Tuesday 24th July 2001

Zip Technique

IAM propose alternate merging technique

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[.mark]

This is commonplace in the Channel Islands (perhaps even a bylaw?) and works like a dream. Where I live there is 1 road on and off with several side roads joining and I always employ the filter in turn technique and now others are adopting it too it really makes a difference. In my opinion it should be law, people woud soon learn and it really does ease traffic flow. Everyone would need to stick to it though and that includes you... "Mr. Old Git driving the biggest Merc you can buy because you go to Tesco once a week, and what did you fight in the war for anyway if you are going to buy German and you were there so you are allowed to push in to every traffic queue without saying thank you".

[Sparks]

I believe this is law in the states. It is the most sensible way of doing it, but the problem lies in the attitude of most british drivers. As a prime example, I came to a set of lights all signs implying I was justified in being in the centre lane of three. Unknown to me, the road reduced to one lane soon after the lights. unsuprisingly, even though indicating to join, two cars deliberately blocked me. I hope it happens, but don't hold your breath. Sparks

[hoganscrogan]

If people merged correctly as described congestion for roadworks would be relieved greatly, was thinking about this very subject the other day whilst sat in such a queue! GET SOME ADVERTS ON THE TV !!!

[mel]

Love it, absolutely spot on simple because I've never known who was in the right and who the wrong. The flash smug bas7ard who pushes in at the last minute and carries on all the way to the cones or the fat Yorkie eater who gets a perverse kick from pi55ing everyone off and sees himself as the saviour of the common motorist and the "professional driver". Personally I've always tried to be somewhere in the middle by getting to say the 200yds-400yds signs indicating and slowing to about the same pace as the inner lane before filtering in, all the while trying not to offend its different every time and never easy. But now I know the "party line" its fingers up to the Yorkie eaters !!!!!!

[caro]

This is a great idea, if only it can be made to work, especially for motorway situations. There is a town between the M6 and Oulton Park, can't remember the name, where two roads merge like this and it works really well.

[mel]

Oh yes the other point thats always relevant. It depends what your driving !!! In my case if in tatty van thay all swear and think "van man" but let you in because there convinced you'll just hit them if they dont. In 4x4 its similar but not as bad. In a normal everyday golf a bit of blocking but no problems from most drivers, but in a Grif not a chance most people would rather write their cars off than let in the "twat with a sports car" regardless of what you've done or gone without to get it !!!! Still its always a nice suprise when you meet a like minded soul who goes out of their way to make room with a smile.

[sjm]

Absolutely great idea if it was made part of highway code and people were made aware of it. I usually fall somewhere in middle ground and try and filter in about 10 cars back from the actual lane closure, but there's always some tosser who is determined not to let me in, because he has sat in the inside lane at 1 mph for the past 2 miles for some unknown reason, and assumes that I should have been so stupid as well. Of course that just means I have to give up trying to get into lane directly in front of him, and have to accelerate a bit further up until some sensible sould lets me in, which no doubt pisses off the tosser even more - good. sjm

[philshort]

This works fine in the States. Its common sense, this should be in the Highway Code. At the moment you can't win, you either queue unnecessarily, or face the wrath of people at the head of the queue if you try to use all the tarmac (OK if you're a BMW driver/thick skinned, but not for the rest of us). Or risk getting forced off the road by a trucker (this happened to me once). I have never understood why truckers insist on extending every roadworks by about a mile. Don't the bloody cones go on for long enough already? Why do truckers, not renowned for IQ, insist that they can do a better job than the QUALIFIED surveyors who set the roadworks up? This will make no difference of course. Use of foglights in other than fog is illegal (unless you drive a BMW) but does that stop the morons in the rain? Nope. This will get enforced as rigorously as all other rules of the road. As long as you're not speeding you can be a f**king stupid as you like. Edited by philshort on Tuesday 24th July 13:24

[Factory Hound]

Yep, some of the things they do in the US make sense (four-way stops and 'zip' filtering for example) but then they seem to observe their motoring laws over there more than we do. Last year I drove from Nashville to Baton Rouge in 8 hours 20 mins (552 miles) with the cruise control set on 77 all trip and was only passed by one car all day. Over here at 77 you'd get overtaken by half of the other cars on the road. I was wondering what Phil had against us BMW drivers, until I read his profile and saw that he drives an Audi. Nevermind Phil, I'm told that as Audi close the gap on BMW, so will their owner's inferiority complexes

[Marshy]

Phil, you wound me, sir.

[.mark]

quote:In a normal everyday golf a bit of blocking but no problems from most drivers, but in a Grif not a chance most people would rather write their cars off than let in the "twat with a sports car" regardless of what you've done or gone without to get it !!!!

I never have trouble getting in queues in my Chimaera, in fact last week I was let in to 2 queues, 1 by a guy in a Beemer and another by a woman in a Merc. I nearly missed the space through shock!! I always figured they liked the sound of the V8 and they could be sure you wouldn't hang around when the road cleared.

[sjm]

I hate people that don't let you in near the front of the queue, but I think it's an unavoidable human traight, because once I do get into the queue near the front, I'm buggered if I'm going to let some other cheeky sod in ahead of me !!!

[mel]

sjm top marks for honesty I think we're all like that if the truth be known !!!!

[Tycho]

Good Idea, but how do you get the idiots who stay in the middle lane on the motorway even though moving to the left is also a good idea to listen. Unfortunately the attitude in the UK is that I'm the best driver in the world so I couldn't possibly be doing anything wrong or stupid so Idon't need to change.

[apache]

this happened to me on the M11 the other week, a taxi with customer was ambling along in the middle lane as I came up on the inside, being aware that I am allowed to filter I continued and started pulling ahead at about 3 mph max more than him. He promptly accelerated to cut me off as I started gaining on a truck in front of me. I was in my eurobox btw

[philshort]

To those BMW drivers who may have taken offence at my previous comments ... ha! Actually, no, there are worse drivers out there. Rover 200 Turbo drivers for instance, who seem to always have something to prove. Merc drivers who seem to think they paid for the whole road as well. Metro drivers whose aversion to proper servicing condemns the rest of us to choke in their noxious fumes. Bus drivers. Lorry drivers (I think thats who I was supposed to be having a dig at before!). White van drivers. "Fully trained and qualified" Traffic Police (especially the ones on their roofs) - white van drivers with a stripe!! But its silly to harbour such prejudices. I fully expect someone in a Bimmer to let me out at a junction tomorrow, just to prove me wrong. And obviously my huge A8, and that Chim with the long shiny purple bonnet, are in no way connected to any shortcomings of mine in the trouser department. Oh no. PS. I don't really think of the A8 as an Audi per se, all that Vorsprung rubbish etc, its just a big well built German car that happens to be Aluminium so it will last for donkeys. I couldn't care less if is was better or worse than a Trabant to be honest, it just is what it is - my ride to work barge. Oh yes, sensible US stuff. I love the way you can turn right on a red light. First time I was out there I was sat at some lights for ages waiting for them to change. The guy behind in the RV got tired of the dumb limey, and bellowed over his loudspeaker (!) "Sir, you may turn right on a red!". Scared the living daylights out of me! At least he was polite. Strange place, strange people, but well sensible idea. Edited by philshort on Wednesday 25th July 22:20

[jimbo]

This is how things are supposed to work on the continent, but rarely do - they even have adverts on the t.v to show them how to do it, but they still drive on each others bumpers no matter which lane they are in.