Merging at the last minute is the correct way to do it.
Zipper merge, you fucks!
thank you. the math agrees, too. zipper merges are the way to go!
Depends. If there’s lots of traffic, yes. If it’s sparse enough that you can merge without slowing people down too much, just do it early.
Yeah, that’s the big asterisk on the “zipper merging is more efficient” premise. It assumes that things are already bottlenecked. If you have the space to merge early without slowing down, you do that. People trying to force their way in at the last minute (when they didn’t have to) is one of the things that triggers the bottleneck in the first place.
K but people don’t tend to complain about those driving down the empty lane if there is no bottle neck.
Obviously if you’re racing down to cut someone off, that’s just as rude as any unsafe merge, but thats not unique to zipper merging, so is it relevant?
I’ll merge early but also try to go a bit slower than the person in front of me to open a gap which allows me to absorb some of the traffic wave (where flow alternatively speeds up and slows down from people trying to get up to speed only to have to slam on the brakes because some car ahead wasn’t going fast enough to maintain that), as well as leave space for others to merge at speed.
Though I sometimes close the gap if I notice people pulling into the right lane to try to skip the line.
I would agree with this if literally anyone else knew how to zipper merge
The solution is educating people about zipper merging, not getting angry at those who actually do it.
Here in Poland it works quite well, at least when the merge is expected.
But we have signs reminding people of that and they also display this kind of driving tips on info boards on motorways when there is nothing more important.
We only started seeing signs in my city telling people to zipper merge, but I was never taught it in driver’s ed, and we really should be.
I wish we had better signage here like you have in Poland.
Gave a ride to someone who for one hour kept bitching about drivers who use zipper merge properly. didn’t want to tell him he was wrong.
he was so convinced and fuel by hatred of better drivers.
Yes before the lane is closed. They are not doing that.
No. You are explicitly supposed to go to the very end of the closing lane, and then merge, not before it closes.
Well a closing lane would be marked with an arrow pointing to the lane next to it, and if it’s closed it’s a red X. You merge before the red X. I don’t see a closing lane the same as a closed lane. Maybe it’s a translation thing. And every country is different.
Zipper merge is best merge you dingus.
In Australia if your front two wheels are ahead of the other person’s front two wheels, and you’re indicating to move into their lane - they have to let you in. It’s the law.
Takes a lot of the rage out.
many states have laws that require you to let people merge. they don’t.
The issue is this:
A) Your lane is ending. Drive to the end of the lane and then merge. Simplest reason: why the fuck would they build that much lane if you’re not supposed to drive on it? Alternate reason: you’re just stretching the traffic jam farther back where it could be blocking people from exiting or getting on.
B) Your lane is exit only. Get the fuck out of that lane, you’re blocking people legitimately trying to exit. You’re a cheating cheater and you’re clogging the exit lane.
C) Your lane is not an exit and you want to get into an exit lane. Get into the exit lane as soon as possible. Late merge is just going to clog up a lane and you’re a cheating cheater.
These situations are not the same but people think they are.
But this post’s context is only A, right?
yes.
no
Like most things, a zipper merge works only if EVERYONE is abiding by it. Much like they tested and found out that a plane can have all passengers boarded and seated with luggage in about 15 minutes…if everyone followed the rules. But know, every damn over-entitled Karen, Jaxson, MacKhenzie and the rest of their ilk feel the rules don’t apply to them.
Learn what zipper merging is you fuckin potato.
Or do you want backups to take up twice as much space as they need to? It’s about efficiency. If everybody zipper merges, you still get your fucking turn.
This! Also, let the motorcycle in front of you if you are at the head of the line at the light! We will be long gone before you pull your thumb out of your ass and take you foot off the brake when the light turns green
Lane filtering should be legal everywhere. Like you said, motorcycles accelerate quicker but also it removes the chance of them getting rear ended.
Completely agree! I always try to be extra wary of motorcycles because they take up way less space and are far faster accelerating, while also being far more vulnerable.
What do you mean
Why is it always boomers that fail to comprehend the zipper merge?
… Is it the lead poisoning??
Because it’s counterintuitive. You would think that getting people over early means traffic can just flow easier.
Who
Boomer humor. Your post. It’s humor for dimwitted old “baby boomers” who don’t understand that it’s better to use both lanes for as long as possible and then zipper merge.
I call it prep and merge…prepare to merge at speed, then merge when it’s needed
What do you mean
THAT’S THE CORRECT WAY.
Merge at the lane end for fuck’s sake.
Everyone that merges early creates a spot for the closing lane traffic to move up and slows down the through lane, then the next person does it, slows the thru lane, repeat ad nauseam. So if you think you’re being smart merging early you are actually fucking up the flow. There are always people going to be running up the closed lane to try to take “cuts”, so how do you prevent that? By everyone zipper merging at the end! No open lane for them to “cheat.”
Zipper merge at the end is the only way.
Source: I see this every single day I drive to work in an area with shit road design, heavy traffic, and bad drivers.
What do you mean though
I don’t think the main benefit is cutting off cheaters - it is about using the road more effectively. If you have 2 miles of a single lane full of cars next to an empty lane (that is blocked at the constriction), the congestion is more likely to block intersections, ramps, etc. Studies show that having 2 lanes full of cars with a zipper merge at the point constriction is the most efficient:
Don’t feed the troll.
