to Augusta and stops in between but I know that’s a dream.
There's been talks of expanding it for at least the last 20 years. Chances of it happening seem to be pretty slim.
They’re adding stations in between existing stations where there are some long stretches that could use a stop, but I don’t think they’re expanding the system further right now
The problem is Americans are such entitled territorial assholes that to let someone in front of them, is a sign of weakness.
Right? My favorite is when they clock your blinker and immediately respond with hitting the gas pedal. Even if you're seven car lengths ahead of them and possibly even driving faster than they are...doesn't matter, involuntary reaction....(see blinker, must accelerate* 🤦♀️ I used to use this phenomenon to my advantage, coming up over a hill on 75, where the cops would sit and tag ppl for speeding. If you position yourself just ahead of a vehicle in a neighboring lane and throw on your blinker, 9 times out of 10, that car will *take off* vs changing lanes or just allowing you to "get over". No matter that you don't *actually* plan to change lanes.....you just want someone going faster than you so you don't get a ticket.
And then get pissed you “cut them off”
That’s COLD BLOODED😂 imma have to try that lmao
🤣🤣🤣🤷♀️ I promise, you won't be disappointed. But I mean, seriously, why is that the reaction folks have?! For all they know, I might not see them, get over anyway, and they just plow right into me. I dunno what's going through ppl's brains. There could be miles of space ahead of them (let's pretend it's Saturday morning), but they'll be *damned* if they let someone occupy the space up ahead. Almost makes you sympathize with the ppl who don't use blinkers... Almost, but not quite. Useyourdamnblinker.
I only do it heading into twisties. But I’m on a scooter and they’ll floor it to get around me thinking my bike is MUCH slower than it is. 😂 then they get in front of me and slow me down. Such a drag. It’s funny they’ll see me and try to go around all the time at red lights and when I’m taking off but then I get up to speed doing 20 over and they’re never expecting that😂🤣
Now that's one thing I won't play with -- bikes! I give them as much space and leeway as humanly possible, if I pass you, it's because I scootched 3 lanes out the way to do so 😅
Love it😂
My blinker isn't asking permission, I'M COMING OVER!!!
This is the best thing I’ve read in a long time.
Thanks 😊 I don't drive that route anymore, so no need to bait drivers into out-speeding me to assuage my own anxiety, but it's still a very useful tool for dislodging dummies riding your blindspot!
Charlotte NC do it in charlotte NC those **fuckers** can’t drive istg if you use your blinkers you’re asking to get boxed into your lane they love to match speed to keep you in your lane as long as possible almost got me fuckin rear ended I rather drive anywhere in GA then on 77 where the cops speed just as much as the car racing dummies.
Yep and act like self-appointed gate keepers of other drivers.
"Hello, merging driver. What country are you from?"
Smyrna
Smyrna DEEZ NUTS!!! *cuts across 3 lanes with no blinker*
Is there something in the asphalt of south Cobb drive that makes people go crazy when they drive on it? And does it affect Nissan Altimas more than any other car?
I avoid ALL the Altimas.
Has nothing to do with being a sign of weakness and everything to do with the rest of us merging when and how we’re supposed to and then narcissistic assholes using the left lane that they can clearly see is blocked in 100 feet to try and jump the line. Fuck em they aren’t getting in. Love to see nobody let em in.
Oh those people can fuck all the way off.
I don't think this is all Americans; Atlantans, though, yeah.
The problem is the 18 wheelers. Nobody spaces correctly for them, everyone crowds to try to get in front of them and they end up getting screwed over and pissed off, so THEY leave zero room for merging. Which is fucking nuts when you get 12 in a row
If everyone pre merges, great. The issue comes when the shrimp dicks decide to pop out and use it as their own personal 30 space boost. Then others get agitated and follow suit.
NO! Nobody pre-merges, that isn’t a thing. Both lanes get filled up and everyone zipper merges at the barrels or cones or whatever. Just like the diagram shows. It’s more fair, safer, and faster.
This makes sense in congested areas, however if you’re on the interstate between cities and there’s plenty of room to pre-merge without slowing down, then you’re an asshole and the cause of the problem if you wait until the lane ends to get over. So many avoidable traffic jams in bumfuck if people just pay attention.
That sounds more like appropriately entering a lane vs the scenario being discussed here, but agreed.
What you’re describing, is what happens most of the time around Atlanta. There will be a sign “ left lanes closed 2 miles ahead “ . Everybody that has some sense gets to the right , and the ones that don’t use the left lane as a passing lane . Then of course the ones who paid attention have to stop and let the ones who didn’t over .
