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I know I can't stand it. I see the dangerous merging all of the time. I'm usually in the far left or the middle lane. I can't ride in the right lane. It's too slow.
Let me break it down for you, nice and simple so you can understand... when everyone else is going the posted speed limit, including the people in front of you on the on ramp, you should be too. Everyone else should not be expected to slow down just for you. It's flat out dangerous.
Quote:
Originally Posted by paperboyo
Actually, that's exactly how on-ramps work. It's sort of hilarious that it's the opposite of what you think, though. Kind of revealing.
If d2mini is on the onramp trying to merge with traffic on the freeway and paperboyo is ALSO on the onramp trying to merge, in this case in front of d2mini, paperboyo should NOT be slowing down on the on ramp. If the flow of traffic on the freeway is 60 mph, then those on the on ramp must depress that accelerator to get up to speed to match the freeway. Yeah, you might have to floor it, depending on the car, but get up to speed!
Drives me crazy when when flow of traffic is 60 mph and they guy in front of me decides to s.l.o.w.l.y. creep along the on ramp, thereby forcing my to slow down and then causing everyone, both on the freeway and on the on ramp, to brake. Most cars have accelerators. Use them!
If d2mini is on the onramp trying to merge with traffic on the freeway and paperboyo is ALSO on the onramp trying to merge, in this case in front of d2mini, paperboyo should NOT be slowing down on the on ramp. If the flow of traffic on the freeway is 60 mph, then those on the on ramp must depress that accelerator to get up to speed to match the freeway. Yeah, you might have to floor it, depending on the car, but get up to speed!
Drives me crazy when when flow of traffic is 60 mph and they guy in front of me decides to s.l.o.w.l.y. creep along the on ramp, thereby forcing my to slow down and then causing everyone, both on the freeway and on the on ramp, to brake. Most cars have accelerators. Use them!
So it angers you that people follow the posted speed limits for on-ramps?
What really annoys me is when signs are posted that one lane will be closed ahead. Usually starts at 1 mile ahead, 1000 ft ahead, 500 ft ahead, etc.
People start merging over right at 1 mile ahead while there is still 1 mile of real estate left for them to safely proceed. It would ease congestion if everyone in the merging lane would just keep in their lane until their lane actually ends and then they can start merging alternating between cars in the other lane.
If people used both lanes up to the actual closure then did the zipper merge, traffic would flow much, much better.
I haven't driven in Texas, although I can let you know that what I described is the situation in at least the ten other states I have driven in. If you have metered ramps (which I have experienced), then by definition, as you say, there's heavy traffic and there's no reason they're going 70 mph. In fact, these scenarios you speak of are all considered by engineers and, trust me, it's actually the opposite of what you're saying. It's like how there will be a 40 mph speed limit on a road and people like you say "clearly that was arbitrary because everyone is driving 60 mph." Uh, no. It's 40 mph for a reason, even if you don't know what the reason is. The fact that you choose to ignore it doesn't mean the person who follows it is the problem. You're still the problem.
This might be a bit off topic, but you are not entirely correct about how speed limits are set. They can be arbitrarily set by the powers that be without regard to road design and the speed they can handle. According to traffic pattern research the optimum speed limit is the speed that the 80th percentile go. Optimum meaning fewest accidents. To low of a speed limit will increase the accidents and as will excessive speeding.
As far as what the op said, I agree. I have had people stop on on ramps just as all the cars behind then are increasing speed to merge on the highway. She just about rear ended by the six cars behind her. If a drivers skills are so bad that they are afraid to merge at speed they should stay off the highways.
There are no posted speed limits for on ramps. They are there specifically to accelerate to (or close to) highway speed, which is why they are also known as acceleration ramps. The yellow signs are suggested speeds (similar to those posted on curves) to warn that certain vehicles may not be able to travel over that speed. For straight on ramps, they are irrelevant. For cloverleafs not so much. If a cloverleaf is suggested at 25 and I take it at 40, getting onto a 65 MPH highway, am I going to get a ticket? Of course not. It's still an acceleration ramp. It says 25 to warn high-profile vehicles that it is a sharp curve. If I go 80 down a straight ramp getting onto a 65 MPH highway, am I going to get a ticket? Sure, because my doing 80 has nothing to do with acceleration, or the posted limits of the highway or the road I came off of.
Granted, cloverleafs are incredibly inefficient and counterproductive to a limited-access freeway structure anyway and should be eliminated, but that's another argument.
If you merge onto a 65 MPH highway doing 45, having had ample distance to accelerate, you are causing congestion and are part of the problem. If you are in the right lane and apply the brakes to allow the first person to merge doing 45, you are also part of the problem.
Poor merge technique is the biggest cause of highway congestion in cities, and it is entirely avoidable.
There are no posted speed limits for on ramps. They are there specifically to accelerate to (or close to) highway speed, which is why they are also known as acceleration ramps. The yellow signs are suggested speeds (similar to those posted on curves) to warn that certain vehicles may not be able to travel over that speed. For straight on ramps, they are irrelevant. For cloverleafs not so much. If a cloverleaf is suggested at 25 and I take it at 40, getting onto a 65 MPH highway, am I going to get a ticket? Of course not. It's still an acceleration ramp. It says 25 to warn high-profile vehicles that it is a sharp curve. If I go 80 down a straight ramp getting onto a 65 MPH highway, am I going to get a ticket? Sure, because my doing 80 has nothing to do with acceleration, or the posted limits of the highway or the road I came off of.
Granted, cloverleafs are incredibly inefficient and counterproductive to a limited-access freeway structure anyway and should be eliminated, but that's another argument.
If you merge onto a 65 MPH highway doing 45, having had ample distance to accelerate, you are causing congestion and are part of the problem. If you are in the right lane and apply the brakes to allow the first person to merge doing 45, you are also part of the problem.
Poor merge technique is the biggest cause of highway congestion in cities, and it is entirely avoidable.
I'm amused that you say that posted speeds are just "suggestions." I'm sure you also consider speed limits on roads to be suggestions, right?
Wikipedia also notes that "advisory speed limits" are "recommended by governing bodies" and that "liability for any accidents that occur as a result of traveling above the limit can be placed partially or entirely on the person exceeding the advisory speed limit."
In other words, all the "advisory" part means is that you can't be ticketed if nothing happens. But if anything does, then you're at fault. That means that the signs don't mean that you're "supposed" to be driving faster than them and it certainly doesn't mean anything at all like what the OP was harping about. In fact, if anything happened to the OP, he would be at fault.
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