Lane Ends; Merge Right

"Urambo Tauro" (urambotauro) 08/29/2017 at 23:00 • Filed to: merging, lane drop, rules of the road, lane discipline, road rage

1

28

Let’s talk about lane drop merging technique for a minute. I’ve got an !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! about some interesting driving behavior that I’ve been seeing lately, but I feel that we have to get some basic stuff out of the way first, and it’s a big enough topic to warrant its own post.

I’ll be basing a lot of this on my observations and familiarity with my state’s (Michigan) traffic law, so if your state/province/country’s rules differ, please add that to enrich the conversation.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

The LANE ENDS MERGE RIGHT sign is there to indicate what’s known as a lane drop . Where there were previously two forward lanes of travel, there will soon be only one. Past a given point, cars may not proceed side-by-side, and must order themselves single-file on the narrow road ahead.

The sign could be there for any number of reasons. Maybe you’re leaving the city limits, and the road is less wide out here in the boonies. Or maybe that lane is about to become a turn-only lane. Or perhaps the roadway is under construction, and traffic is being condensed to avoid closing the road altogether while the work is being done.

Whatever the case may be, you want to be in the lane that continues to take you forward.

So what do you do when you see this sign? [LANE ENDS MERGE RIGHT]

Best-case scenario, right here.

Well, that depends on what lane you’re already in, right? I mean, if you’re already in the right-hand lane, you don’t have to do much of anything but proceed as traffic allows. Indeed, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! require that you select the far right lane by default, staying there until the need arises to use another lane. Drivers in the right lane can basically shrug off the “lane ends merge right” sign, because it doesn’t affect them. You’re already where you belong, you’re not passing anybody, you don’t have to signal, you don’t have to check your blind spot (couldn’t hurt though), you don’t have to merge, and you don’t have to do any special maneuvering to account for traffic or changes in the roadway.

Unless you’re in a state like Minnesota, that is. God bless MnDOT, who tells everyone to stay in their lane until the ending lane comes to its end. This condenses the traffic jam as far forward as possible, reducing its overall length and its affect on exits and intersections further back. At the merge point, both lanes of traffic must cooperate, taking turns as everyone lets ONE vehicle from the other lane in front of them into the remaining forward lane. Just one; no more, no less. This simple technique eliminates hesitation, confusion, and even helps calm road rage. All hail the wonder of the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

Everybody wants to get in front of trucks.

But if you’re in a state that does not enforce zipper merging, you are on your own, particularly if you find yourself in the left lane. Zipper merging still remains a superior method for managing traffic, but it only works if everyone cooperates, and you can’t expect everyone to cooperate in regards to something that isn’t common knowledge, encouraged or required by law. No, the chief law in effect here is right-of-way, and that ROW belongs to those already in The Lane That Does Not End.

This ROW works great for those who heeded the warning signs and placed themselves in the proper lane ahead of time. But it’s disadvantageous for anyone still in the left lane, who have no legal option but to yield until the right lane clears, whether by a natural decrease in approaching traffic, or by someone in the right lane stopping traffic just to let them in.

And who knows how long that could take. Sure, some left-lane drivers may know about the signs, and are indeed selfishly trying to rush ahead of as many cars as possible instead of waiting their “turn” behind those who were here first. But in heavy traffic, it’s just as easy for drivers who had legitimate reasons for being in the left lane in the first place to get stuck there. Rather than trying to jump the line, perhaps they’re just trying to avoid holding up traffic behind them while there’s still some open road ahead.

At the pinch point, things can get awkward fast. Legally speaking, cars in the left lane NEED to move over, but thanks to right-of-way, no one NEEDS to let them in. To avoid this sticky situation, most drivers will get into The Lane That Does Not End as early as they can.

Ah, but that leaves space! Space in the left lane! Glorious open road! A brief chance to escape from all this stop-and-go nonsense! Who can resist the chance to jump out and surge forward a few more car lengths? It is, after all, legal roadway usage, isn’t it?

But it’s risky. Passing all those cars might just inspire them to tighten up and make absolutely sure that you don’t cut in front of them. Or someone might even see you coming and take it upon himself to block you from passing any more cars.