Shhhhhh
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This article falsely assumes the only options are halting traffic to wait for an opening or dash faster than speed of traffic until the end of the lane closure then just expect someone to allow room so kinda a bad explanation of zipper merge and proper driving etiquette
Not sure if you took drivers ed but zipper merging is not zooming past stopped cars to last second dart over in the shoulder, it’s speed matching the lane you are merging into to weave in like a zipper. Crazy how even the name isn’t informative enough for people to understand the concept
So if the traffic is slowed down you want everyone to just move over early making it even worse…?
No, you populate both lanes than alternate right of way.
I’ve been reading this for years, and the hypothesis always seems to be that zipper merging is good because it maximizes road usage. You know what else maximizes road usage? Bumper to bumper gridlock.
Gridlock doesn’t maximize it. Bumper-to-bumper at 80mph does, though
Zipper merging, when done properly by enough people, prevents (selfish) others from racing past
People cramming in at he last moment on a jammed highway exit is a different story
I don’t understand people like this. There are two lanes. Use them. If everyone merges into one lane over two miles it’s going to create a HUUGE backup. Use both lanes, zipper merge at the end. Stop being stupid and use your brain instead of your emotions.
The problem is pure selfishness. Can’t allow a single car to get ahead or your day is ruined. They seem to think their being earlier is a confirmed reservation and rightfully their spot.
Then there’s those absolute fuckheads who drive in the middle of the road blocking both lanes.
If I was a cop I would ticket one of those people every time I saw one. Blocking traffic? Ticket.
Z I P P E R
M E R G E
Can you explain how that works, ideally with a diagram
Uses all lane space at a tenth the speed most people want to be going
Love that the demo displays the other lane as greyed out instead of a fucking concrete wall if you fail to merge. Which is what is bringing traffic to a halt
Still confused, do you have a video?
Oh so you’re just here to waste other people’s time
In the literal shitpost community? No, who would have thought.
Ah you’re right. My bad. Guess I should block this place
If it’s a lane closure, yes, you zipper merge at the end-- imo, because you need visual confirmation of what’s happening but also because it’s predictable and usually both lanes are already matching speeds and zipper merging ahead of you. There’s no need to complicate things with an early swap. Granted, I rarely see a lane closure warning more than 100 meters, if at all… in my tiny car, the best indicator that we’re merging is sudden lane changes of everyone in front of me.
Where I draw the line is when there’s an exit only lane on a freeway and people are zooming along and suddenly want in. Did they jump into that lane just to get ahead? Or are they a helpless victim of circumstance from the latest onramp and unable to merge until now? I let them in, but I’m usually bitter about it.
just let them merge for fucks sake
I swear either this is some US crap or rage bait.
feels like a bit of both tbh
I think people forget that nobody is racing you. If someone merges into traffic in front of you, theyre not winning and youre not losing. It’s all OK. You dont have to be upset.
I don’t know about you guys, but the teeth an my zipper are lined up ahaid of time and “traveling” the same speed. I would be fine with zipper merge if that where the case, but every time i am in the open lane and the other one closes there are 10 jerks who sped to the end and now feel i should have to come to a full stop and let all 10 get in front. Also, my zipper gets joined at the botom and the “merge” point travels back up the the path. we are all going to sqeeze into one lane anyway. Don’t care where it happens as long as everyone maintains speed. If you expect me to stop my lane so 10 can come from yours we have a problem.
If everyone stayed in the lane that’s about to close, your scenario wouldn’t happen. The issue isn’t the people going all the way to the end to merge, it’s everyone merging beforehand that causes the backup.
Traffic waves in that scenario come from people merging. If everyone merged at the end, there would be a small, consistent slowdown there. One small wave being reinforced over time. But, because everyone in the lane about to close merges as soon as they can, there are dozens of waves being generated all at once, which causes the stop-and-go effect. And as the backup becomes worse, more people start merging earlier, causing even more waves and more backup.
The issue is that in backed up traffic, not zipper merging results in a single lane of cars that takes up twice as much road space as zipper merging.
Perhaps the issue is zipper merging not being taught in drivers ed, idk.
It’s taught, but the concept is counter-intuitive, goes against American etiquette for queuing, and puts all of the risk for getting stuck on the driver doing the correct thing (going all the way down to the merge).
Then it’s not properly taught. You’re still queuing, and if everyone is taught how to do it correctly and is executing it correctly, it works well and everybody gets their turn. Hell, you don’t even need everybody to do it correctly, just most people.
If people don’t fully understand the concept enough to recognize that they are still in line and get their turn, then they were not taught the concept correctly or are not smart enough to be driving a vehicle.
Upvoting all of OPs posts because you gotta respect the commitment
In addition to the zipper merge arguments, also note that MOT (management of traffic) guys tend to not be the sharpest crayons in the box, nor the most diligent and responsible. I’ve seen enough “lane closed ahead” signs left up in situations where the lane was absolutely not closed, that I don’t even bother reacting until I see some cones or other indication that it actually is closed.
Yes yeeees Everyone fight
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