Not only Karen. I see this all the time, people do NOT know how to merge safely. If your lane ends, it's up to you to safely merge into the through lane, it's not up to the people in the through lane to make space for you.
That’s actually how it’s supposed to work. You’re not supposed to merge early you’re supposed to continue to the end and then merge in. Otherwise everyone merges at the beginning and slows down traffic and avoids the proper “zipper merge”.
Edit: not condoning speeding to the front but using that free lane to get to the front and perform the correct merge I see no problem with and I utilize that regularly.
Yes if that's the lane your already in, but getting out of the lane and Into the zipper merge to cut in front of traffic is not what it's for and what people seem to do frequently
In many countries it absolutely is. You even MUST do it. Also it isnt "cut" traffic turn, but legit merging ( not talking about leaving your lane to overtake some cars, but who TF would do that? That isnt the point here)
When you get out of the regular lane and Into merge lane just to get in front of other cars you were originally behind, it's definitely cutting traffic and not "legit" merging
Na, it isnt cutting, but literally law in some countries. Has nothing to do with wanting to skip some cars or not, you MUST do it, thus making it of course legit. Of course you mustnt leave your lane to overtake some cars, but that isnt what we are talking about here.
You're not supposed to wait for the last moment either. The merging lane is to get you up to speed and able to find space safely. Sometimes that might be early, sometimes that might be the end.
It might depend on the jurisdiction, but where I live, you are 100% wrong.
The point of a merge lane is not that everyone should merge RIGHT THERE at that point. It's ridiculous to think that doing that would be good in any way, because it creates a bottleneck where none needs to exist.
The zipper merge you're describing is only for heavy traffic because it actually increases flow by utilizing all lanes.
TL;DR: If your lane is ending and you have ample time to move over before the merge, then you should. Merging at the last minute is only for heavy traffic.
it actually increases flow by utilizing all lanes.
It only increases flow if not doing so would cause congestion further back. Ie: if backed up traffic would block a side road. Otherwise, it makes no difference; you can still only fit 1 vehicle at a time through the continuing lane.
Another benefit is a lessening in road rage from people who see there's ten minutes of congestion ahead of them and deciding to try racing up the shoulder or something. This also has middling success in places like the US where the people who have already entered the 'merged' lane will see people driving past them in the ending lane and will intentionally block them or try to stop them, etc.
Your example also depends greatly. You are supposed to merge whenever the line marking the merge lane changes from solid to broken. Some have that happen well away from the end of the lane, but it's very common that the broken line is only a couple car lengths at the very end. Merging over a solid white line is a violation.
The point of a merge lane is not that everyone should merge RIGHT THERE at that point. It’s ridiculous to think that doing that would be good in any way, because it creates a bottleneck where none needs to exist.
You’re not supposed to merge early you’re supposed to continue to the end and then merge in. Otherwise everyone merges at the beginning and slows down traffic and avoids the proper “zipper merge”.
That's not universally true. The zipper merge is only for when traffic is backed up, because it allows vehicles to use all available lanes and decreases congestion, and consequently, the risk of an accident.
When traffic is NOT backed up, the zipper merge doesn't apply. In fact, in that case, it actually makes traffic back up and increases the risk of an accident, because everyone is merging over at the exact same spot. It doesn't make sense. When traffic isn't backed up, it's best to merge earlier if you can. The person whose lane is ending is supposed to yield to any vehicles that are already in the lane that they're trying to merge into.
The zipper merge is always best. But OP could easily have been referring to people who cut into the merge lane and speed up (the literal opposite of a zipper merge); or people who speed to the end of a merge lane, rather than matching pace with the neighboring lane so they can cleanly merge.
There is no such thing as a zipper merge on 99.99% of the roads in the United States. One lane ends, one lane continues. The drivers in the lane that continues have the right-of-way and are under zero obligation to allow you to merge when you get to the end of the lane. That's why you merge before they end of the lane when. Legally, you're supposed to merge when there is available space for you to do so safely.
There is such a thing as a "zipper" merge, at least in my state. The problem is that people don't understand when it's supposed to be used and when it's not.
A zipper merge is only for heavy, backed-up traffic. Under those conditions, it's best to use all available lanes and merge at the end, because it increases traffic flow and reduces accidents.
But when the traffic is already flowing, it's best to merge before the spot where the lane actually ends. Under those conditions, you're correct: The car staying in its lane has the right of way, and the car in the lane that is ending is supposed to yield to traffic already in the lane that they're trying to merge into.
But, as with most things, people only hear the bumper-sticker version of the story. People have been taught that the zipper merge is appropriate for heavy traffic, so they think it's appropriate everywhere, because they don't understand WHY it's appropriate in heavy traffic.
It's similar to the God-awful misplacement of objective pronouns in English. For years, people used to say things like "My brother and me went to the store..." so teachers hounded them and taught them to say "My brother and I went to the store..." because it's appropriate in that case, where both "my brother" and "I" are the subjects of the sentence, and therefore any pronouns are in the nominative case. But people never understood WHY it's appropriate in those cases, so they just always use the subjective case, even when it's not correct. I've lost count of how many people say things like "If you have any questions, please see Barbara or I..." which is, of course, entirely incorrect.
I'm confused in that case how anyone would ever be able to drive on this highway. Lanes end all the time, and this seems to mean you have to come to a dead stop while all the rest of traffic keeps going without letting you in.
this seems to mean you have to come to a dead stop while all the rest of traffic keeps going without letting you in.
If you're going to wait until the last possible moment to merge, that is correct. You need to come to a dead stop until it is safe for you to merge. That's why you shouldn't wait until the last possible moment to merge. Instead, you should take the opportunity to merge when it is safe to do so before the last possible moment.
But how can you merge before the last minute if nobody is supposed to let you in? That's my whole point. The OP had a million years to let her in and refused.
So we are no longer driving defensively and deliberately spiting other drivers and not letting them in. Got it.
Taken directly from Pennsylvania DOT
Late Merge – Zipper Merge
The Zipper Merge is a new driving strategy that requires a change in the mindset of motorists who
traditionally have been taught to merge early when recognizing that a lane will end. The results of early
merging are longer backups, an increase in crashes and road rage incidents.
The new driving procedure to follow is when you see the “lane closed ahead” sign and traffic is 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. When traffic is heavy and slow, it is much safer for motorists to remain in their
current traffic lane until the point where traffic can orderly take turns merging.
The Zipper Merge benefits drivers by:
•
Reducing the difference in speeds between two lanes. Changing lanes when traffic is traveling at
approximately the same speed is easier and safer.
•
Reducing the overall length of traffic backup by as much as 40%.
•
Reducing congestion on freeway interchanges, especially in metropolitan areas.
•
Creating a sense of fairness and equity that all lanes are moving at the same rate.
None of that changes anything about who has right of way in a lane. "They wouldn't let me zipper merge!" won't carry any weight if you make an unsafe merge into the continuing lane.
That entire thing you pasted is a PSA saying "hey, here's a technically better way to do things" - not a change in the law.
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u/3588cc 12h ago
Not only Karen. I see this all the time, people do NOT know how to merge safely. If your lane ends, it's up to you to safely merge into the through lane, it's not up to the people in the through lane to make space for you.