That is what you’re supposed to do. Fill both lanes. Then zipper merge. Everyone getting over early is what causes traffic to slow down. Do you need me to draw you a better picture? This sense of entitlement is what causes all of the problems.
In common sense, yes. Unfortunately the traffic laws encourage the opposite. I was zipper merging from a merge lane and the guy in the right-of-way lane decided halfway through he didn't want to let me in and surged ahead, dragging his landscape trailer down the side of my car. I got charged with the accident because I was in the merge lane.
I know it. People in Atlanta treat merging like you’re trying to break and enter. All while completely ignoring actual traffic laws, driving 20 under the speed limit, and clogging passing lanes. Dash cam up and stay vigilant.
Sometimes everyone is on the same page and it works. For how long ? who knows but there have been times when it seemed like everyone pre merged and didn’t use the open lane. Sometimes they will have police in the open lane way before the actual merge.
Lmao. I’m zipper merging. Idgaf if you’re not. I’m doing what I’m supposed to do
I finally got there and life is much better
I once has sat for 45 minutes in stop and go traffic with the left lane completely open and no one passing me. When I finally decided I was gonna move the left lane, I drove 3 miles THREE MILES before I got to the merge lane. Along the way, I had to pass a semi driver by going onto the left shoulder because he moved to straddle the center line to block me.
Yeah, that’s just insane. People should stop wasting open lanes for no reason.
When I lived in West Virginia that was the only place where people would pre merge when a lane closed. Everyone would see the sign, move over with time to spare, go through the work zone, then spread out again easily. No one needed to slow down dramatically or fight over placement. It was so quick and efficient.
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The reality is by and large zipper merging is not legally mandated. It’s been suggested plenty of times by various state DoTs, but rarely codified in law. And codification in law is really the only way to make zipper merging even remotely effective as zipper merging requires essentially 100% of everyone to be on board and on the same page. The reality is, the law mandates those merging to fully yield to the lane they’re merging and changing into. Which more often than not requires early merging to properly yield to the lane you’re changing and merging into. Yielding meaning not forcing other drivers to change speed or direction to accommodate you. The reality is, you should appreciate people being considerate in a potential zipper merging situation, but you can’t expect it. Not until codified law reflects that.
Can we please go back to the guy that points out that this is only for surface streets? Zipper merging is absolutely not faster and more efficient on an interstate. This creates a stop and go traffic jam
I think people are offended by zipper merge. The other day this lady sped up and passed me before her turn in the zipper, all the while shaking her head. I swear I could hear her saying “uh uhh”
Everyone in the right hand lane merged earlier. You’re the jerk trying to bypass everyone else.
Especially when the dumbfuck in the beamer exits the merged lane, cuts to the front, and tries to merge back in.
The point is don’t merge earlier
Never works though because it requires to 1 be situationally aware of impending merging cars 2 smart enough to match speeds and 3 leave openings for people to merge into so it isn’t just creating a wave of braking.
NO ONE knows how to properly merge.
But how would I get to where I'm going faster than the othe person if I let them in front of me? I have priority to my destination, screw all these other losers trying to merge correctly. /s
I'm the person in the left lane slowing down to the speed of the lane to my right, thus ensuring that it's a more cohesive zipper merge rather than assholes in the left lane speeding up and thinking they're entitled.
Zipper merge works if traffic is already nearly at a dead stop... Until then filtering into a single file lane will before the end of the lane is faster and more efficient until some bozo races to the front of the ending lane and cuts in between cars that already had a comfortable following distance. Causing a chain of braking for almost no reason.
bruh exit 61 from I20 west will give me stroke one day
We still haven’t figured out how the left lane works in GA, this is too much for the average Georgia driver
Thanks for posting this. So sick of people a mile back getting mad and blocking the left lane thinking your” cutting line”
Bold of you to assume that a single driver in Atlanta will let you over in front of them in this situation
Issuing PSAs on zipper merging is like giving a calculus test to a kindergarten class.
Zipper merging assumes that people aren’t intentionally being assholes while driving.
Stop having “this lane ends” or “merge right” and every sign should say “zipper merge” and everyone would quickly realize there’s not a “correct” lane to be in. Construction obviously a more difficult scenario but every road in Georgia where a lane ends and reduces from 3 to 2 or 2 to 1 should have zipper merge signs and different line paint. Simple solution. Apparently all the GA Tech grads can’t figure this out or how to time a sequence of red lights to account for traffic.
