Merge in turn

[Banchory Buddha]

Maybe those in "the queue" have already merged as intended, but still others continue push down to the front to merge at the last moment. Can cause a bigger bottleneck as both lanes now jammed whilst they push in. It should work better if people don't all wait to do it at the last available point.

You're meant to drive to the merge point.

 

[Banchory Buddha]

I think the issue is pretty clear. There are two recommendations on merging in turn, one for slow stop/start traffic and one for free flowing traffic

For the former its to use all lanes and merge at the end (at lane closure) For the latter you should merge early to keep traffic flowing.
The problem crops up when traffic was free flowing (so folks have merged early) and ‘something’ happens to quickly turn it into stop/start traffic

That ‘something’ could be caused by a dozen different reasons but typically a ‘Q jumper’ leaving it too late to merge for free flowing traffic, cutting in too close to other vehicles and causing the free flowing lane to concertina and even stop

So now we have one lane with cars all positioned as if it was a free flowing merge but its now stop/start traffic, and the traffic never un-merges back into two lanes… now our Hero arrives…

They see its stop/start traffic and one lane is not really being used, so to them there’s no reason not to use the emptier lane and merge at the lane closure but perhaps also understandably the folks who’ve already correctly merged are kinda pissed at this perceived lack of road manners. In no time the shenanigans all start and no one wins the argument

In an ideal world what would happen is that when the merged single lane free flowing traffic begins to slow & is no longer free flowing, traffic should form two lanes again from the tail of the existing merged Q… everyone happy and everyone getting through in roughly the order in which they arrived… but it’ll never happen

This is all wrong

 

[Bunkermagnet]

I posted about this issue the other week. A lorry behind me blocked the lane off so I phoned the water company he worked for and gave his reg in as we was sat in traffic. Folk were mounting the central reservation going round him.

People just don’t like others gaining a perceived advantage.

So it's ok for you to use your phone whilst driving and for others to drive dangerously like that just because you were all having to get in line?
Think about the lorry...slower to pull away, needs longer distances to stop and a much larger breaking zone and how all those car drivers will see him as the "target" to get in front of because he has space in front of him.

 

[SaintHacker]

So it's ok for you to use your phone whilst driving and for others to drive dangerously like that just because you were all having to get in line?
Think about the lorry...slower to pull away, needs longer distances to stop and a much larger breaking zone and how all those car drivers will see him as the "target" to get in front of because he has space in front of him.

What if an emegency vehicle was trying to get past the lorry?

 

[theoneandonly]

This particular one near me can often queue a long way back. You do get the odd road warrior thinking they can block both lanes.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

What if an emegency vehicle was trying to get past the lorry?

I'm quite sure the driver would have been aware long before the blue light reached him, he's not driving a car

 

[Deleted member 29109]

So it's ok for you to use your phone whilst driving and for others to drive dangerously like that just because you were all having to get in line?
Think about the lorry...slower to pull away, needs longer distances to stop and a much larger breaking zone and how all those car drivers will see him as the "target" to get in front of because he has space in front of him.

Maybe his car has hands free, which as far as I am aware is perfectly legal to use whilst driving?

 

[SaintHacker]

I'm quite sure the driver would have been aware long before the blue light reached him, he's not driving a car

You can be as sure as you like, I've seen it actually happen though

 

[nickjdavis]

I wonder if some folks actions are governed by how they were taught.

When I passed my test in the 1980's I always remember being taught that the primary rule of the road was "keep left". So you kept to the left hand lane where possible and when driving in lanes, you kept to the left hand side of the lane you were in. The other thing that I remember being taught was to get yourself in the correct lane for where you wanted to go, as early as possible.

So keeping the above in mind....in the instance of seeing signs on a multi-lane road that indicated that one of the lanes was closed, it was always habitual to get in the "open" lane as early as was sensibly possible....rather than driving all the way up to the blockage and then pulling in.

I must admit that it's my impression that this zip-merging mularkey is something "relatively" recent and may not be something that drivers of a certain vintage are aware of being the correct thing to do....up until maybe 7 or 8 years ago I'd have argued that getting in the open lane early was the right thing to do....rather than zip-merging.

 

[Deleted member 29109]

I wonder if some folks actions are governed by how they were taught.

When I passed my test in the 1980's I always remember being taught that the primary rule of the road was "keep left". So you kept to the left hand lane where possible and when driving in lanes, you kept to the left hand side of the lane you were in. The other thing that I remember being taught was to get yourself in the correct lane for where you wanted to go, as early as possible.

So keeping the above in mind....in the instance of seeing signs on a multi-lane road that indicated that one of the lanes was closed, it was always habitual to get in the "open" lane as early as was sensibly possible....rather than driving all the way up to the blockage and then pulling in.

I must admit that it's my impression that this zip-merging mularkey is something "relatively" recent and may not be something that drivers of a certain vintage are aware of being the correct thing to do....up until maybe 7 or 8 years ago I'd have argued that getting in the open lane early was the right thing to do....rather than zip-merging.

I passed my test in the mid 90s and it was a thing back then.

 

[3offTheTee]

You're meant to drive to the merge point.

Is the merge point similar to The ‘Aim Point’ ? Whoops wrong thread!

 

[Imurg]

It could have been taught last week....most will have still forgotten it......

 

[Doon frae Troon]

You're meant to drive to the merge point.

Totally agree.
Merging generally works very well on North British roads.
South of Preston is a completely different story.

 

[chrisd]

It could have been taught last week....most will have still forgotten it......

I've seen you driving mate, and it all over the road - oh sorry! It's not a golf matter ??

 

[Deleted member 23270]

I drove through Salisbury in rush hour today. There were 2 lanes of traffic approaching a roundabout. The left lane was much shorter and moving quicker but it is left turn only at the roundabout. The right lane is straight on only. Lots of cars went down the left lane then pushed in near the end. Is this acceptable?

 

[Imurg]

I drove through Salisbury in rush hour today. There were 2 lanes of traffic approaching a roundabout. The left lane was much shorter and moving quicker but it is left turn only at the roundabout. The right lane is straight on only. Lots of cars went down the left lane then pushed in near the end. Is this acceptable?

Not in my opinion and if you did it on your driving test you'd fail for noncompliance with a road sign or marking.

 

[Foxholer]

Not in my opinion and if you did it on your driving test you'd fail for noncompliance with a road sign or marking.

Doesn't that depend where the sign/marking is?
If you were initially in the left lane (from long before the bottleneck), at what point would it be legit to indicate intention to change lanes and subsequently do so.

 

[Imurg]

As soon as it becomes noticeable - and that, usually, means a bit further back than a car length from the junction.
Even then, technically, you should go the wrong way ie left, find somewhere to turn around and try again.
99.9999% of people who use the left lane incorrectly in this scenario would not even consider doing that.
We get kids failing all the time doing this sort of thing...as soon as you hold up traffic in this scenario you're in the wrong.

 

[Deleted member 23270]

Not in my opinion and if you did it on your driving test you'd fail for noncompliance with a road sign or marking.

To clarify, there are big clear signs telling you which lane to be in a looooong way back from the roundabout.

 

[Imurg]

To clarify, there are big clear signs telling you which lane to be in a looooong way back from the roundabout.

Then, in Driving Instructor parlance, they are Peasants.....and should be taken out and shot at dawn....