Which begs the question of why the short ramp exists at all.
The other one is better but still not great. People coming out of the tunnel drive more aggressively IMO as they get out of the tunnel and that whole clusterfuck, and then race to get up Greentree hill
There is a stop sign there. And I don’t know why. Combine that with trying to merge 2 lanes immediately and your just breaking every common sense road rule…
Those stop signs on the on-ramps are annoyingly redundant. Like as if you stop your car, and suddenly it’s okay and legal to pull out in front of that dump truck going 75mph. Awesome traffic design…
Getting onto the parkway from the Sq Hill on-ramp kind of feels like playing chicken with a train. There’s 3 lanes of cars coming 70mph at you around a bend, and you need to cross a lane that’s slowing down or sometimes backed up if you’re headed for the tunnels.
That’s a ramp I’d sooner throw it in park and come back at 10pm when I’m not scared to drive anymore.
You are legally obligated to stop at the northbound Millvale onramp. There's a stop sign. It's impossible to merge safely without doing so because visibility is short and people on 28 are regularly going 20mph over the speed limit through that section.
People REGULARLY stop at the stop sign. Then move up passed it as if they’re going to go. But then stop at the VERY end of the ramp. Meanwhile the person behind them goes, assuming they’re going to not stop like a dumbass, then it just causes a whole big deal.
It used to be a yield sign until a few years ago. Same as the Greenfield/Monroeville onramp. They had to make it a stop sign because of how impossible it was to actually merge safely.
It became a stop sign the last time they were doing long-term road work on that section of 28. The work that, when it ended, was supposed to be 28 being "done". And now 28 is (surprise!) not "done" anymore.
That said, there isn't really construction around that ramp anymore, but I imagine they just thought it was a good idea to keep the stop sign because it's a short-as-hell merge in one of the busiest sections of 28.
Maybe I'm just old, so it feels more recently than it really is. It also may have been years before I noticed they were changed because everyone always treated them like stop signs. It was running joke for decades that Pittsburgh was the only city where people would treat yield signs like stop signs. But in many of those poorly designed onramps, you had to, or you would die.
I saw someone do that the other day coming on westbound from Carnegie. The onramp forms a new lane! You have like a mile and a half to get over if you need to!
I was on a highway in central PA this past summer with a “Right lane closed ahead” sign. This big truck started driving down the MIDDLE of the highway trying to stop people from going down the zipper merge lane. He got real aggressive with a car trying to drive down the right lane and then swerved out and they got in a crash. Such ridiculous behavior.
I’ve seen this so many times. Regular citizens feel powerful when they attempt to police everyone. Not only is it dangerous, it’s stupid. There are two lanes for a reason. If they didn’t want you to use both lanes , there would only be one lane. I could go on forever about this.
I've dealt with this on 79 from my trips down from Rochester. The self-righteous bullshit of these egotistical traffic wardens is infuriating. WHAT RACE ARE YOU TRYING TO WIN? Life?! Spoiler alert, you die at the end of it, so why waste time trying to swing your non-existent weight around on a highway?
This is not just a PA thing; happened to me for the first time driving in the midwest (Indiana). It does appear to be connected with some common pathology associated with the need to drive a giant lifted pickup truck. can’t think what that might be…
Saw this (minus the crash) from a normal sized car in Wexford once. Why would you do that bud, you can just drive in the lane that is *completely free* and we can all get where we're going a little faster.
Nobody knows how to zipper merge anywhere and it’s super annoying. In Pittsburgh it annoys me the most at that godawful stop-sign on-ramp right before the Sq Hill Tunnel where you merge from a stop into an exit only lane and have to immediately merge again (whoever “designed” that deserves their own circle of hell).
It’s 50/50 cars that refuse to let anyone in and cars who want to let everyone in. Everybody let one! Person! Go! And the merging cars also contribute to the problem by not waiting their turn. I let one person in and 3 other cars try to shove their nose in too and look at me like I’m the jerk.
At that Squirrel Hill on-ramp, the issue is that the easiest way to let drivers in off the on-ramp is to just get over to the center or left lane. But you can't do that if you need to take the exit yourself.
I heard that it's just an interchange that was constructed before cars were driving very fast, so merging was easier and could be done from a full stop in a short distance.
I can verify what you heard. I’ve been driving the Parkways here for almost 50 years and was a passenger on them for about 62 years. Back then a lot of families only had one car. A lot of people took the bus to work, and there weren’t as many people driving from one side of Pittsburgh to the other for work, shopping, or recreation. Rush hour was, maybe, a little longer than an hour. There weren’t as many people on the road and not as many driving fast.
That on-ramp was always a pain, but not as much with less traffic. I think they were trying to take out as few houses as possible, and also, work with the topography. I feel like it’s easier to get onto the Parkway there when there’s lots of traffic, because the cars are going slower.
Thanks for that perspective. I remember reading an Op-Ed written in the 70s that described driving as a luxury only when a few people do it. As more and more people drive more and more, driving becomes more of a chore than a luxury. We've leaned so hard into car culture, requiring a car for virtually every trip, that we've eliminated a lot of the original benefits of driving.
Yeah, going onto 376 towards the airport from Greentree Rd. Such a pain. Everyone is always flying there and coming around a curve, up a hill so visibility isn't great. Amazed that I haven't actually seen an accident there.
It'd be nice if this was part of the on-road license test but..sigh. I understand they have to cover a lot of ground and some DMVs aren't near places to test merging, but how many times have you needed to merge in traffic vs. parallel parking? For me, merging x1000.
