Merging from 2 lanes to 1

[gwm]

This is really irking me as a regular road I use has two merge lanes - where two lanes merge into one, with the outside lane expected to merge in.

Here's my bug bear. I drive on this road every day, and I bet most of the other people do as well, yet almost every time I'm on this road there will be people who just plow along in the outside lane, often past the merge point and slowly drift across, without any signal or even a glance in their mirror.

As far as I'm concerned, it would be courteous to indicate and make sure there is a gap before forcing your way over. But most people I see are oblivious. Looked it up in the Highway code but it's a bit unclear:

[i]Section 134
You should follow the signs and road markings and get into the lane as directed. In congested road conditions do not change lanes unnecessarily. Merging in turn is recommended but only if safe and appropriate when vehicles are travelling at a very low speed, e.g. when approaching road works or a road traffic incident. It is not recommended at high speed.[/i]

BUT

[i]Section 288
do not switch lanes to overtake queuing traffic [/i]


And before anyone says it - I know this is so trivial, but poor manners on the road is my personal gripe!

[silverfoxcc]

My way of using a merge in turn is to carry on up the 'free' lane at a reasonable speed, ( overtaking but not at an excessive speed, until i can see the merge point), then slow and take up a position in echelon with the car in the other lane, keep pace with him and 'usually' the car behind him will understand the concept and just hang back so i can slot in seamlessly, with a big thankyou wave/thumbs up signal.
If the cretin does not understand merge in turn, by attaching himself to the back bumper it depends on what i am in, If the bus, then i win every time!!!
When the Volvo had its rear LH quarter stove in by a hit and run Supermarket parker, i just pulled the window down and said to the guy, i have alrady got damage, what more can you do?

When i am in the Royce, i nornmally let them get in front, after all he really needs that extra car length, and i can keep an eye on him
The key point is, Until i can see the merge point not 2 miles before it


Stand by for the flamers!!!

[Geekman]

I'm afraid I make a point of drifting over and not indicating in those situations . Because if you do indicate, Mr Tinycock thinks you're "pushing in" and accelerates to block you. Do it without indicating or making it obvious and by the time their tiny minds have registered you're there, you're already in front of them.

[Who me ?]

Geekman, sounds as if you live in an area ( like here) ,where we should see a note on the "Welcome to ******", reading"Courtesy does not exist on the roads in this area ".

[Pistom]

Geekman said:

I'm afraid I make a point of drifting over and not indicating in those situations . Because if you do indicate, Mr Tinycock thinks you're "pushing in" and accelerates to block you. Do it without indicating or making it obvious and by the time their tiny minds have registered you're there, you're already in front of them.

I know it irks some but this is how many are forced to drive because of those who are challenged in the willy department (what they have or what they are getting are too small).

You say you don't make your intention obvious but those of us with sufficient intelligence know what you are planning and I for one will make sure you know you can come in front of me.

[Sensibleboy]

People will be much more willing to give space to people if they indicate their intentions. It's also polite, it's like saying 'please may I pull in front of you'. It's always better to ask rather than just take - even if they will just take the space anyway.

[KTF]

Zip merging is seemingly unknown in the UK. People would rather queue for miles in lane 1 than make use of both lanes and merge at the end.

Still, makes plenty of space for me to go as far forward as I can in lane 2

[Sensibleboy]

I'll put it another way. Whenever changing lanes near another car it's always a good idea to indicate - even if you think your intentions are obvious.

[MarkK]

Why don't they just mark both lanes 1 and 2 with a increasingly hatched area on each side so that both lanes of traffic have to move towards the centre? That way neither lane feels they have the priority, just like the way an actual zip works. The now single file of traffic moves back over to the left. I'm sure this would ease the hassle of lanes merging.

Edited by MarkK on Sunday 12th January 23:32

[All that jazz]

I predict at least 20 pages.

[gazchap]

Pistom said:

those who are challenged in the willy department

Pistom said:

I for one will make sure you know you can come in front of me.

I want to take these two quotes out of context and put them in the "Juvenile things that make you snigger" thread

On topic, I'm continually amazed at just how few people understand the concept of merging in turn. I've even had lorries straddle both lanes to stop me getting to the merge point before now, moving out of the open lane to do so. That's just downright dangerous and one of these days they'll do that to plod without realising, hopefully.

[Viperzs]

There is a roundabout on York ringroad that they have recently made into two lanes to go straight over. The vast majority of people just use the left lane. I cannot work out why they don't use the other lane! When I use the second lane the cars in front still can't understand the concept of a filter lane and stop in the lane trying to merge half way down and I get strange looks when I go past them and use all the length (oo er!)

[Antony Moxey]

Why the need to indicate? If you're approaching a merge point in the outside lane, what else could possibly be intending to do other than to merge into the lane to your left?

[Pan Pan]

Some countries have what I think they call Zip Zones where roads merge, which are marked with
(green) hatching on the road surface. When in this zone each car driver is obliged to let one (and one only) other vehicle in to merge onto the single lane. Could be an idea for here.
I have seen police waiting for what some have referred to here as Mr tinycocks where traffic is obliged to merge into a single lane at road works. There is a certain perverse pleasure, at seeing
those who believed they could ignore the merge signs and push their way in at the last second, get pulled over (and made to wait) for a ticking off from the Bib.

[powerstroke]

Why we have to have so many dead end lanes especially at junctions with lights why not have them marked as right turn
All they do is cause aggressive driving ...

[Mandat]

Antony Moxey said:

Why the need to indicate? If you're approaching a merge point in the outside lane, what else could possibly be intending to do other than to merge into the lane to your left?

That's my thinking as well. However, in some situations I do indicate, more out of courtesy than requirement.

[nickfrog]

The problem in the UK is the obsession with civilised queuing. It's OK at the post office but many people can't grasp the concept that the queue should be on BOTH merging lanes until the merging point so that make the most of the already limited road space we have and so that it doesn't unnecessarily block the previous roundabout/junction. And then many can't understand the principle of merging in turn, ie ZIP merging.

[tannedstamina]

Why does this come up every week??

[ShaunTheSheep]

This is a question of maximum efficiency vs. emotion. We're humans not robots so the correct answer is clearly the emotional "me first".

I remember reading the Google strategy, they want "maximum throughput", i.e. get X cars past this point where X is as big as you can make it. Their approach for that is 1 merge point right at the last bit before the lane closes.

[gwm]

tannedstamina said:

Why does this come up every week??

I more started this thread that the people I see do it just drift over regardless of whether there is space for them or not - most of the time without even glancing in their mirrors. I just think it's courtesy to indicate so the car behind you knows your intentions.