Cat amongst pigeons time...

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Zip merging IS better. Despite the lorry driving ***** that stick themselves over the two lanes to stop it.
 
Mmmm!

But we Ike queuing in the UK it's traditional.

Plus would a good deal of motorists not then deliberately keep in the closed lane?

Oh! But that's the point I suppose.

Cannot decide if this would work in the U.K.


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What a very British problem.

It is indeed. The practice of merging in turn was taught when I learned to drive in the Fatherland 30+ years ago. As the report says, it's a matter of education. Or lack of.
 
A friend who designs roads for a living once told me that their traffic flow calculations are based on drivers using both lanes up to the narrowing point, and that merging early simply increases the tailback for no reason.
 
I zip merge all the time and as mentioned previously you just have to be mindful of people who don't take kindly to it and won't let you in.

The following mod helps you to put your point across though :devil: :

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What's your thoughts on this:

I've been talking to someone who gets very agitated where drivers in front don't get going quick enough at the lights, he claims that this slows his journey to work.

The road in question is about 5 miles of dual carriageway with a set of lights every half a mile or so, there are some opportunities to leave the road but most are heading to the same point at the end of said road.

I've questioned whether rushing through the lights just moves the congestion down to the next set of lights or even the end point. There's some theory lurking at the back of my mind that supports my thinking but I can't recall, I think that it was Lean/Six Sigma or some such ********.
 
it's the speed through the single lane restriction [from a duel lane] that matters, the rest is just the clue length which is reduced by a greater speed through the restriction. Where you zip wouldn't make things faster or slower IMO unless you zipped at the narrowest restriction where the lack of room to merge quickly may make progress through the restriction slower...?

Take your time to zip then nail it would be the answer, and a refinement on that would be to teach people to zip over a long spread at speed. Too many third worlders to achieve that now safely in the first world.
 
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The problem isn't with "zip" mergers, it's with those who refuse to let them merge?

I've got to admit that I feel like a jerk whenever I "zip", so tend to be one of those getting in the queue early.
 
Its merge in turn, not queue in 1 lane while leave an empty lane thus doubling the length of the queue.

We are the only (probably) country in the world who cant get their heads around this,
 
I pass a two lane single carriageway on my way into work and it always amuses me when I see militant lane 1 drivers exhibiting various extents of obscuring lane 2.

Ranging from wheels just over the separating white lines right the way up to completely in lane 2.

There are double-white lines separating lane 2 and the opposite single lane single carriageway which means either vehicles using lane 2 either sit behind the blocking vehicle or breaking the double-white lines.

Very strange.
 
Yes it is the one thing where the British driver is way behind the Italians,they treat the road being reduced to one lane as a thing to be overcome as quickly as they can,so you can get cars traveling at 50mph merging one for one through the obstruction and so the hold up is minimal .
 
I'm in favour of zipping. When I see signs for lane closures ahead I stay in lane until shortly before reaching the restriction, then indicate and wait for an opportunity to zip; with varied success. Very occasionally, if I happen to be in the inside lane and see the traffic in front of me already queuing several hundred yards or more before the lane closure, I may move out to the next lane if it's particularly clear, then follow the above procedure. If people get upset, that's their problem.

Interestingly, zipping actually works well in one part of the UK where the Brits have no problem with it, albeit not quite the same situation. Two junctions in St Helier, Jersey have 'Filter in Turn' signage instructing motorists to zip where two roads merge into one. It works perfectly, especially at busy times. Even holidaymakers seem to cope with it!

So there is hope, with education.
 
Not wanting to do the wrong thing by using the empty lane, and not wanting to let others put one over on you by using that same empty lane, does seem to be a peculiarly British thing.

On the single-carriageway A40 westbound into High Wycombe, at a couple of crossroads/roundabouts there are actually road signs, with arrows, saying 'merge in turn', but some people are still too dim or pig-headed to do so even then.

On the other hand, quite often White Van Man or Audi Yob will come tearing down the empty lane and force a way in at the last moment.
 
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I'm in favour of zipping. When I see signs for lane closures ahead I stay in lane until shortly before reaching the restriction, then indicate and wait for an opportunity to zip; with varied success. Very occasionally, if I happen to be in the inside lane and see the traffic in front of me already queuing several hundred yards or more before the lane closure, I may move out to the next lane if it's particularly clear, then follow the above procedure. If people get upset, that's their problem.

Interestingly, zipping actually works well in one part of the UK where the Brits have no problem with it, albeit not quite the same situation. Two junctions in St Helier, Jersey have 'Filter in Turn' signage instructing motorists to zip where two roads merge into one. It works perfectly, especially at busy times. Even holidaymakers seem to cope with it!

So there is hope, with education.

I first noticed those Jersey junctions back in 1988 and was amazed that we didn't adopt the same system on the mainland. 30 years on, we still seem incapable of accepting the fact that some people will arrive at the end of the restriction a few seconds before us and resent their using the available empty lane, preferring to lengthen the queue and the delay.

I look forward to sharing a road with the fellow-zippers on this forum.
 
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A couple of years ago there were road works on a dual carriageway that had signs stating "merge in turn" and after that alternating signs stating "use both lanes".

Still didn't stop some drivers sitting parallel to the stationary line of traffic, about a mile from the roadworks to stop anyone using the now empty outside lane. Not sure how anyone would educate these morons?

Russ
 
A friend who designs roads for a living once told me that their traffic flow calculations are based on drivers using both lanes up to the narrowing point, and that merging early simply increases the tailback for no reason.
I don't know whether you've ever been to Norwich but the place is full of junctions which start off as two lanes at the traffic light and disappear into one lane once you've crossed. As you can probably imagine, they don't work very well. Ask your friend what the thinking behind that would be please? I know it probably wasn't him who designed them but always wondered if there was something I was missing.
... Not sure how anyone would educate these morons?

Russ
With a big stick. :D
 
A couple of years ago there were road works on a dual carriageway that had signs stating "merge in turn" and after that alternating signs stating "use both lanes".

Still didn't stop some drivers sitting parallel to the stationary line of traffic, about a mile from the roadworks to stop anyone using the now empty outside lane. Not sure how anyone would educate these morons?

Russ

Yes but it gets the traffic through the restriction quicker forward of where you sit because there is less of it to get through the restriction. I wouldn't mind a bet that Ambulance Drivers are taught to do this in this situation to save those precious moments....

Problem is I suspect it is illegal and according to this article creates a longer tail back.

Under normal conditions the quickest way through these types of hold up is to approach from the side, the further around the side you approach from the greater priority you will have to move through the restriction in best time, be it traffic or standing in line at an event - it is the same maths that describes the movement.
 
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