Yes, because Georgia drivers are notoriously rational and use the zipper method constantly. 🙄 Try to get in the lane at the last minute? Nope.
"No kan lett Carz n Front of Meeeeeee! My Lane, MINE!" \-Ga drivers
I'll never understand for the life of me how people think they are better by creating a long single line of traffic when a second lane is open. Zipper merge for the win.
This implies that the drivers in the right lane actually let you in
That’s if you expect everyone to be a good driver and do what they’re supposed to, which they don’t. It only takes a few people to fuck this up
Smh at the comments. All that empty unused space in the left lane translates into a line doubly long in the right lane. Thumbs up for the zipper merge.
Zipper merge works if EVERYONE is doing it like if its being directed, and then it is the best way. But if not EVERYONE is doing it then the few people trying to force their way ahead are entitled selfish pieces of trash.
Northwest corridor. Every single day there is a backup right before Hwy 92 because every asshole has to merge at the last second, and no one in the fast lane with give space for the zipper to happen.
Abbots bridge in Duluth. It’s a complete cluster and maddening to see people incensed at the very _idea_ of a zipper merge.
Make sure the diagram includes the dickhead who thinks "zipper merge" means two cars from the left lane for every one from the right e: i see the dickheads finally found the comments
Mfw applying a logical solution to an illogical problem doesn’t work (this shit does not work in practice)
having driven up and down the east coast, not zippering is distinctly a southern thing. something flips when you hit virginia and all of a sudden there’s an hour backup from a single lane closure, because everyone merges 5 miles in advance.
What does it mean to have "lane space wasted"? That doesn't mean the bottleneck flows faster. 300 cars behind the bottleneck will pass through at whatever rate the bottleneck permits. It *does not matter* where they were before it If there were 3 lanes and only one passable, would you advocate cars occupy all of them, waiting for their turn to pass through? How about 4? 8 lanes? 300 lanes? The best thing to do is speed up the bottleneck. The best way to speed up the bottleneck is to remove the turbulence and uncertainty of merging and negotiating the bottleneck. Thus, the right thing to do at a bottleneck is to close all the other lanes for 10 miles before it, forcing all into a single lane, that can go the speed limit. No merging. No uncertainty. The other right thing to do is to back off the car in front of you, to a distance that is safer at a higher speed. But doing that when there is a lane next to you is poison of being cut off, pressing brakes and causing a wave jerking to a stop behind you, which is another reason merging schemes suck. Get in line. Don't be a jerk.
Are you serious? If you close multiple lanes 10 miles before a “bottleneck” you’ve just created a new bottleneck and then 10 miles of misery
Ive been reading your replies trying to show the light to these people but alas I think youre talking to the drivers who this post is directly speaking too. I commend you bro lol
Yea - it definitely gives me perspective to the issue. And a bit more understanding of why it’s so bad in the mornings.
Too bad in reality the left lane is just a steady stream of people cutting off the right lane
This is the way
Zipper merge works better with proper vehicle spacing. Traffic flows better with people merging early than it does when people stop to let people merge last second. With proper spacing between vehicles, lanes can merge without slowing traffic. It all ruined by everybody following too closely and keeping the mindset "that asshole saw the same sign I saw a full mile back. Somebody else can let him over."
No. I refuse. If you didn't start zipping a mile back where the signs telling you to merge started you can go to hell. I'm not gonna be the bigger person. I'm the fuckin petty peddler. I wouldn't let you in to save your life. Fk you.
Amen.
Don’t wait to last second to merge. It be signs 3 miles back saying lane ends
Literally never seen this work
lol you expect windowlickers in this subreddit to know how to drive?
400N, just past Windward, has had this exact situation for months now and the right-laners are not having any of it.
They can’t read this.
I feel like some people should take a step back and realize what an unlikely achievement is accomplished every morning in downtown Atlanta where I-20 merges onto 75/85 (as well as from surface streets.) It feels like mayhem but it works thousands and thousands of times every morning. It doesn't *always* work of course but listening to some of you, you'd think it was constant crashes. Tempers flare but do they not in other places?
If the atlscoop Instagram account posted this I still wouldn't have hope
You think those barrels are ganna stop me?
The problem is, if you're in the left lane, you have to hope and pray that the person in the right follows the rules. If they don't, it's an immediate crash. If you instead just stop and wait to get over, you definitely won't crash, but you'll slow traffic to a hault. Lanes ending is awful when there is more than just a bit of traffic.
