Construction Zone Idiots (when coming up to the zones)

[Roadrunner75]

Driving the Garden State Parkway every day through the 80-100 widening project, I find that the GSP/contractor likes to teach late mergers a lesson by setting up ridiculously short cone tapers when they temporarily close a lane.  You do get the usual advance warnings, but if you try to ride the lane to the very end, you are not getting that nice gradual taper to force your way in.  I've almost plowed cones on more than a few occasions. 

[Pete from Boston]

(IMO non-commuters should be BANNED from all forms of travel during rush hour)

This little gem, by the way, shows a mysteriously high regard for the average regular commuter.  Devil you know, I guess, but ride into Boston on 93 for a month and tell me which of the texters, eaters, makeup-appliers, meeting-holders, etc. are part of the solution and not the problem.  Stupid doesn't necessarily discriminate against people with a lot of practice at something.

Most of the regular Northway commuters are fine.  It's when all the tourists clog the road heading up to Saratoga and Lake George that things get really bad, especially since they're the ones that do things like slam on their brakes due to merge issues that don't even affect their lane.  It probably isn't as much of an issue in places that aren't near a Transportation Nexus of Tourist Travel (Thruway exit 24, the most heavily used exit on the ticket system).  Traffic approaches Albany from New York, Boston, and Rochester/Buffalo/Syracuse and ALL of it heads north on I-87.

Not only are we a tourist mecca and tourist crossroads, we're one that swells with a new crop of green students every year.  I just tonight sat and waited a stone's throw from Tufts for a young woman on the phone in a shiny new NY-plate car to finish letting folks into a rotary, a sure sign fall is here. 

[roadfro]

I probably noted this before, but PennDOT is pretty good about putting up signs that say "USE BOTH LANES UNTIL MERGE POINT" and then a sign explicitly saying "MERGE HERE. TAKE YOUR TURN" at the merge point.

I seem to recall reading an abstract about a study done that examined the zipper merge vs. "traditional" merge. The study may have been performed in Pennsylvania, as your description of the signs jogged my memory of the study. If I remember correctly, the study found that zipper merging where drivers had a defined merge point seemed to result in less delay, regardless of whether one lane merged into the other or if both lanes merged to one.

[mrsman]

I probably noted this before, but PennDOT is pretty good about putting up signs that say "USE BOTH LANES UNTIL MERGE POINT" and then a sign explicitly saying "MERGE HERE. TAKE YOUR TURN" at the merge point.

I seem to recall reading an abstract about a study done that examined the zipper merge vs. "traditional" merge. The study may have been performed in Pennsylvania, as your description of the signs jogged my memory of the study. If I remember correctly, the study found that zipper merging where drivers had a defined merge point seemed to result in less delay, regardless of whether one lane merged into the other or if both lanes merged to one.

Isn't a zipper merge where the two lanes go together?  I think that's the point, both lanes must take turns, as opposed to the traffic in the closed lane having to yield to traffic in the open lane.  So both lanes share the delay equally.

[roadfro]

Isn't a zipper merge where the two lanes go together?  I think that's the point, both lanes must take turns, as opposed to the traffic in the closed lane having to yield to traffic in the open lane.  So both lanes share the delay equally.

I could be wrong, but I've always interpreted it as the process by which individual cars merge, alternating one at a time, and not so much the physical characteristics of the merging and lane closures.

[jakeroot]

From KUOW, Seattle's public radio station. They interviewed WSDOT's Travis Phelps about lane closures on I-90 south of Bellevue in July (everyone was going nuckin' futs):

Seattle area traffic jams are nothing new, but this week has been particularly trying with the construction on westbound I-90 closing all but one lane in Bellevue.

It might seem selfish, but the best way to ease congestion, according to Washington State Department of Transportation's Travis Phelps, is to drive right up to the closure before merging over.

"There can be the weird idea that goes through people's head that, 'Those people are cheating, they're cutting in line.' Well, it actually helps traffic flow if you can let folks in. Play nice with the other person, let them in. Treat traffic like a team sport," Phelps said, speaking with KUOW's Bill Radke.

