Great illustration! Another problem I've found is that people follow too closely. I always try to keep a large cushion between myself and the car in front of me but people usually just cut in. I also get tailgated by people thinking I'm going slow when in reality I'm going just as fast as everyone else, I'm just leaving some space...

 

Good find and I'll bet that guy can solve alot of other problems too...with gif animations.

My daily scenario...two major interstate highways with two lanes each come together for about a mile with four lanes becoming three and then three becoming two all within one mile...so folks start to merge as soon as the four come together as traffic slows, the zipper effect takes shape and does work effectively...

...that is until that last lane to have to merge has those folks doing three, four, five times the speed of the slower zippering traffic, avoiding the zipper happening to their left and voila...the traffic comes to a standstill because they now demand to do their own zipper and enter the traffic flow past the problem and at the absolute merge point...every day, same time, same place, same folks trying to gain an advantage.

It's not a perfect world with perfect people and the zipper effect will only work if everybody works together for a common goal.

 

So what you're saying is that Adam Smith was full of S*** and that you're a Marxist?

 

Yes, Adam Smith was full of asterisks, but I'm more of a Hasbro and Mattel fan...Marx certainly had some fun products too though.

 

I haven't read the entire thread :impatient but, to borrow a phrase, I believe this is germane to this topic. I love that word.

Before I got Jake (two months ago) I drove an '02 Suzuki XL-7. Since having the pleasure of motoring about Phoenix, I've realized (or imagined) that people are MUCH MORE courteous about letting me into traffic.

My grocery store is near a busy intersection adjacent to the freeway exit. Starting late afternoon, it's awful turning into the backed up traffic heading home. But since I've been motoring, folks seem to let me in more. I've even had people wave me through when I TRY to yield to them.

Coincidence? Naahhhh!

 

There are two problems with those animations: 1) you can just speed up the animation itself and say, "see, traffic is moving faster on that one" and; 2) the animation on the right maintains constant vehicle speed while doubling density. That is, following time is about one second at the bottom of the animation, and about 1/2 a second at the top of the animation (following distance is cut in half as the cars merge). You can't double the density of cars and maintain the same speed.

 

One last try: imagine two lanes merging into one in the center, where neither lane is the "merging" lane. Your early merge method leads to a single lane for a longer stretch than needed. Why have a miles-long single lane when the road may only be single-lane for 100 feet?

 

Okay, now I'M going to try one more time.

Whether you add a third lane by jumping the line and trying to squeeze in at the source of the merge or not, there is still X number of cars trying to get through the merge point. Whether the line is a mile long or two miles long, whether it's 2 lanes wide or 3 lanes wide does not change change that.

By jumping ahead, you are going to get through the jam faster at the expense of those who are more courteous than you.

Do it if you want, but remember that you will have hundreds of people waiting in that line who think you are a selfish and inconsiderate ummmmmm...person.

 

i only come to complete stops on my motorcycle, cause some people just dont see you. or when the person in front of me rolls through but sees someone coming and stops completely after going over the line. that ususally forces me to stop on the line.

i have also been guilty of just about all of these pet peeves at one point or another. except straddling the center dotted lane.
if i'm in traffic and there is an open third lane i will shoot down it and merge in when a more courteous person with a better heart lets me in. i could care less what the hundreds of people in line think of. i do agree though that it slows traffic even more, for those behind me. me however saved 10 minutes

english needs to be our national language, its just like having a national anthem definately unifies us
american driving sucks the big one, but its never going to change no matter how many accidents people get in or how many people go the speed limit

 

I am not adding a lane. That is silly. I am advocating keeping three lanes open longer. If a line of 2 lanes is three miles long, clearly a line of 3 lanes with the same number of cars would be shorter (2 miles long?). Moving the merge point backwards makes everyone's travel time take longer, and impacts more arterials.

 

In some parts of this country, that will get you Butt Shot

Cutting into the line is a ticket to Road Rage

 

Don't take this wrong, but you're crazy. Common sense dictates that the sooner you merge, the less likely you are to slow, or even stop. I drive on L.A.'s busiest freeways everyday, and 9 out of 10 times the traffic is caused by people driving like you. STOP!

 

If you can make a valid argument why traffic would move faster with an earlier merge, and avoid calling me crazy and accusing me of lacking common sense, then I will merge wherever you like on those same L.A. freeways. Just because you say it, doesn't make it so. Here, try this if you don't know what I mean:

"Don't take this wrong, but you're crazy. Common sense dictates that the LATER you merge, the less likely you are to slow, or even stop. I drive on L.A.'s busiest freeways everyday, and 9 out of 10 times the traffic is caused by people driving like you. STOP!"

I have made several arguments and explanations, and you have refuted none of them, yet you call me crazy and say I lack common sense. Which of us do you suppose is more courteous?

 

I think that you're assuming that the traffic that has merged early is now just sitting there, going nowhere, no movement, complete standstill and hasn't moved at all for a long time. Truth is, the two lanes are now moving...actually flowing cleanly without the need to allow the random discourteous driver through who wants to get ahead in that third lane.

