I66 tolls now in effect - at times over $30 one way (Richmond: transplants, DMV)

[NeganGrimes]

in DC if you do that and you notice a flash of light behind you, then expect to see something in the mail

[ChristineVA]

Originally Posted by Adgj

Are you also the person that goes all the way to the very front end of a merge lane and force your way in? Do you look for ways to disrupt traffic flow?

Well, that would be me. It's called the zipper merge and it's totally appropriate and makes the best use of all the lanes. I was actually taught to merge that way back in 1980 during Driver's Ed. The only time it gets hampered is when some yokel thinks everyone is trying to cut them off and gets in some standoff at the end of the ramp.

[tgbwc]

Originally Posted by ChristineVA

Well, that would be me. It's called the zipper merge and it's totally appropriate and makes the best use of all the lanes. I was actually taught to merge that way back in 1980 during Driver's Ed. The only time it gets hampered is when some yokel thinks everyone is trying to cut them off and gets in some standoff at the end of the ramp.

I agree. Use both lanes to the merge point, particularly if traffic is slow or backed up.

[Ffxdata]

Originally Posted by Adgj

Are you also the person that goes all the way to the very front end of a merge lane and force your way in? Do you look for ways to disrupt traffic flow?

This is called a zipper merge and is considered the most effective and efficient way to use the road even if it doesn’t feel like the nicest or fairest since people don’t know that’s what you are supposed to do.

[FCNova]

Originally Posted by Adgj

Oh! So your the person with a 10 car gap in front of them barely moving through a light while on your phone.
Do you not realize all the people you are being so selfish and rude towards?

Haha. Right, I'm not that guy but that guy is still better than the guy flooring it when the light turns yellow and running red lights

[Deeman804]

Originally Posted by Ffxdata

This is called a zipper merge and is considered the most effective and efficient way to use the road even if it doesn’t feel like the nicest or fairest since people don’t know that’s what you are supposed to do.

I have no problem with the zipper merge, but I totally have a problem with people doing that do it 1) without using their signal; and 2) without yielding the right-of-way to the through lane.

Zipper merging doesn’t turn your car into a police vehicle with the sirens on.

[ChristineVA]

Originally Posted by Adgj

Prove to me:
1) that a person merging as soon there is a opening and not causing the person and all the people behind them to stop is not better for traffic flow VS
2)Speed past all the open gaps in traffic and then right at or even past the end of the MERGE lane, you then make some poor slob and all behind them STOP! to let you in.
Version 1 is merging and traffic flows
Version 2 is causing traffic to STOP and accidents

The "zipper flow" is counterintuitive. It's created by proper late-merging at the last minute. It's destroyed by early merging. For this reason, the Fed Highway Admin has specific recommendations for proper driver behavior. They (and the various state highway groups) also have found the best road signage for smoothing the flow: "STAY IN LANE UNTIL MERGE POINT." Then at the last minute, another sign: "MERGE HERE, TAKE TURNS." Early merging ruins everything. Any drivers who encourage early merging, but who tailgate to punish late merging, they've fallen for faulty reasoning. The situation is counterintuitive. The ideal behavior is the exact opposite of drivers' early-merge and "cheater-punisher" beliefs: keep everyone in their lanes, no early merging allowed. No empty lanes, so 'cheating' is stopped. Then take turns merging *only* at the last minute. Anything else is a recipe for hot-headed tailgaters and jam-triggers.

The above is from here: ZIPPER MERGE: Curing merging-lane traffic jams

And from the Federal Highway Administration: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publication...sec2.htm#sec24

Principle #3: Zippering
Unlike principle #2, which is noted to be fairly impractical to expect, this one could easily be melded into our regular practice; namely, to take turns, or “zipper” merge at the front of the line. The fairness – and simple visualization – of this principle speaks for itself. And there is already precedence that we have been schooled in this; witness the “Yield” condition and many recurring locations where this is the unwritten rule; newcomers quickly adapt! Advocates of zipper merging are proponents of “late” merges; i.e., staying in your lane until the last possible moment and taking turns to get through the chokepoint nozzle. One enterprising fellow in California has gone so far as to adorn his car with a zipper graphic and messages promoting this method.