Phelps said that that merging in the middle can create a small choke point. The trick is to put on your blinker, don't make any sudden movements and don't try to force your way in.

Also, make sure to give a courtesy wave to your fellow drivers.

"This is something we're all in together," he said. "So if we can play nice for four days, that's great."

[vdeane]

Merging at the end can create a small choke point as well, and if you have people doing both, you now have two choke points instead of one and people jumping queues.  The best way to ease congestion is to do one of the other bolded parts: don't try to force your way in.  Also, learn to get to freeway speed before merging in.  Most/all of the problems on my commute are caused by people who don't know how to use acceleration and deceleration lanes.

[Pete from Boston]

Merging at the end can create a small choke point as well, and if you have people doing both, you now have two choke points instead of one and people jumping queues.  The best way to ease congestion is to do one of the other bolded parts: don't try to force your way in.  Also, learn to get to freeway speed before merging in.  Most/all of the problems on my commute are caused by people who don't know how to use acceleration and deceleration lanes.

The traffic being discussed is rarely at freeway speed, but yes, this is very important, although it's a frequent problem that getting up to speed means quickly blowing through the short stretch available to cut over (touching back on the "for god's sake, let people in!" message).

[thenetwork]

Has there ever been a study tried if, for example on a highway with two thru lanes, they close a half-lane in each lane and temporarily have drivers ride the middle of the carriageway before the cones direct the traffic into the lone open lane through the zone.  It would force a more zipper-like merge at the choke point and no lane has a true advantage at the start of the zone.

I ask that because I have seen construction zones that will close off the high speed lane, all traffic merges to the right, and then once the merges have completed, the cones direct traffic to the left lane as the reight lane is the lane that is ultimately closed.  I guess it is a form of "traffic calming".

[Pete from Boston]

At most such choke points I see, there's no high-speed anything (if there is traffic moving at high speed, there's no "choke"per se).

[ET21]

Welcome to Illinois 

[1995hoo]

I'm getting the impression vdeane is focusing on on-ramps, while the rest of us are focusing on situations where a thru lane ends or is closed.

[Mergingtraffic]

There's research on this, A book called "Traffic" I forget by whom, but it says don't merge until you have to and do the zipper technique.  It's been proven that way reduces backup by like 40% or something.

But most people don't realize it and think you are rude.

[The Nature Boy]

I was once stuck in a situation where no one would let me over so I kept edging up, hoping that someone eventually would but no one did. I looked in my rear view, saw police lights on and heard a cop say, "GET OVER!" in a unnecessarily angry voice. It was pretty easy for myself and the cars behind me to get over after that.

[Roadrunner75]

I was once stuck in a situation where no one would let me over so I kept edging up, hoping that someone eventually would but no one did. I looked in my rear view, saw police lights on and heard a cop say, "GET OVER!" in a unnecessarily angry voice. It was pretty easy for myself and the cars behind me to get over after that.

For this I miss the old days when I had a beat up old Chevy Citation and later a Ford Pinto wagon.  When I had to get over I would just force my way in.  Nobody would challenge me with their shiny new cars. 

[Pete from Boston]

There's research on this, A book called "Traffic" I forget by whom, but it says don't merge until you have to and do the zipper technique.  It's been proven that way reduces backup by like 40% or something.

But most people don't realize it and think you are rude.

Over the years, there has been a bit of interesting writing about traffic from a fluid-dynamics perspective.  This page has a good animation of how to conduct a smooth merge.  Its ideas depend on a more thoughtful driving public than currently exists.

I wonder how prohibitively expensive it would be to expand driver's ed to expand beyond simple safety and include things like how to make traffic work better.  My suspicion is it wouldn't make any difference because too many of us are convinced we know better, but I can dream...

[roadfro]

Over the years, there has been a bit of interesting writing about traffic from a fluid-dynamics perspective.

Actually, most basic traffic flow theory is based in principles of fluid dynamics: saturation flow rate used in capacity calculations, etc.

(I didn't discover this until taking some graduate-level civil/traffic engineering courses. Had I known this earlier, I would have tried much harder in my undergrad fluid dynamics class.)