Our sense of fairness, our sense of timely preparation, our sense of efficiency, and traffic law all clash in this messy situation.

Shall I merge here? Or perhaps here?

It’s a real pickle. Once you claim a spot of your own in The Lane That Does Not End, you kinda want to keep it. You’ve secured your place in line, and as slow as traffic is, you don’t want more cars in front of you to slow things down even worse than they are now. Besides, you’ve got the right-of-way, you’re under no obligation to let someone in, and you don’t have to stress and wonder when someone will have mercy on you and let you in. But seeing open room in the left lane is oh so tempting. Whatever the reason for that lane’s current emptiness, you could use it to get several car-lengths ahead of where you are now (minus however many cars decline to let you in front of them, of course. Yeah, I wouldn’t want to let me in, either.).

Technically, as you approach the bottleneck, neither lane option is illegal here. You could take the right lane early, but you’ll forego the opportunity to pass a few more cars. You could stay in the left lane a little longer, but you may be sacrificing slow speed for a complete stop as you wait for the chance to get back in. You might even find yourself merging back into the very same spot you jumped out of, having made no progress at all. After all, they do have the right-of-way, and could make you wait, stopped in the left lane, as long as they wanted to.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

What’s your preferred technique for navigating these lane drops? Without a zipper merge to dictate lane choice and merging habits, how do you approach the bottleneck? When do you leave the left lane for the relative security of The Lane That Does Not End? And most importantly, how to you negotiate with other traffic?

(Of course, “merge left”-type lane drops take this to a whole ’nother level... But maybe we should save that for its own separate discussion.)

Party-vi > Urambo Tauro 08/29/2017 at 17:15

6

I mash the pedal while waving my middle fingers at everyone I pass before merging too close to people that were already in line in the other lane.

#justBMWthings

WilliamsSW > Party-vi 08/29/2017 at 17:16

4

Don’t forget to honk at them after you cut them off, as if they’re the problem!

Party-vi > WilliamsSW 08/29/2017 at 17:17

2

I only have so many hands for these functions.

WilliamsSW > Party-vi 08/29/2017 at 17:20

1

Good point - wouldn’t want to spill that Venti Caramel Macchiato with 6 extra shots of espresso in it. Them BMW cupholders suck, man.

nermal > Urambo Tauro 08/29/2017 at 17:20

7

Depends on traffic.

Is everything moving freely? Move over early.

Is it stopped at the merge point? Stay in whatever lane I’m currently in and zipper at the merge point.

Is the closing lane open, with some amateur wannabe traffic cop blocking the closing lane well before the merge point, to make sure that nobody zooms up the empty lane to the merge point? Pass them on the median with middle finger flying in their direction, then zoom up the empty lane to the merge point.

Chariotoflove > Urambo Tauro 08/29/2017 at 17:21

3

I tend to stay in the left lane until I see the end of the line and look for a reasonable space to merge. Kind of an improvised zipper merge. I find when people see the end of the bottle neck in sight, someone will relax a bit more and let me in.

WilliamsSW > nermal 08/29/2017 at 17:26

1

Yeah, this is more or less what I do. If there’s a really big difference in the line length between lanes (this happens a LOT around Chicago), the temptation to jump gets too strong...

Party-vi > WilliamsSW 08/29/2017 at 17:28

1

No shit, man. I can barely get my Ember mug to fit.

WilliamsSW > Party-vi 08/29/2017 at 17:32

0

Holy shit - I had to go to the googles for that (I’m a peasant apparently)- - $150, are you fucking kidding me?

Party-vi > WilliamsSW 08/29/2017 at 17:36

1

They sold out. A $150 mug sold out .

WilliamsSW > Party-vi 08/29/2017 at 17:41

0

There’s no shortage of signs that people are crazy. Just added this to the list.

Party-vi > WilliamsSW 08/29/2017 at 17:43

0

Ok while I don’t have a $150 mug I do wear Lindberg glasses.

WilliamsSW > Party-vi 08/29/2017 at 17:47

0

So, is this you then?

Party-vi > WilliamsSW 08/29/2017 at 17:51

1

Essentially

Textured Soy Protein > Urambo Tauro 08/29/2017 at 17:52

1

I usually try to cruise in the left lane for a bit and not merge too proactively, but I also don’t go down to way at the end where the lane actually ends because the people in the lane that continues will think I’m a dick and probably not let me in.

