Good drivers - Please read Re: Merging

The BBQ Pit
1

Hi all you who you think you merge correctly when two lanes merge into one. Yes all of you who think the correct thing to do it to merge into the lane that continues.

I understand you think you are doing what you think it correct, and for the greater good, but with all due respect, I think you need to look at the greater picture (and grow a pair).

We have to make some safe assumptions here, probably the most critical one is there are selfish drivers out there who don’t care if everyone else is delayed. Also another important one is there are quite a few of there drivers.

If we can agree on my assumptions, which I assume is pretty safe, I think we can move on to safer and faster merges.

I appeal to you because you are really interested in the greater good - well OK some of you are cowards, but many of you really would like to help out the situation.

Here’s the current problem:

(Almost) all those who care merge early, leaving a tempting open lane for the selfish driver. The longer this open lane is the more tempting it is for the selfish driver to use it till the merge point, and hence, the more people will become ‘selfish drivers’.

Now the advantage the ‘selfish drivers’ have cause people who try to play it right and merge early, or stay in their lane (the thru lane), get slightly annoyed at the drivers zooming by and getting ahead of them. So they follow the car in front of them bumper to bumper to try to prevent a merge. These people who start trying to do the correct thing are now doing the wrong thing by tailgating and not allowing the merge. This tailgating, and the advantage a car has merging alternately as opposed to the car trying to hold his position directly behind a car, and the expected alternate merge pattern (Don’t fool yourself - those who drive in the lane that is about to end expect and demand an alternate merge, just as strong, if not stronger, as you think they are ‘jumping the line’), is what caused shockwaves in traffic, which slows EVERYONE behind you down, making the merge worse and making the problem between good but frustrated drivers and selfish drivers all the greater.

In short you are hurting yourself and your cause.

My proposed solution:

Find a good spot to merge early, but don’t merge, sit in the ending lane w/ you signal on indicating you intend to merge,. but wait till the merge point. This means moving at the speed of the ‘thru’ lane, even if your lane is wide open ahead.

Don’t have the stones for that, admittedly neither do I all the time, then drive slightly faster then the ‘thru - lane’, but not much faster in the lane to be closed and try to get an opening close to the merge point, again just hang out in the ending lane till the merge point and merge smoothly at the last moment.

If you really want to act for the greater good, you will want to eliminate the ‘shock wave’ merge and replace it with a smoother ‘zipper’ merge.

Oh if you are in the ‘thru lane’ and want to help, allow 1 car length as you approach the merge point, this will go far to allow a smooth merge. Also if you see someone trying to help out a smooth merge by driving slowly in the ‘ending lane’ allow him the space he needs to get in.

  • A side note, when I drive like this, which is often, I find that as I drive next to a open merge space but done merge early, it usually closes up for a bit, but normally re-opens at the merge point - why? - I don’t know, but it works.
2

Using your indicator other than to indicate a manourvere is irresponsible and misleading behaviour. It helps nobody.

Screw that up, and you’ll be causing a major problem. Plus, if everyone tries it, it’ll fail.

3

Sorry, but what we have now fails miserably, anything would be an improviment, then again you are most likely the one who speeds up to the merge point and forces his way in, and the type who we (good drivers) are trying to compensate for.

4

Actually you DO intend to merge, but since you may be too close to the car infront in the other lane to merge safely, you may not be able to merge right away. So you will have to continue driving in your lane.

5

I-45 south. Fort Worth to Houston. One strech around Corisicana was under heavy construction for years, always with the left lane closed. They annouced the lane closure a couple miles in advance, which gave 2.5 miles of cooperators* for the defecting drivers to race past. (the closed lane wide open, the non-closed lane a stand-still) I drove this stretch 3 or 4 times, and tried the OP’s manuever twice.

[ul][li]The first time, it worked like a charm. The defectors lined up behind me and honked and waved their arms furiously. The coopertators driving around me noticed and helped - finally some big semis rolled up and blocked it for us.The second time, the defectors briefly waved their arms in fury. Until one defector zoomed his SUV past me on the dirt on the left side of the road. I was absolutely stunned. Next came a torrent of SUVs and trucks whipping past me at 70+ on the dirt on the left. So dangerous. So stupid. I meekly slid back into the right lane and never tried it again.[/ul][/li]

  • (prisoner’s dilemma is a good metaphor for drivers)
6

I guess it depends on the road rules in the area, but here you’re supposed to wait for a safe gap, then indicate your intention.

7

Thank you for trying to help and actually helping in your 1st attempt. Try to remember that most people are lemmings and there are few true leaders, and of those few true leaders only some are selfish enough to pass you on the shoulder, but once that pattern was established the lemmings followed. I find that occationally sometimes it happens but that is rare.

8

That is one advantage to driving a tractor-trailer. When you see the kids who deserve a driving time-out, you can block them. :smiley: I have no sympathy for the folks who think they should always be somewhere ahead of the others. Honk and gesture all you want-I weigh 40 tons. Wanna play? You will let other drivers have their spot on the road whether or not you like it. Grow up. :wally

9

Damn straight. Nothing (in the interstate merging universe, that is) cheers my heart like seeing the big mothers shutting down the closing lane. Give’em hell for the little pissed-off guy in the Cavalier.

10

You sound like my dad. But he hates cats, so I’m pretty sure you’re not him. :smiley:

I’ve seen something about this online somewhere. The Zipper Effect. It had animated illustrations and everything.

