And in traffic, this actually creates one of those zipper scenarios everyone here seems to love. In effect, you and the other car trade places, having already carved out a space for each other in the relevant lane.
Wait, are you trying to say the zipper merge doesn't work because it doesn't meet the definition of a zipper? LOL.
Another way it's unsafe (and it happens to me every day) is that people who are in traffic and are in the lane that need to merge are slamming their brakes looking for an early entry. The cars behind them are assuming that they are going to go to the end of the merge lane, but they don't which results in lots of brake slamming. Or the early merger is so desparate to merge over that the end up cutting in at an incorrect speed. I see this every day. But the people who think it's rude to go all the way to the end will die on that hill, I tell you they will.
Whoever created that graphic is living in a dream world where people are polite and courteous. That isn't the real world and it still causes traffic to have to stop. The purpose of letting people know sometimes miles in advance is to give traffic enough time to merge without causing others to have to stop. That is what causes the lines to back up and movement to just be creeping along, stop and go.
I can deny it. The same number of cars can get through at any given time, but those that are in the actual open line will have to wait twice as long as they should have because the second line that at the top is forcing into their line causing delays for the line that followed instructions. Theoretically, every single car in that outside line should be behind that last one in the original line. Instead whoever follow the "rules of the road" will basically be having to wait for every single vehicle in the second line (the ones that should be behind the original line) thus extending his time in line by that many vehicles. It makes sense if you are habitually one of the ones that skips to the front of the line but if you get stuck at the end of the original line it makes all the difference in the world.
Well it's precisely why they needed to create a graphic when introducing it to our state in 2016 because until people adhere to zipper merge when advised to use it you'll run into situations where issues arise. But it's because people want to cling to the old ways, I was one of those people several years back but it's been in my state and in my area in particular for 7 years now, eventually people have to adapt just like they have with diverging diamonds (first one in the U.S. was in my metro) and copious amounts of roundabouts.
Not true. If people followed the rule, half the cars in the line would be in the other lane, perhaps making their wait even shorter.
As a person who lives in Northern VA, I hear ya! When I visit my son in San Diego I'm amazed at how well-behaved everyone is there. It's noticable. Here in NoVA, the zipper merge is generally not done because of what I posted upthread: rude, entitlement drivers who *cannot ever* let someone in front of them. Ever. It offends their "rights" and challenges their superior entitlement mentality. You cannot ever let one of them think you're getting over on them. Therefore, in order to avoid the wrath of these jerks, you are constantly slowing and speeding, trying to find the weak person who's lagging so you can get over. My drive home is a battle every single day.
I don't think you're picturing what I'm saying. Let's say you have 100 cars. Average length is 15'. That means, bumper to bumper (let's go without spacing just for the example), if you lined up all the cars, that line would be 1500 feet long. With me so far?
But when the person already doing highway speed slows down, it's not "extremely dangerous to the cars behind them."?
When a sign on the road from Cal Trans tells me the right lane is closed and ahead (2 miles before) and to merge left, so you are saying they mean to go up to the closed cones and try to get over then instead of merging when safe to do so? Our freeway was doing repaving and if someone waited until they got to the cones, 99% chance they'd have to slam on their brakes hoping someone will let them over instead of safely merging 2 miles back when they saw the sign. EXACTLY. Saw it happen. And to the other poster, the sign was 2 miles in advance because I looked after this thread.
The early warning signs, generally 2 miles, 1 mile and 1/2 mile, are to let you know there is work ahead. Be alert, be cautious. They do not mean you must merge now. Yes, if traffic is heavy, they mean use BOTH lanes to the merge point.
We have had a lot of road work on the main highway near my house (building new bridges, repaving, etc). Most recently when they closed a lane, there was a lot of info and specific instructions trying to get people to zipper merge.
This is it exactly. I will fully admit that when I was younger I though people were "jerks" or trying to "cut in line" (because that's how my parents reacted during merge zones so I assumed they were correct). But, the first time I heard the logic of a zipper merge, my view changed. My spouse had the same reaction-- immediately changed how he approaches a merge. It's bizarre to me that some people are unable or unwilling to change their opinion or behavior when presented with a better way of doing something.