Future next gen S2000 owner > Urambo Tauro 08/29/2017 at 18:00

1

Or you can be That Guy and put your car squarely in the middle of two lanes so no one can pass you and grind both lanes to a screeching halt.

ranwhenparked > Urambo Tauro 08/29/2017 at 18:29

1

What about when a lane of travel suddenly becomes a turn-only lane with no notice until you arrive at the actual intersection?

Nick Has an Exocet > Urambo Tauro 08/29/2017 at 19:25

0

Situation dependent. If I’m not in a rush, merge early. If I’m in a rush, merge late. In theory, if everyone did this, people would arrive at their destinations happier.

The asterisk here is: if I’m on my my way home from work. Bay Area drivers suck. They block entire intersections just because they couldn’t wait another 2 minutes for the light to come back around. They use breakdown lanes as driving lanes. They blow through metering lights (I hate them but c’mon). They blow reds and roll stop signs. Hell, I pulled up to a 4 way stop the other day and one guy, who pulled up after everyone else, rolled the stop sign and proceeded to flip me and everyone else off. Dick. So in the case of asshole traffic vs me, do whatever feels right. Which is usually vengeance.

I hoon, therefore I am > nermal 08/29/2017 at 19:35

1

goddamn, you are the perfect specimen. I’ve had this happen to me a couple times on a freeway between major cities. my girlfriend even asked why I wasn’t merging, and stated that I was an asshole. I looked at the HALF MILE (seriously, the construction sign said lane closed 1/2 mile ahead) and wondered aloud what all that asphalt was for.

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > Urambo Tauro 08/30/2017 at 10:39

0

I stay in the left lane as long as I can to find an opening, nowadays there’s always an opening because some dumbass is too busy looking at their phone to pay attention, so I make them my bitch and slide on in. Once in the lane that doesn’t end I give enough distance between myself and the car in front that someone could slide in as well. That’s just what people should do if they are in the lane that isn’t ending, that way nobody has to hit the brakes, and the cars can zipper together. If both lanes were courteous, it wouldn’t be an issue, the zipper merge would work and all would be well. But it just takes one asshole to screw up the works. You know the one that has to win the merging race... good job buddy you sure showed me as you sped up like a douche to close the gap, oh wait never mind there’s another opening up ahead, see ya.

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > Future next gen S2000 owner 08/30/2017 at 10:40

0

Fuck that guy.

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > ranwhenparked 08/30/2017 at 10:43

0

If you get to the point of no return, you make the turn, you should’ve been paying attention. Been there done that. I will take the hit and inconvenience myself before I pull a dick move and stop traffic, my fault for not paying better attention, or not finding a suitable opening in traffic. People that get to that point and then stop to hope someone let’s them in suck, and shouldn’t be on the road.

kevin > nermal 05/14/2018 at 13:06

0

I’m with you

frl987 > Urambo Tauro 08/02/2018 at 23:24

0

the partially coercive zipper merge is where you pass some, but not all that you could, from the lane that ends, then take a spot that seems advantageous but fair, but only get over half a lane at first, stretching the straddl ing the line for a ways - stretch the lane change out so you don't get passed by people using the lane that ends more aggressively than you 

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > nermal 11/10/2018 at 01:12

0

Ditto.

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > Chariotoflove 11/10/2018 at 01:13

1

Gotta look for your bitch and go for it.  Somebody’s always got their head up their ass in line, that’s the one to go for.  There’s always one.

your6 > Urambo Tauro 12/04/2018 at 13:49

2

Märket upplyser om att två körfält eller körbanor löper samman till ett och att förarna skall anpassa sig till de nya förhållandena på platsen/

The mark indicates that two lanes or lanes run into one and drivers must adapt to the new conditions on the spot.

W elcome to Sweden

spanfeller-i-hardly-know-her > merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc 11/17/2019 at 21:32

1

Basically agree. Obviously if nobody’s behind you in your accidental turn lane you can wait out traffic and hope for a merge opportunity, but if someone comes up behind you then you need to clear the lane (which sometimes means making the turn and figuring out a different way to get back on track).