https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publication...8013/chap2.htm

Here's some other study and there is some ncstate one that's hard to link. Looks like the biggest benefit is safety because zipper merge lanes stops douchebags from merging at high speeds and causing the slow lane to slam breaks. Not much if any gain in speed.

Seems like trucks blocking a lane probably creates a defacto merge lane and makes things safer, so people shouldn't be against it if their true goal is egalitarian efficiency rather than selfishness.

If everyone stays in their lane until the merge point then there is no fast or slow lane. So the people merging early are the ones creating the unsafe environment.

Nah, that's just douche rationalization, which is a lot of this thread. Hopefully yall leave wide gaps for people to merge and get over when others indicate when driving.

If it's explicitly a zipper marked lane then that would be the case.


This thread has convinced me to start driving slowish in the merge lane, though. Start a queue behind me.

That last bit is the ultimate douche move.

So how early is too early? One mile back? Two miles? Three? Four?

At least 20. Let’s turn every Interstate into one lane traffic and see what happens.

I'm pretty sure the sweet spot for merging is exactly where I do it* - Anyone that merges before me is an idiot and anyone trying to merge in front of me is a douche.









*Where I decide to merge changes from day to day, so your status of being an idiot or a douche is totally dependent on my whims.

Not only does this go against common sense and everyone's best interests, but in some states, you are actually breaking the law.

New Jersey, for example is a "must stay right" state. Meaning, drivers are actually required to keep right unless they are passing. Moving to the left lane before required to do so by actual traffic conditions would be a violation.

"39:4-82 Failure to Keep Right conviction can result in 2 points and $300 fine: “Upon all highways of sufficient width, except upon one-way streets, the driver of a vehicle shall drive it on the right half of the roadway. He shall drive a vehicle as closely as possible to the right-hand edge or curb of the roadway, unless it is impracticable to travel on that side of the roadway..."

http://www.notguiltynj.com/keep-righ...rsey-highways/

I stay in the lane that is ending the longest I can because it's fastest for me, but I think that starting to merge say a half mile or mile out may be better in theory because you can take your time to merge at a higher speed. It would seem to me that if you have a tough time merging close to where the lane ends that will in turn slow everything down behind you.

If we could magically have the merge always be at the end of the slow lane such that you have to queue up at the back and there is never any "zippering" I'd guess that would be faster than zippering by maintaining more consistent speed. No clue how to test, though. Also only really works with two lanes. But that is what early mergers are arguing.

Self driving cars probably could late merge well.

It's safer. I've shown why. Probably as soon as it's clear there is a slow lane and an "empty" lane. It was quite easy to answer your "trick" question.

Don't you want people to be safer or do you just want to get where you're going faster?

I mean literally every time you approach the merge point in the slow lane you start moving at a good speed until someone forces their way in at the merge. Wonder what we could possibly conclude from that?

So it's a "douche rationalization", even though he's basically quoting from the link that YOU provided?

"Overall, implementing alternative merging methods (i.e. the zipper merge) has yielded favorable results. Condensing three lanes down to one benefitted the most from the zipper merge. Most researchers also agree that the late merge is the superior option at high traffic volumes. However, the early merge remains preferable when there is little congestion or during low-volume periods.
There seems to be awareness that the zipper merge likely improves safety, since both lanes travel at the same speed and traffic flows more uniformly; however, this claim cannot be verified due to the challenges of quantifying safety improvements"

You haven't "shown" anything, you are literally just making up your own facts to support believing what you choose to believe.

In fact, your answer itself shows you do not understand the issue. If you properly follow the zippering method, THERE IS NO "SLOW" OR "EMPTY" LANE. DUCY?

You really don't get that - especially in heavy traffic - there will always be a "merge point", and that early merging simply moves that point further back?

And leaves an empty lane that I can't resist.

It wasn’t a “trick” question and you’ve proven nothing. In fact, I’m convinced you haven’t read what you cited and are just trolling at this point. If you had read what you cited, you would see that the “safety” concerns you claim are not in every situation and are speed dependent. Given that we aren’t talking about fast moving traffic in the original post of this thread, any safety point you are allegedly trying to make is moot.

It’s clear you’re not really concerned with safety and are instead concerned with some misguided crusade against those you deem to be a douche because they adhere to the zipper rule. That or you’re trolling.

To that point:

"3 Types of Drivers Not Following The Zipper Method
Since many are unaware of the zipper method, many drivers want to get over into the other lane as soon as possible to not appear rude and take their turn. Those who follow the zipper method correctly could become blocked from those in the other lane thinking they're cutting them in line.

*Entitled Drivers
Some drivers are under the idea that when they see the lane closed sign everyone should get over to the open lane as soon as they can. This could lead to a dangerous situation that could negatively impact the zipper merge, where they don't let the driver doing the zipper method over...."
https://colonialdrivingschool.com/blog/zipper-merge

pwnsall? Look familiar? No? OK, let me remind you then:

Dude, hate to break this to you. But YOU are the problem. Not the late mergers.

I said zipper merge if well enforced is safer, lol. Nice projection. The danger is caused by cars going faster and late merging. Reducing those is good either by people not being douche bags and going fast and late merging or by someone slowing down the fast lane. (or a very well indicated zipper system)

We need a study that makes people queue at the back with penalty of being pulled over or something to really compare the two.

I always let late zippers over and leave a decent gap between the car in front of me and myself. No reason to punish the people behind me for no reason.

I like how the people merging has zero agency in any of this. Like I'm coming over you better watch out!

If you want to merge late go ahead, just do so safely and try not to slow down the line (which is inherently dangerous).

So in other words, your position is this:

Define "late zipper".

Yeah I agree with your sweet spot post, didace, more or less.

Also sounds like late merge might cause jams when early merging is better (right above nitchka dads bold, seems to be when traffic is more moderate). Not specifically stated but implied.

Late zipper is anyone zipping in that forces the line to slow when they had a gap they could have seemlessly entered earlier.

I cheat ahead sometimes. Not opposed to being a douche. Just try to fit in seemlessly.

I often leave gaps people drive by to force themselves in like 50 feet ahead.

I've posted too much here but I'll tell the story of the first time I saw a truck block the merge lane. It was a pickup pulling a boat, and some tiny car wanted to pass him on the shoulder, but the truck kept moving to the side on to the shoulder as the car would try to pass to block it off.

I was in the other lane and decided to back off in case the tiny car wanted in and so I didn't get wrecked. Anyway, the tiny car backs way off and then comes up at ~40mph (just a guess been a while) to pass the truck, but the truck still pushes into the shoulder, the car keeps going into the grass median, truck drives on shoulder, tiny car eventually loses control and smashes into the side of the truck.

Tiny car was wrecked, truck looked like it didn't even have a scratch, I didn't stop because I had to get to a poker tourney and am kind of a douche. (both drivers were obviously ok, the tiny car drove behind the truck for a bit to get his license plate number)


And here is a reddit story worth reading. https://np.reddit.com/r/AdviceAnimal...anger/cbnhvxv/ Quite gruesome telling but no pics.

Then that's a problem, since I was being sarcastic.


Also, I'm curious about this mythical merge where the remaining lane is traveling at a faster speed than the one being closed. Where do I find one of these to study.

The right answer is half a mile.

Surely you've driven north on I-17 from Phoenix towards Black Canyon City. It goes from 5 lanes down to 2. Each time the traffic keeps moving along fine as long as people are aware their lane is ending and don't wait till the last second and have to do a panic merge because they ran out of road.