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Coming back from the dealer today. Big crash and the right lane was blocked up ahead. If you want to know a thing or two about the people who live here, this photo speaks volumes. In my rearview mirror i saw about the same thing behind me.
Sorry my original post read the OP wrong. Is that people moving over to clear right lane for accident OR people just driving in the left lane?
Chet
The right lane was blocked due to the accident up ahead. The interesting thing wasn’t that everyone had moved over to the left for probably a half mile, but that nobody tried to take advantage of this wide open right lane to cut in line.
Ugh, I know how you feel, we lived in Tennessee where the late merge was considered very rude! Traffic would back up for miles like your picture all the time.
NPR had an article about the Zipper merge- it's counter intuitive but the Zipper merger (waiting to merge over until the last minute) helps traffic flow more freely and benefits everyone, including those in the lane that people you are merging into. Basically it increases the capacity of the highway.
I take this information as a 'hall pass' to do the Zipper merge as often as possible. I know it seems anti-social and Tennessee 'rude', but that is just for the unenlightened and I do it now all the time, LOL.
Ugh, I know how you feel, we lived in Tennessee where the late merge was considered very rude! Traffic would back up for miles like your picture all the time.
NPR had an article about the Zipper merge- it's counter intuitive but the Zipper merger (waiting to merge over until the last minute) helps traffic flow more freely and benefits everyone, including those in the lane that people you are merging into. Basically it increases the capacity of the highway.
I take this information as a 'hall pass' to do the Zipper merge as often as possible. I know it seems anti-social and Tennessee 'rude', but that is just for the unenlightened and I do it now all the time, LOL.
Same here. Rude to cut the line. Yeah, i remember seeing that article. Seeing this yesterday one positive about this situation was that emergency vehicles got to the accident faster because they were hauling down that open lane. If your life is hanging in the balance and every second counts, these people just did you a solid. I need to visit Tennessee!
In Michigan you'll get some who will take advantage. However in Ontario people know how to properly zipper merge. I can't for the life of me figure out why it's so hard to NOT drive in the passing lane and zipper merge.
So I'm supposed to merge late?
Yes! As you see the “lane closed ahead” sign and traffic backing up, stay in your current lane up to the point of merge. Then take turns with other drivers to safely and smoothly ease into the remaining lane.
Benefits
Reduces differences in speeds between two lanes
Reduces the overall length of traffic backup by as much as 40 percent
Reduces congestion on freeway interchanges
Source: https://www.dot.state.mn.us/zippermerge/
So I'm supposed to merge late?
Yes! As you see the “lane closed ahead” sign and traffic backing up, stay in your current lane up to the point of merge. Then take turns with other drivers to safely and smoothly ease into the remaining lane.
Benefits
Reduces differences in speeds between two lanes
Reduces the overall length of traffic backup by as much as 40 percent
Reduces congestion on freeway interchanges
Source:https://www.dot.state.mn.us/zippermerge/
Not really meant to be about the pros and cons of merging late, although i am sure the people responding to this accident appreciated the wide open right lane. But regarding those points above, there was no issue with speed difference of lanes, because nobody was driving in the right lane. The traffic backup only impacted the left lane, so the right lane was open and used to exit the freeway. I think this only works if everyone is on the same page, which quite frankly probably only applies to a very small % of the country.
It was more an observation about the behavior of the drivers, and what i would call civility. Just an observation.
Ugh, I know how you feel, we lived in Tennessee where the late merge was considered very rude! Traffic would back up for miles like your picture all the time.
NPR had an article about the Zipper merge- it's counter intuitive but the Zipper merger (waiting to merge over until the last minute) helps traffic flow more freely and benefits everyone, including those in the lane that people you are merging into. Basically it increases the capacity of the highway.
I take this information as a 'hall pass' to do the Zipper merge as often as possible. I know it seems anti-social and Tennessee 'rude', but that is just for the unenlightened and I do it now all the time, LOL.
Georgia is the same way. I see it everyday right here in front of our business. People get mad and irate about others using the zipper merge just so they can get to the red light 1/4-mile up ahead one car quicker. It is crazy.
They need some sort of temporary lane lights so that one lane goes and then the other lane goes. That would optimize traffic flow.
In Hawaii the freeway lanes adjust, so that when you are driving into Honolulu in the morning it is like 3 lanes in and one lane out. Coming home it is the reverse. Pretty amazing to watch in action. But I don't think it happens quick enough for most accidents.
08-01-2018, 02:14 AM
OT: You don’t see this everyday...