[vdeane]

There's research on this, A book called "Traffic" I forget by whom, but it says don't merge until you have to and do the zipper technique.  It's been proven that way reduces backup by like 40% or something.

But most people don't realize it and think you are rude.

Unfortunately most people don't know how to properly do a zipper merge.  They either force themselves in as if they have the ROW, tailgate on the person in front of them so they can get in right behind (instead of letting someone else merge), let in a whole stream of cars to be "nice", or move over as soon as they know the lane will eventually end.  So yes, there are circumstances where being a late merger CAN be rude.

Plus if one lane is moving significantly faster than the other (which won't happen in a zipper merge but will in real-world traffic conditions), it IS rude to "jump the line".

And yes, most of my comments were pertaining to on-ramps, though I did have a couple situations where closed lanes worked as I describes (a horrendous backup on the Tappan Zee and one time when the left two lanes were closed on I-81 in Syracuse).  Traffic would be so much smoother if cars would just stop jockeying for position, tailgating, racing at full speed and then slamming on the brakes when they have to stop, etc. and go with the flow.

[Pete from Boston]

Steve Porcaro said it best (through the mouth of Michael Jackson):

If they say why, why?  Tell 'em it's just human nature.

[Scott5114]

Which is why I merge early. If I could trust the other drivers to perform a zipper merge I would participate, but I'd rather get over early than get stuck at the merge point waiting for someone to not be an ass and let me in.

[jeffandnicole]

If someone is acting like an ass and won't let me know, I don't know if I've ever had a situation where the next person won't let me in.  It's not like I'm stuck there for hours.

[roadman65]

Which is why I merge early. If I could trust the other drivers to perform a zipper merge I would participate, but I'd rather get over early than get stuck at the merge point waiting for someone to not be an ass and let me in.

You are doing something wrong lol!  I have seen in normal jams without construction where 18 wheelers force their way across three stopped lanes of cars to get from a right merger lane to a left turn lane directly across from one another.

Now many of us would never attempt this for fear of rejection from motorists in between, but it is done daily on John Young Parkway in Orlando as truckers get off at Exit 3A to JYP SB to make the first left immediately after the ramp merges onto JYP.

You would figure that a truck would not make it anyway because of its length in the shortness of time, but they do!  If motorists were aggressive it would not happen at all and these truckers would not be doing it.

So basically road bullies always win no matter what!

[Zeffy]

If someone is acting like an ass and won't let me know, I don't know if I've ever had a situation where the next person won't let me in.  It's not like I'm stuck there for hours.

Even if you are the person who is stuck in the merge lane as it ends, someone will eventually let you in. I've seen it plenty of times. I just can't stand when people speed by you to try and get ahead of all the other traffic only to get fucked by the lane drop and then have to weasel their way into traffic. Happens so much on a certain stretch of US 1.

[Mergingtraffic]

I've noticed if you're on a road type I-95 and there is a mile long aux lane, people will weave and merge at the very beginning of the aux lane, creating a slow down or even a traffic jam and then the rest of the aux lane...3/4 lane is wide open.  Why don't people use up the whole mile long lane is beyond me.

[jakeroot]

I've noticed if you're on a road type I-95 and there is a mile long aux lane, people will weave and merge at the very beginning of the aux lane, creating a slow down or even a traffic jam and then the rest of the aux lane...3/4 lane is wide open.  Why don't people use up the whole mile long lane is beyond me.

I think it's because they're afraid of the shame that comes along with butting in at the last second...it's a bit of a paradox, because drivers like to shame other drivers who wait till the last second, despite it being the most efficient thing (if anything, we should be shaming those merging in well before, because of that choke point).

In my experience, at the merge point, especially if traffic is flowing quickly, there's very little choke. People will tend to (in my area, at least) floor it to keep the other driver from merging in, but what happens is that the other driver will also speed up to get in front, to the point where both cars are merging together at 10-15 mph over the speed limit because both want the front. As a result, not only was there no choke, but traffic is now flowing quicker (because the mergers are driving so damn fast).

This happens a lot at this merge point near where I grew up outside Tacoma. The speed limit is 40 but people race a lot to the point where the typical merge speed is around 50.