Do you merge early?

[Pooperman]

Where I'm from, we merge at the last second and if possible, create a double merge if traffic gets bad because we're stupid and in a rush all the time. I'm from New York if you can't tell. Personally I do whatever looks most convenient (usually zipper).

[AZryan]

Sometimes what you "know"...just isn't so.

Ironic, 'cuz what you linked to doesn't describe what I suggested as an examined/evaluated option.

You certainly won't find any government studies that look at 'driving right down the friggin' center so people get the hint and either follow me down the center, get out of everyone's way, or speed to pass everyone much earlier than they otherwise would.'

[MDM]

Sometimes what you "know"...just isn't so.

Ironic, 'cuz what you linked to doesn't describe what I suggested as an examined/evaluated option.

You certainly won't find any government studies that look at 'driving right down the friggin' center so people get the hint and either follow me down the center, get out of everyone's way, or speed to pass everyone much earlier than they otherwise would.'

As described in the link (emphasis added): "It works as follows: in the event of an impending lane closure, drivers should fill in both lanes in equal measure. Within a few car lengths of a lane ending, both lanes' cars should take turns filling in the open lane and resuming full speed.

If roads are clear enough that everyone is already driving close to the speed limit, zipper merging isn't as effective, but in the case of congestion, Johnson said that this method reduces backups by a whopping 40 percent on average."

It's a free country so one is entitled to one's opinion.  Imposing that opinion on others (e.g. by straddling lanes 'cuz that's what seems best to you) when facts suggest a better alternative, however, is a different issue.

[AZryan]

I'm not gonna argue the minutiae of what defines 'congestion' or 'soon' or 'when it starts slowing down', 'when you're close to merging'. All of those details matter, but they're impossible to perfectly define.

You can't factor in/out everything into one basic experiment and claim one exact rule is perfect.

It's just like the 4% Rule... it works perfectly... as long as you don't actually follow it blindly if the market crashes or if it soars so high that you could take out more -which is the same as saying it doesn't technically work perfectly.

You obviously have to look at traffic and adapt. I know the way I do it, I don't directly slow down anyone behind me 'cuz either I'm going faster than they are, or I'm blocked by someone myself and it's their fault. I only intentionally block jerks who try to fly past everyone. I've seen assholes drive past dozens and dozens of cars who've already merged into one lane only to get blocked by me.

That does slow the rest of the group behind down, but it's that jerk's fault. He was going to slow it all down by forcing his way in no matter where in line that was. But if more people behind me would've shifted over to block him, less people would get jumped and there would be less (to some unknown degree) measure of slowdown.

My way also sometimes deters those jerks from trying to pull that. They cut back in earlier than they would, making less slowdown overall.

[MDM]

I'm not gonna argue the minutiae of what defines 'congestion' or 'soon' or 'when it starts slowing down', 'when you're close to merging'. All of those details matter, but they're impossible to perfectly define.

You can't factor in/out everything into one basic experiment and claim one exact rule is perfect.

It's just like the 4% Rule... it works perfectly... as long as you don't actually follow it blindly if the market crashes or if it soars so high that you could take out more -which is the same as saying it doesn't technically work perfectly.

The parts quoted here all look good so we can agree to disagree on the rest.

[Johnez]

I don't see how it's rude, but I say let them hold on to that hang up and get on with the late merge. I have to late merge or I'd go bonkers. A line of cars half a mile back is just waiting to be late merged on.

[cavewoman]

Where I'm from, we merge at the last second and if possible, create a double merge if traffic gets bad because we're stupid and in a rush all the time. I'm from New York if you can't tell. Personally I do whatever looks most convenient (usually zipper).

I've lived in Illinois, Connecticut, and California, and it's definitely a regional thing.  I've heard that in Wisconsin they call us FIAs (fucking Illinois Assholes).  Not to the point but funny nonetheless.

When in Connecticut (being a car clown, as I still am) I drove in NYC quite a bit.  And for all the mass hysteria (mostly from those not from there) about the terrible traffic and whatnot, I found driving in the city to be the best experience ever.  So many people in such a tight space leads to a communal push for everyone to get where they are going - zipper merges, scooting close to the car in front of you (because everyone has been the guy at the end of the line accidentally stuck in the previous intersection), taking off and getting up to speed quickly when the light turns green.  Required a lot of attention, but I thought it was really fun! 