That was a couple years ago though.

11

Don’t you hate assholes who try to play cop on the road? :rolleyes:

12

This website has some amusing graphics, including a section on ideal merge procedure. It turns out being selfish doesn’t help.

13

People are stupid. People in cars are more stupid.

I ran into this situation this weekend: “ROAD WORK AHEAD. USE BOTH LANES”. Wha-HUNH? A mile up the road the right lane was jam-packed with cars and the left lane was clear. I stayed in the clear lane - “USE BOTH LANES”, remember. Another mile up the road - after passing a mile of stopped cars - there was a sign that said “MERGE HERE”. I merged there.

You wanna play the Merge Early game, go right ahead…but how dare you get mad at me for using a road the way it’s supposed to be used.

14

Sorry. It actually said: “MERGE HERE. TAKE TURNS.”

15

I can’t speak for everyone, but I prefer driving under the influence of rationality and good judgment, not my cajones. People who say you need to “grow a pair” to drive should be relegated to riding the bus.

16

Since the OP was talking about MERGING LANES (like on ramps) construction signs (that often than not conflict with common sense) shouldn’t count.

I HATE seeing people do this sort of shit. I’ve seen literally hundreds of cars sneak in front of me while there is 50 car lengths behind me (and I’m not joking, usually this is later in the evening and I’m getting ready to take an off ramp). WTF are these people thinking? I’m slamming on my brakes just so dumb ass can get a whole 15 feet a head.

I merge early for one excellent reason. It lets me get into the middle and then left lanes before late mergers get a chance to merge. I’m using well a head of them while the right lane stops because too many people have merged too late.

17

So, let me get this straight : we good drivers should allow people in that drive like jerks because they’re going to drive like jerks anyway? We should change our behavior, rather than them?

Occasionally, construction is set up in such a way as to leave little warning for people stuck in the ending lane. Good drivers then let those people in who put on a signal and stop or putter along slowly, that’s true… but when it comes to the jerks who zip to the front of the merge… or see a space up ahead that’s 1.1 car lengths long and jam into at thirty miles faster than the cars around that space… those sorts deserve no help and will never get help from me. I do not facilitate rude, dangerous, or illegal behavior.

To analogize this, if I’m waiting in line for something (let’s say an autograph signing), and some person comes barrelling up beside the line, pen in hand, ready to get ahead of everybody already waiting, I am not going to move aside for him, and moreover, I may actively move to interfere with him (Since colliding bodies isn’t hazardous or expensive like colliding cars). You’re suggesting he should just be allowed to skip to the head of the line… because he wanted to?

18

I’ve tried both early merging and late merging as strategies and each comes with its own little pleasure reward. Early mergers get to feel like good and virtuous drivers who are doing the right thing and are wronged by selfish bad drivers cutting in line ahead of them. Late mergers get to feel like canny drivers who have avoided sitting in a line of stopped traffic behind a bunch of sheep who refuse to use the whole road. Late mergers in possession of a conscience may also feel pangs of remorse for discommoding the sheep and for delaying people in the non-merge lane who would like to be able to progress down the highway unimpeded. Early mergers who are not too high on self-righteousness may feel pangs of remorse when they close gaps ahead of them and block late mergers (even though they are obviously jerks) from getting in.

I agree with the author of the website Bryan linked to. It’s clear to me that the “zipper” merge is the most effective and most fluid approach to merges. Face it, 100% early merging would result in a ridiculous and unnecessary backup in the merge lane, folks. Late mergers wouldn’t appear to be such jerks – zipping to the head of the line in the non-merge lane – if more people would use the non-merge lane for longer and more people in the merge lane would leave gaps and let the zipper effect work.

To sum up, I add my voice to those calling for drivers to use the whole road, drive civilly and stop assuming that the other guy is a stupid jerk who deserves to be punished for his driving behavior.

19

I have seen these too, I hope they become a trend, becuse they work!!!

This assumes more the 2 lanes, but in my experence the ending lane is ususally shorter then the other 2, as you are not the only one to think of this.

Well this depends, and human nature and a sense of fairness come into play. But if you want to be a ‘good’ driver and merge early, also be a good driver and leave a safe following distance, which allows the merge. If you want to pull the ‘good driver routeen’ put up or shut up.

The only reason to merge early is becasue you think it is for the greater good, but in reality this is a false premise and actually causes a greater harm (ok that and no onions :wink: ).If you watch a merge point you will see basically very selfish drivers causeing shockwaves, these selfish drivers are of 2 types, true selfish drivers who are trying to cut the line, and fed up wanted to do good, but now just pissed off and won’t let anyone in drivers. The truly good drivers will try to help establish the zipper at the merge.

NO - I am suggesting if there are 2 lines merging into one, chose the line that is the shortest and try to regulate the flow of the 2. This makes the lines more equal, takes away the incentive, and for that matter the possibility of gaining a big advantage and encourages a more even merge.

Also sometime you get a situation where 2 lane become one (there is no official ending lane), usually I have noticed the merge to be smother, havign better zipper action.

20

The complete usage of the merging lane is recomended in UK (or at least was %+ years ago) and works very well. The merging and the merged into lane alternate at the last possible merge point allowing both lanes to keep a near constant slightly reduced speed through the obstruction, no one gets to overtake unfairly, and the system just feels fair to drive with. The merge early system makes bad use of the existing road space, often leading to obstruction far behing the place where the two lanes merge, sometimes interfering with other junctions on the same road.