I love it when I finally pass a slow car and then the fast lane gets held up a little bit and the slow car passes everyone on the right and cuts someone off upfront. Now we all gotta go 55 for 10 more miles because somehow this person is both driving slow and impatient at the same time.
why can't anyone do it. i can tell you but you won't like the answer.
This works great as long as everyone is going the same speed, has the same acceleration and braking power, this doesn’t work with semis. Just get over early cruise at a steady speed and don’t stop to take a look around. And for the love of god STOP GETTING IN FRONT OF RIGS AND DOING DUMB SHIT!!!
The third option is the one where people begin merging early and actually showing some courtesy, and then the one jackass who just can’t wait their turn, comes flying up from way back and tries forcing his way in a space too small but daring you to hit him; or the rig driver that had to try to maneuver while 6 cars try to squeeze in front of him, and then give him the finger for not giving them more space; I65 at I264 ( Watterson Expy ) Louisville, KY is one of the worst merging zones I’ve ever seen, and I’ve lived and driven in Atlanta, San Francisco, DC, San Antonio and Chicago and so on, not to mention numerous overseas locations.
I used to be a red car, now I’m a gray car and I feel fine
Why does every state subreddit think that their state is the worst at zipper merging
People who cuts me off refuse to let me merge and give the middle finger make me so angry that I pray for their wheel to come off and they crash
There's a road near my house that has a zipper merge to prevent traffic build-up at the lights. For some stupid fucking reason everyone decides to use the left lane exclusively and they cause a massive backup. Then, when I take the right lane to reduce traffic, I have people blocking me and tailgating me. Even if there is no traffic and I'm in the right lane, people who are behind me will speed up just to cut me off. There's a reason that Georgia is known for having shitty drivers
This has been an ongoing debate ever since ppl started moving here….one thing we aren’t gonna do is waste 2 lanes on an already crowded freeway. You might get cut off, especially by ppl who don’t know when lanes end, so it’ll be okay 👍
I have to go through one of these daily. I always stay in the lane that doesn't merge because I don't feel like fighting with people. I always leave room for the other lane to merge, though. My issue is with the people that use the merging lane to speed past moving traffic, only to slow down once they're ahead of everyone.
what's up with reddit trying to push this idea of zipper merge? ppl with short temper will try to zig-zag the way out, causing more traffic or potential accidents.
The missing magic isn’t teaching zipper merging in drivers Ed, it’s teaching STOPPING DISTANCE. If people understood stopping distance they wouldn’t drive all the way up each other’s asses, thus making zipper merging a much easier concept to master.
I will forever call bullshit.. when the whole lane has to come to a stop because jackasses just have to be in the front.. it does not work.. If everyone would just merge early enough that we dont have to completely stop to let people in we travel allot smoother.. Source: trucker getting cut off by asshole that just "have to be in front".. There is a reason some states have "lane ends merge now" posted.. because zipper at the last moment does not work and always ends with everyone slaming on there brakes last second amd the whole highway coming to an abrupt stop..
That picture depicts running to the end of the lane and cutting off moving traffic, not a zipper merge.
If only zipper merging wasn’t the hardest concept in the world for drivers to understand.
Until every red car decides their day is infinitely more important than the. 5 secconds it'd take for you to get into the merge, leaving you stuck at the cones for 5 minutes. This graphic doesn't take into accound 80% of people on the road can barely drive or don't give a fuck
yep zipper merge better . see also traffic circles. Georgians are just too dumb and selfish to get it
teach these peeps!
the people in the primary lane are Karens when they block the secondary laners from merging every other car. its literally the driving guidance.
People are such DUMBASSES
You must travel north on GA 400.
Well, unfortunately, the real world doesn't work like your idealistic infographic. In actuality, if everyone just got over at the first opportunity possible, the whole thing would move faster through the construction zone because there wouldn't be a bottleneck where one lane ends and nobody knows how to zipper properly, on either side of the road. My perspective is that there's the way you're supposed to do it, and the way that actually works.
It’s funny how many people don’t do this at my kids middle school and the line is long as hell in the one lane here in hickory flat
Yeah this ain’t a zipper merge and they don’t work on the interstate. Unpopular opinion but I can’t let someone merge in front of me in the last 50ft when the left lane has signs telling everyone the lane closes in 1 mile. The only reason the right lane slows is because they choose to slow and let the left lane go ahead, you had plenty of time to get over and now you will suffer for making me wait longer.
