On the way to Monroe this weekend I had my camera out, and a lane merge was approaching. I saw that a large group of people were ignoring the merge signs so I got out my camera and snapped a few pictures. Here is a pic of the biggest idiot I saw before the merge. His shirt had a big ranger logo on the back, and he was apparently off to fish somewhere... somewhere he needed to be so badly that he had to stay in the right lane well past each warning sign to merge.
This ignorant fool is towing a boat. However, he apparently thinks that God has graced him with an open lane while everyone in the left lane is slowing down. He doesn't realize that everyone else is going so slow in the correct lane because of the other people just like him that are selfish enough to think that they don't have to merge and that someone should/will let them in later. He and two other cars wait until the last minute to try and get in, slowing all the traffic to a stand still while another cars stops... fully... on the interstate...to let them in.
Some good did come of the incident. I got a pic of his license plate. So, maybe one day they'll come across the site and see their truck and realize their folly. I doubt it, but hey, it could happen. Here's their license plate #.
Here's another pic of how close they actually were to the lane merge barrels.
One of my biggest pet peeves involves people who fail to merge early on the interstate. A sign will be posted at least a mile ahead of time saying "Lane ends. Merge Left", or some such business. Yet, some people don't think that the lane ending should bother them. They speed right up until the orange barrels and flashing lights are four feet ahead of their bumpers and they cut people off and slow everyone down.
I'm not really sure why some people think they're so special that they don't have to merge when everyone else is. It's almost as if they think that it's a miracle. The sea of cars in front of them is parting, so they speed right on up past those people who have moved into the upcoming open lane. God has clearly chosen them to get to their destination in hurried fashion.
What actually ends up happening is that everyone else has to slow down to let them in. So, those people who are passing everyone else in the right lane (in this particular case) were only passing because someone else had already tried the merge late maneuver and slowed everyone down.
If everyone would merge early, people wouldn't have to slow to 25 MPH to let these morons over at the last minute. Everyone would only have to slow to the speed limit posted during the construction, or maintenance or whatever incident has caused a lane to be closed.
Posted by Jordan at March 20, 2005 9:08 PM | TrackBack
Comments (2)
Jordan
Traffic experts will say that there are several merge options in a lane closing. The two we are most familiar with are the "early" and "late". Some states (PA) require motorists to merge late (better for heavy traffic) because it decreases the length of the backup (cars are in two lanes instead of one). Other states (MI) go for the early merge (better in lighter traffic) because at higher speeds it is safer to merge early. Statistics also show that waiting times are reduced where everyone uses the late merge option. So don't assume that if someone waits until closer to the actually closing point of the lane in heavy traffic conditions that they are being a jerk. They are choosing the safer and fairer option.
Posted in reply to Mark's comment |
I'd never heard of the late merge being effective, so I looked around on the net for it. I did find a few references to it, though I'm not sure how credible they are. Regardless, they say that late merge is only useful in high-congestion, low speed situations (as you noted).
"'When there is no congestion and speeds are high, potential confusion among drivers at the merge point becomes a concern' with late merge, according to the study report written by professor Patrick T. McCoy." - http://www.mcall.com/news/local/roadwarrior/all-warrior-032604,0,6903372.story?coll=all-roadwarrior-hed
This means that the highway is not one of the places where this "late merge" would be beneficial. People should get over when they see the warning. So, I still stand behind thinking these people are jerks, but I guess I can't say that in all situations now:).
Anyways, thanks for posting. I got to learn something new, and that's always good.
Posted in reply to Jordan's comment |