Another thread got me thinking about this one again.
I often ponder while merging where there is construction and a lane closure (or a wreck or whatever) what should the procedure be?
There are those who merge early,
then there are those who go all the way to the merge point.
My usual practice is to get over as soon as I become aware of the need. I will let people in up to a certain point, but won’t let people in who seem to be selfishly going all the way to the merge point to get ahead because I don’t think I should reward their selfishness (doing my part to create a better world).
What I want to hear is:
Those of you who make it a practice to go to the merge point, why?
Is anyone able to postulate the actual best way for everyone involved to go about this to minimize traffic delay?
I’m the same way - I dispise the people who drive all the up to the merge point and expect to be let in. I don’t see why they’re any better than the rest of us who have waited in line. I never let those people in. In the attempt to build up good drving karma, I do try to be very courteous to those who want to change lanes or exit parking lots.
I used to merge as early as possible, being a good boy. For years I did this, always getting frustrated at those guys who zipped on past and merged up front. Then I realized something: If nobody let them in, they wouldn’t do that!
Once I was able to justify in my mind that folks who let late-mergers in deserve whatever annoyance they feel, I slipped over to the dark side. You see, everybody in the “correct” lane is enabling the undesired behavior, so why should I sit behind twenty cars who are going to let another ten slip in anyway?
I try not to let my conscience bother me too much.
Actually, I don’t go to the very end; rather, I merge several car lengths prior to the end. As others have mentioned in similar threads, the merging lane is still a legal lane for travel up until the cones.
See, I think even if nobody let them in, there are still people who would go all the way up. Your poor impulse control types, those who can’t delay gratification.
My fantasy is that there is a strategy for all of us to embrace. Kind of like the 4-way stop procedure, that way we all just know what to do, that way we can justify honking and cussing at those who break procedure.
Try this one on for size:
A smooth running “zipper” zone about 200 feet or so before the merge point.
Everyone is required to let one person in at the zone.
I totally agree. Whenever I encounter “zipper” merges (typically an unnanounced merge because of an accident), I notice that everybody plays fair, even in New Jersey.
Nevertheless, I refuse to sit behind thirty cars when there is a perfectly good lane open with three cars in it. In this case, folks just aren’t zippering.
I try to switch lanes early and even then, sometimes people try not to let me in. In that case I’ll switch lanes anyway, because people can honk all they want, if they drive into me, they are causing the accident and not me.
What’s more annoying than late mergers though, are people who’re switching lanes back and forth in a traffic jam, just to be a second faster. If people would stick to their lane, the speed would pick up for everyone involved.
Optihut - I think we’ll have to ask resident cop Badge, because, as far as I know, I’m not required to give you the right-of-way and let you in. So if you try to poke your car where there isn’t room for it, you’re at fault, for failure to yield. The person currently traveling in a lane has the right-of-way in that lane.
Merging is one of those skills that almost no one on the road has. I merge ASAP and never stop unless traffic has. I hate people who either stop on the ramp (or the merge lane) when they should have found a spot 100 meters earlier.
I merge at or above the speed of traffic and usually try to get out of that lane ASAP since people here can’t merge for beans. If I see someone trying to merge in front of me, with a signal, I let them in. If they don’t signal, I will block you (in heavy traffic) or just ignore you.
Everyone should wait and merge at the merge point. Here’s why.
It prevents the frustrations caused by nice people waiting patiently while jerks race to the end and find those idiotically kind to let them in.
It results in better traffic flow, especially if there is an intersection or ramp near the merge point. Consider a single lane of traffic 1 mile long, if spread out over two lanes it would only be 1/2 mile long. Thus using all available roadway results in a shorter backup (same number of cars, but less distance) and therefore less likelyhood of also messing up traffic as some point further back, like an intersection or on-ramp.
It’s always been my experience that it’s easier for everyone involved to merge when both cars are moving. To drive all the way up the lane, come to a stop, and wait for someone to stop completely to let you in is ridiculous.
That is exactly what causes a lot of the stop-go-stop-go annoyance of merges. Just resolve yourself to be a whole thirty-seconds later and merge with everyone else!
Oooh, I nearly had a road rage meltdown about this just yesterday. There was a wreck on the major street I take to work, and one lane was closed. It took me over ten minutes to go the last two blocks of the bottlenecked area because the guy in front of me let 12 cars in front of him in that space.
Personally, I say these people could see the flashing lights as well as everyone else, and to just let them in without even having to wait half a car length is rewarding assholishness. Letting one or two people over is one thing, but 10 or 12? Have some consideration for the folks behind you, huh?