In Illinois, in town, there are a couple of intersections where pre-light it's two lanes and shortly after the light it goes down to one.  I always line up in the lane that will continue.  Because it's not construction and we all know what's about to go down.  Then 2-3 people line up in the lane that will end and I'm always hoping for us to hold the line and not let them in, because as in elementary school "I was here first!" 

I like to think of people in grocery stores with carts - we are so nice to each other when it's crowded, letting people merge into an aisle, etc, but given the same scenario in a car and we are enraged!  Protective car bubbles can make us forget our humanity.

[Grimm]

Where I'm from, we merge at the last second and if possible, create a double merge if traffic gets bad because we're stupid and in a rush all the time. I'm from New York if you can't tell. Personally I do whatever looks most convenient (usually zipper).

I've lived in Illinois, Connecticut, and California, and it's definitely a regional thing.  I've heard that in Wisconsin they call us FIAs (fucking Illinois Assholes). Not to the point but funny nonetheless.

When in Connecticut (being a car clown, as I still am) I drove in NYC quite a bit.  And for all the mass hysteria (mostly from those not from there) about the terrible traffic and whatnot, I found driving in the city to be the best experience ever.  So many people in such a tight space leads to a communal push for everyone to get where they are going - zipper merges, scooting close to the car in front of you (because everyone has been the guy at the end of the line accidentally stuck in the previous intersection), taking off and getting up to speed quickly when the light turns green.  Required a lot of attention, but I thought it was really fun! 

In Illinois, in town, there are a couple of intersections where pre-light it's two lanes and shortly after the light it goes down to one.  I always line up in the lane that will continue.  Because it's not construction and we all know what's about to go down.  Then 2-3 people line up in the lane that will end and I'm always hoping for us to hold the line and not let them in, because as in elementary school "I was here first!" 

I like to think of people in grocery stores with carts - we are so nice to each other when it's crowded, letting people merge into an aisle, etc, but given the same scenario in a car and we are enraged!  Protective car bubbles can make us forget our humanity.

FIA???  Never heard that one yet.  But, I hear FIB (Fucking Illinois Bastard) on a routine basis.  : - )

[cavewoman]

You totally got me!  It's definitely FIBs.  I'll blame my brain fart on being in Central Illinois, we don't go up north much if we can help it :)

[frugalnacho]

The best are the signs for the merge that never comes.  If I were king for a day that would be a capital offense.

Ugh.  THIS.  They get put up in michigan all the time.  And left up for MONTHS at a time.  THE RIGHT LANE IS NOT CLOSED, NOR HAS IT BEEN SINCE YOU PUT THAT FUCKING SIGN UP 2 MONTHS AGO.  I have taken it upon myself to toss them off the sidewalk if I happen to go by without my car.

[Primm]

Not to hijack your thread, but what about driving in the breakdown lane when you are sitting in traffic and you are getting off the next exit?  Acceptable?  I will do this sometimes and people get really mad and try to swerve to cut me off.  I realize it is illegal where I live but have justified it to myself by only doing it if I can actually see my exit ahead.

No. My sister-in-law has ongoing health issues from 20 years ago when a 4WD hit her at 60km/hr in a breakdown zone (the truck in front of her lost a load of hay bales and she parked in there to help, police in attendance stopping traffic, this jerk decided he'd go round everyone and slammed into her just as she was getting into the car and doing up her seatbelt).

You may be able to see the exit in front of you. What if you're driving up the emergency lane to get around traffic and someone else has the same idea (in front of you)? They're not exactly going to expect that there's a car coming from behind, because, well, it's the emergency lane. People don't drive in the emergency lane.

Just don't do it. Bad idea.

[Self-employed-swami]

in most circumstances, i totally agree with the late merge.

but there is one situation where the late merge really fucks things up for everyone ... on my commute home, there's an area where a 2-lane highway splits to have 1-lane be an exit-only lane (to a bridge) and 1-lane through traffic on the highway. the exit only signage happens about a mile before the actual split. so i have no problems with late merging, but what i see almost every day is that someone goes up the exit only lane, then stops there with their turn signal on until someone lets them into the thru traffic lane. this blocks up the exit only lane, and makes us ALL have to stop waiting for this one douchebag to get out of the way.

you can probably guess that my turn is out of that exit-only lane :)

That's not really a merge, as much as it is a weave zone.