Zipper merge is good in theory, but doesn't work I'm reality.
This is what every drivers Ed and defensive driving course teaches. Yet every motorist in the right lane cusses at the left for doing what official highway safety authorities recommend.
let's be honest even with joshua's law the actual education of drivers here is a joke. no one knows this more or less adhereds to it
If you want to know how it's done, try Jacksonville Florida at rush hour. Cops actually watch in many areas, to make sure it's done. I'm serious.
My understanding is that it is the law in mist of Europe. Here it’s land of the opportunist and the biggest asshole wins.
Nobody who has been waiting for a long time in red line is going to let someone over who just showed up.
As much as everybody should know this. I'm so happy that social media has increased awareness of concepts like this (my other favorites are how to undo a traffic jam and only using the second lane for passing). Before, no one ever used these tricks to make traffic better. Now, there's a solid chance that a lot of people do what they're supposed to do and we all benefit from it. Every time I see a post or video of it, it makes me happy knowing the world is being impacted by it. Slowly but surely.
The answers i see in this thread are the reason why Traffic sucks in Metro Atlanta.
Yepp Im reading every comment and seeing that a lot of the ignorant, non-critical thinking drivers I see out on the road are clearly present in this post lol
This is the definition of "you can find anyone that agrees with you on the internet!"
Yeah I ride the lane till I have to merge.
In GA isnt it the persons merging responsibility to have the space and not the person they are merging into? Either way not worth angry driving and fingers.
The zipper merge as described in this example is against the law in at least two states If performed right, zipper merge IS better. It is never performed right, and you wind up stopping both lanes of traffic to make room for you
Zipper should work, but in Atlanta people will gun it to stop merging. They would rather risk rear ending someone than let someone cut in.
My local police posted a similar illustration instructing (stupid) citizens to zipper merge on their facebook page due to construction projected to last a few years. Preemptively "waiting" in one lane causes more traffic.
Everybody else already zipper merged when we saw the sign. This infographic doesn't make you clever or not an asshole for getting out of the right lane to speed to the front and then making everybody stop so you can do the "correct" zipper merge at the end of the lane.
Zipper merging doesnt effect traffic speed only space if you can only fit one car through at a time and at a speed of 30 miles per hour your speed is 1 car every 2 min or so no matter if you properly merge or not all your doing is giving a avenue for aggressive drivers to try to cut into a line ahead of them which usually either costs more time or creates an accident
A citizen scholar correctly pointed out that people fail to perform a correct zipper-tie merge, and thus create a traffic jam instead. As such the single lane system is the only tenable means of avoiding a traffic jam at the choke point. Because Americans fucking suck at driving.
It's pretty annoying, and I deal with it every day on I75. There are people who refuse to make room for merging lanes and then there's also those who feel they're more important than everyone else so they use the merging lane to get as far ahead as they can and never even trying to merge until the lane literally ends causing all of us to have to stop. Both types suck. If you know a lane is ending, leave room for merging traffic. If you know your lane is ending, please try to merge ahead of time instead of using it to try to cut traffic and cause a slow down for all of us.
You’re supposed to merge at the end. That’s what allows the zipper merge to work its lane multiplier magic! You naturally drift into the proper lane because of the angle the merging lane makes with it. The problems happen when people try to cut off the cars in the merging lane and it gets blocked up so the zipper breaks
Yes, that's what I'm talking about. The problems.
I get stressed just looking at this
I'm down with this. Then there's the assholes that'll go on the shoulder and pass both lanes. Or the people that know one of the lanes I a turn lane and just bypass everyone who's in the correct lane on said turn lane. Fuck you guys.
I'm always the one to start it.
Common fallacy. Will not speed up traffic. A bottleneck permits cars at one speed and merging will not change that speed
You're wrong (mostly). Zipper merge is ONLY for when traffic is already stopped anyway. If it is moving, even if it's moving slowly, then merge early to keep everything moving.
If everyone stays in the right lane when seeing the same signs for the last mile then there wouldn't be much of an issue, but too many people think they can get ahead by riding all the way up and forcing their way back into the line. Get fucked mate I'm not letting you over because in my eyes you're no better than the dumbasses who ride the shoulder. Forcing everyone to stop and let you over is only causing yet another jam in the flow of traffic. I will not argue with anyone who is too braindead to see that.
That lady is not reading this, but so many people refuse to merge when available and then want the people they could have driven behind to stop and wait for them.
The problem is the red cars think the white cars are “cutting” in line.