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Old 09-24-2010, 10:33 AM
 
538 posts, read 1,516,488 times
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Here in MN, MNDOT has had many campaigns going back to 1996 telling drivers to use both lanes until they end. Their studies show that only 3% of the drivers do what the state wants them to do. I am one of the 3% and I get honked at, yelled at, cut off all the time. Maybe I should drive around with signs on my car.

Apparently those campaigns aren't going very well.....

Funny how when a lane ends (not construction), that people don't use it. That is what it's there for. It's not people getting in line at the last minute who cause the back-ups...it's the people already in line who are punishing correctly behaving drivers at the merge point that cause the back-ups (creating more and tighter shockwaves for everyone else behind them).

Note: Not to be confused with "exit only" or when lanes become turn lanes, etc.
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Old 09-24-2010, 10:34 AM
 
Location: Cincinnati
3,336 posts, read 6,909,721 times
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crew chief
well it does suck to be behind a big truck in traffic. you can't see anything. if you leave space someone else cuts in dangerously. but the experience of trying to fit a giant truck in rush-hour type city traffic is something i can only imagine.
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Old 09-24-2010, 10:35 AM
 
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If this happens during periods of congestion, will merge right at the sign/merge point (eg I-90 West Chgo NW Tollway two left lanes Rush Hour). Otherwise, will try to merge way before and move over a lane to allow some last minute mergers in.
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Old 09-24-2010, 10:38 AM
 
Location: Brambleton, VA
2,186 posts, read 7,910,551 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by progmac View Post
So we have this discussion basically every time we go on a road trip. Take a two-lane, one-way road. Imagine that up ahead 1000 feet or so is one of those big orange arrows indicating construction and that the lane you are driving in is about to end. Do you drive all the way up to the sign and then attempt to merge or do you merge farther back?

My wife says to merge at the sign, that doing so keeps traffic flowing better. I say merge farther back so that the people invariably crawling or stopped in the free lane don't think you're a jerk for driving past them and then "cutting in" at the sign.
I agree with what you do. Not many things irk me more than those that see the signs miles away and opt to wait until last minute. I don't let them over. I know that some people may not know how to read, but the moving arrow sign isn't hard to figure out. I do make a point to let big trucks over as soon as they have their turn signals on. I always try to be nice to the truckers because of all the idiots they deal with day in and day out.
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Old 09-24-2010, 10:39 AM
 
Location: in here, out there
3,062 posts, read 6,998,246 times
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I think the speed/flow of traffic is important. If the traffic is stopped, go all the way to the merge point and then merge, especially if you can pass some of the dopes waiting for others to merge.

If the traffic is moving, merge when it is safe so as not to disrupt the flow of traffic.
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Old 09-24-2010, 10:48 AM
 
Location: Cincinnati
3,336 posts, read 6,909,721 times
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what tends to happen, though, is that the unblocked lane is at a standstill or nearly so and the blocked lane is wide open for the last 500 feet, so it makes you look like such a jerk if you fly up 500 feet and then merge, even if that technically works better. i wonder if the problem is bigger or smaller depending on the general politeness of the locals?
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Old 09-24-2010, 10:49 AM
 
Location: The Big D
14,862 posts, read 42,671,273 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alley01 View Post
I agree with what you do. Not many things irk me more than those that see the signs miles away and opt to wait until last minute. I don't let them over. I know that some people may not know how to read, but the moving arrow sign isn't hard to figure out.
What you are doing is actually CAUSING traffic backups. There is a reason why the merge sign is in the spot it is in and not miles back. They WANT all traffic to use ALL lanes that are open up until that point. Drivers like you are the reason why the one lane is backed up for MILES! Learn to drive and then all of us will have a safer trip on the roads and the traffic will move better.

Read just this one article:
Heavy Traffic: The Great Merge Debate - Blogcritics Sci/Tech

Here is a blurb from it:

Start with the late merge:

The concept of delaying a merge when two lanes are funneled into one, as often happens during road repair work, caught on with traffic engineers after studies showed that traffic flow speeded up as much 15 percent over the old “merge early and politely” philosophy. The driver you shake your fist at while he speeds by in the lane to be closed is actually making your trip shorter. What happens is that all that early merging creates an underused lane — everybody crammed into one lane while there are still two useable ones. Merging when necessary, in zipper fashion, is the better way to go.
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Old 09-24-2010, 10:54 AM
 
Location: The Big D
14,862 posts, read 42,671,273 times
Reputation: 5787
Quote:
Originally Posted by progmac View Post
what tends to happen, though, is that the unblocked lane is at a standstill or nearly so and the blocked lane is wide open for the last 500 feet, so it makes you look like such a jerk if you fly up 500 feet and then merge, even if that technically works better. i wonder if the problem is bigger or smaller depending on the general politeness of the locals?
Thing is, there is NOTHING that prevented those other motorists that have been sitting in that one lane for 2 miles or so for who knows how long from being able to be in the OTHER open lane. They too could have been in that lane and then there would not have been a backup. The other lane is "open" to all motorists and that means that any vehicle on the road has the right to be in that lane. The smarter driver is actually the one that is NOT sitting in the one lane that all traffic is getting merged into. The person in the one lane that has been sitting there thinking all the others are "jerks" is the one that is actually the jerk as they are actually causing a backup for miles, causing more traffic congestion, creating a higher risk of accidents, creating a higher risk of breakdowns (especially in high temp areas/seasons) as well as adding to the pollution in the area.
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Old 09-24-2010, 10:58 AM
 
Location: Chicago
38,707 posts, read 102,687,747 times
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What you're supposed to do is use both lanes to the merge point and then "zipper in." If everyone else wants to line up in a single lane half a mile before the merge point, I suppose that's their prerogative. And I really don't care if they think I'm a jerk because I don't share their prerogative. I have no idea what compels people to do that, but it has come to the point where I have seen signs in construction zones actually instructing people to use both lanes until the merge point because they won't do it unless they're told.
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Old 09-24-2010, 11:03 AM
 
Location: Brambleton, VA
2,186 posts, read 7,910,551 times
Reputation: 2204
Quote:
Originally Posted by momof2dfw View Post
What you are doing is actually CAUSING traffic backups. There is a reason why the merge sign is in the spot it is in and not miles back. They WANT all traffic to use ALL lanes that are open up until that point. Drivers like you are the reason why the one lane is backed up for MILES! Learn to drive and then all of us will have a safer trip on the roads and the traffic will move better.

Read just this one article:
Heavy Traffic: The Great Merge Debate - Blogcritics Sci/Tech

Here is a blurb from it:

Start with the late merge:

The concept of delaying a merge when two lanes are funneled into one, as often happens during road repair work, caught on with traffic engineers after studies showed that traffic flow speeded up as much 15 percent over the old “merge early and politely” philosophy. The driver you shake your fist at while he speeds by in the lane to be closed is actually making your trip shorter. What happens is that all that early merging creates an underused lane — everybody crammed into one lane while there are still two useable ones. Merging when necessary, in zipper fashion, is the better way to go.
When you speed by us and then suddenly want to merge in at the very last moment so that you cut in front of everyone else, it is not my obligation to let you in. Be responsible and merge as soon as you see the warning signs. That is the responsible thing to do. Who cares what bloggers write on the subject. They wouldn't warn you if you weren't supposed to move over immediately. It isn't any different when there is an accident or emergency and the assistance vehicles tell people to move over or the traffic signs tell you to merge to the right. Don't get to the point of the truck and move over!! I am not holding up traffic. The person wanting to merge over last minute is!

Try to justify moving over at the last minute all you want to - but you aren't convincing me.
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