The Urge to Merge: YES!

YES! Thank you, New York Times Magazine. Someone with a much larger audience than I presents what you're supposed to do when entering a merge point on the highway. (Emphasis mine.)

Then everybody begins to slow, not too much, all in concert. All cars remain in their lanes, using all the real estate... People in the narrowing left lanes refrain from shooting ahead, while people in the right through lanes...leave big spaces in front of their cars for the merging that is about to commence... Finally, at clearly marked or somehow mutually agreed upon places, everybody starts conducting beautiful “zipper merges.” That’s the technical term — one-two, one-two or one-two-three, one-two-three — as indicated by the roadway configuration. The process has now worked at its ideal efficiency/equitability ratio...

I reiterate: fill all available real estate and then zipper! Now don't you feel better?

Comments

[avs]

*love* the nytimes magazine. :)

[Interstate Driving Mom]

Your dad has said this all along - now if you could get all the dept. of trans. to follow these guidlines instead of having us merge 5 miles ahead of the merge point we would all be happier.