Again, one last time...the traffic is funneling from three lanes into two. If the merging (zipper) occurs before the point of absolute merge the traffic is now flowing cleanly through that point, sometimes at speed. There is no reason to believe that this has caused miles of back-up. If you decide to merge at the absolute merge point, those that are now flowing because they merged previously, now have to apply their brakes because you now need to merge. Funny how one set of brake lights can cause a whole lot of havoc with those behind them.

This is so simple, I can't believe I'm wasting my time here with it...as I said previously, do as you please. If you are comfortable with making folks wait while you gain your advantage, then so be it.

 

Nope, just that they are moving slower than when they took up three lanes.
Nope, they are just flowing less cleanly than when they were three lanes, and the discourteous drivers insisted on merging early then refused to let courteous drivers in.

Yep, just as cleanly as if the merge occured later, but the point of slowing has been pushed back to the arbitrary merge point.

True, but it has pushed the point of slowing back to the arbitrary merge point, which will then move further back as a wave.

No more than they would have to apply them if I had merged at an earlier merge point. Everyone must slow down for any merging to occur.

I don't find that funny at all. Then again, I don't find pleasure in angering those behind me, as you claim to.

I agree, it is so simple, but I don't think trying to help alleviate traffic is a waste of my time. If you are comfortable making folks wait behind you to gain advantage while there is an available lane beside you, then so be it.

 

If you go to Disneyland and there are two lines slowly entering the only two doors of an attraction, should they open a third line to speed things up?

You have twisted this all into an argument about how far back the traffic is backed up, along with accusing me of commanding where people merge...I make no commands of anyone, I use the common sense that I was born with and I offer the common courtesy that others deserve.

I'm already in my lane...when you come up with a valid argument, or you're ready to admit that you just don't want to take your place in the queue like everyone else, I'll listen...until then, have fun dealing with the road rage.

 

Okay, so now we know who that guy is. Common sense should have to be explained. Just take a ride in a traffic helicopter (something I've done many times) over Los Angeles, and you can see that YOU ARE WRONG. There is no scientific formula for this, but it's obvious that the reason it takes me one hour to go 10 miles is because some people never learned to drive.
Just picture it in your mind. If people use their heads and merge prior to the lane closure, there will be no need for anyone to slow down. If you wait until the lane ends, you WILL slow traffic down. Did you bother looking at this link (http://amasci.com/amateur/traffic/seatraf.html)? If you wait, everyone has to slow down to let you in. It's just so obvious. :impatient

 

I have to agree with you on both of these and add people that ride your bumper like they are trying to drive over you... gripes me to no end...

 

This was very helpful information; I'm big on thank you waves and such courtesies, especially to guys in big rigs who must be exhausted from driving so much. The part that I thought was funny was the "next time a big rig is passing you..." Mwah ha ha ha. Motor on!

 

Let me clarify, once that lane is backed up and full of cars, then it's free to use. It wouldn't make any sense to not use it once traffic is at a standstill because people don't know how to merge.

 

If I am going at a fairly good speed, a truck should never be passing me. It makes me so mad when I'm cruising along a fast speed and a trucker is tailgaiting me and cutting in and out of traffic like a racecar. I am usually very respectful of truckers and sympathetic to the difficult challenges they face. But when they are driving wrecklessly I have no tolerance!

 

Disneyland? You mention lines at Disneyland then accuse me of twisting the argument? Fantastic!

No, you are not already in your lane, you are in a lane. Road rage is caused by people doing things like refusing to let people merge, not by people using open and available lanes.

 

Ahh, more personal attacks. How courteous. Yes, I visited the link, and if you bothered to read this thread, you would see that I already addressed it above. But, it appears you are more interested in insulting my intelligence, my driving skill, and my sense than discussing traffic physics. If you have a valid point, it is a shame you insist on insults rather than communicating it. I even offered to merge where you choose, if you provide a valid argument, but unfortunately, I don't think "it's just so obvious" does it for me.

 

This is law in Germany, enforced by cameras at merge points in construction zones. Courtesy in not an option. Even though it is law, nobody complains, and it gets done, smoothly, and quickly.

 

Ouch: "Of the two concepts, they found the late merge to have the highest capacity and to reduce congestion delay, whereas the early merge actually increased congestion delay. Thus, the late merge was preferred during periods of congestion." http://www.virginiadot.org/VTRC/main.../pdf/05-r6.pdf

Google "late merge" "early merge" and weep.

“In some back-up situations, the signs have instructed drivers to use both lanes up until the merge point, but we’ve seen drivers merge too early – probably in fear that they won’t be let in by other drivers.”
Research has shown that 15 percent of drivers admitted to straddling lanes in order to block late mergers in construction zones.
“Many people think it is unfair for them to be waiting in traffic and another driver gets to merge before them,” said Servatius. “We’re hoping that this aggressive driver behavior will decrease if they see the signs instructing drivers to do so.” http://www.dot.state.mn.us/newsrels/04/08/31merge.html