And there's more:

https://auto.howstuffworks.com/traff...pper-merge.htm
https://lifehacker.com/the-right-way...and-1501148503

The proper thing to do, according to engineers in the New York Times article and other sources, is for everyone to:

Stay calm
Slow down a bit
"Zipper merge"

Shall I go on?

[Ffxdata]

Originally Posted by Deeman804

I have no problem with the zipper merge, but I totally have a problem with people doing that do it 1) without using their signal; and 2) without yielding the right-of-way to the through lane.

Zipper merging doesn’t turn your car into a police vehicle with the sirens on.

This is the wrong mindset. There is no “through lane” in a zipper merge. The idea that the through lane has a right away (and right to cut off merging vehicles) is the problem. Two lanes become one lane and each vehicle is meant to trade off spots. It’s not the “through lane” generously “letting people in”.

[dkf747]

Originally Posted by Adgj

Prove to me:
1) that a person merging as soon there is a opening and not causing the person and all the people behind them to stop is not better for traffic flow VS
2)Speed past all the open gaps in traffic and then right at or even past the end of the MERGE lane, you then make some poor slob and all behind them STOP! to let you in.
Version 1 is merging and traffic flows
Version 2 is causing traffic to STOP and accidents

Both kinds of merging are exactly the same. One is here and the other is there. That's the only difference. Well, that and whether a lane sirs unused or not. No one is forced to stop and differently than if you merged early. If you're forced to stop, it is most likely your fault for trying to block someone.

[z28lt1]

Yes, the Zipper Merge proponents have a few assumptions (generally)

1 - That everyone is on board with it and does it. If people are merging at multiple spots, it doesn't work.

2 - That traffic is moving sufficiently slow, or there isn't any traffic at all and there is plenty of space to merge. If traffic has any speed to it at all, but is still not wide open, there is safety aspect, which almost always leads to hard braking as people are moving too fast to get over at the last minute, which causes more traffic to begin with. You'll see the zipper merge proponents call for you to leave space for a number of cars to get in so you don't have to brake for each other. California has stated for safety, they want people to early merge and not zipper merge. And then real issue with this is the same exact place then might sometimes be best suited with a zipper merge, and may and other times be bested suited for an early merge. The generally population can't make that determination on-the-fly, particularly as a collective.

3 - That the traffic flow of both lanes is roughly equal. In many cases, one lane is going quicker than the other, either because 1) people merged early (which ruins the process) or 2) because one lane is an entrance ramp or something and naturally has less vehicles.

4 - That the "greater good" of traffic flow is more important than the individual. This should be true, but as not everyone thinks this way, the concept falls down drastically. It only takes a few to let the whole theory not work.

There are people on both sides of the coin that ruin any hope of the zipper merge really working and it is because one exist (on either side) that the other exists. There are those who won't let the late merger in and cause issues, and there are those who feel the need to get ahead of other people at all costs, so do as late a merge as possible. Since the zipper merge is not used much or taught in this area, I'll speculate that way over 90% of the people who last minute merge are doing it to get ahead of others, and not because they have studied traffic engineering and determined they are just trying to make the zipper merge work for everyone. I bet those same people would early merge if the lane they were in was significantly slower than the lane they would be going into, because the large majority drive for themselves and not the "greater good". I'm guilty as well. I always let one car in on a merge, because it is polite and there are some efficiencies to it. But then when the next car (who was behind the car I just let in) tries to go ahead of me as well, instead of zippering behind me I generally don't let them in. The zipper merge at its best would require me to let all those who approach, and leave enough space so that they can do it naturally.

It is 100% true that the early merge does not use all the pavement, but with the backups we often get in this area, you won't convince me that using the last 100 feet of pavement makes much difference.

The zipper merge is like a science class to me. We all learned that a pound of bricks and a pound of feathers dropped from the same point will hit the ground at the same time in a vacuum. But our planet isn't a vacuum, so that information has no practical relevance. Just like the zipper merge, which in theory, in some conditions is way more efficient, but in the real world with today's drivers, has no practical way of working.