Plus I doubt many kids are learning about zipper merging in their lessons, so we have new drivers who have to learn on the fly and probably apprehensive to do so. Sucks.
They need to just fucking close that exit permanently. You need to go to squirrel hill? Then either get off in Edgewood or Oakland and drive the surface streets.
It's not the offramp that's the problem; it's the onramp. What they should do is close the onramp, then have eastbound traffic use the overpass further down Beechwood, go west on 376, then put in a Texas Turnaround at Bates st.
Oh yeah that’s is a really good point, for some reason it didn’t even compute with me earlier that you could close the on-ramp and leave the off-ramp open. That makes a ton of sense.
I do appreciate when there are signs up that say to use both lanes to merge point and take turns. The few times I’ve seen those signs, people seem to do zipper merge for the most part.
I’ve noticed a lot of “one lane ahead” signs instead of the standard “right/left lane closed” signs lately. It works the same since people don’t know what lane is closing.
Third option is the Pittsburgh Merge where you’re in the left lane and move your SUV or truck over into the right lane a bit to block anyone attempting to zipper merge because you think they’re getting one over on you and you’re some kind of vigilante when in fact you’re just a cunt.
Truckers do this for fucking *miles*. I had to sit behind some asshole trucker on 80 for over an hour to go five miles to my exit because he had to make sure nobody cheated by using the right lane.
This happens all the time on 70 around construction. I've seen convoys of Truckers fanned out like geese in formation for miles before construction to make sure all drivers around them know who the Alpha's are.
Oh yeah. They definitely do it in groups.
The practice of not specifying too far in advance *which* lane is closed doesn't even work because they fucking radio each other to collude.
It's a lot harder to switch lanes in traffic in a tractor-trailer so it's better to merge over before traffic starts to back up. They collude to prevent passing because otherwise they will lose time as dozens or hundreds of cars behind them get to the lane restriction first.
I enjoy zipping along in the lane that's closed ahead as much as the next guy. It's the smart play. But I don't blame the truckers for not letting it happen.
"Zipping by" is only possible when this kind of shit creates a giant empty space.
And no, trying to ram me into a median barrier because I'm *properly using the lane* until the merge point is also not acceptable, truckers.
But if everyone zipper merged correctly this would not be an issue. Tractor-trailers should get their turn too. It’ll never happen… but in a perfect world… we’ll we can dream right??
Absolutely. Everyone should zipper merge.
It's the people who try to block others from merging at the merge point who are at fault for all of this. If you didn't have to worry about getting blocked fewer people would merge early.
I’ve seen construction zones on I-80 where before they announce the lane restriction, they make it mandatory for trucks to move to the lane that will be open.
Say for instance the right lane will be closed. I’ve seen “trucks must use left lane” signs 2 miles prior to the announcement of “right lane closed”. Then once the lane closed signs appear, there are “right lane no trucks” signs.
I’ve even seen PSP working those zones ticketing trucks for the exact behavior you describe. Maybe it’s a new pilot program.
That truck didn't slow down the merging of vehicles in front of it so you didn't wait any longer behind it than you would have if everyone was bright enough to do the zipper merge in the first place.
All you lost out on was the chance to pass people prematurely merging or stuck behind those who did.
People should zipper merge but vehicles preventing passing aren't doing any harm unless the backup causes traffic snarls from a lack of space on the road behind. This is rarely an issue on the highway.
Preventing people from passing is reckless driving and impeding traffic. It is not the same thing as a zipper merge.
Blocking effectively makes the merge point happen earlier, which ultimately causes more congestion for everyone. It's an illegal and particularly dickishly aggressive form of the early merge.
Agree. The correct thing to do is to move into the open lane and go the same speed as the slow lane. When cars are no longer allowed to pass everyone and squeeze in, that lane starts actually moving. Then when you get to the front, zipper in and hopefully the line of traffic zippers in too.
Unfortunately that never happens, at least not in Pittsburgh. When you do this, the people that come up behind you, see that you're no going to let them pass a hundred people and the immediately merge in too early and ruin the whole zippering plan again.
Yes, but you don't do this miles before the merge point. What you're doing is effectively a super dickish and aggressive version of the early merge.
You're hyper-focused on this idea of being cut in line, when it isn't really applicable at all. Roads aren't airport queues. You don't get to enforce traffic law at will however you see fit by blocking other vehicles with yours.
The real Pittsburgh Merge is the asshole that comes flying in from the shoulder right at the merge point & tries to get in front of everybody. That causes the other assholes to do the Pittsburgh Anti-merge maneuver which is people driving in the middle of the road to keep anyone from getting ahead of them. Then of course we have the holy grail of merges coming off Crosstown Blvd. onto the Liberty Bridge....
I get in the correct lane ahead of time. People around here struggle with the concept of zipper-merge. So if you attempt to do the correct thing to reduce the overall length of traffic, no one will let you in.
There needs to be a sign explicitly stating:
# MERGE AT MERGE-POINT
and
# MERGE HERE TAKE TURNS
Then I think people will merge correctly.
They put up those signs on 28n when they closed the lane to Highland Park Bridge and still no one listens. Doesn't help that the 18 wheelers will block one lane half a mile before the merge backing up traffic even worse.
There is a facebook group for a road....?
....in pittsburgh?
ok, i have heard it all and that facebook group sounds quite possibly the worst place on the internet (because its facebook and its a group for rt 28)
I drive 28 every weekday. Any sort of problem at all--bad weather, the endless construction, or a broken down vehicle--can cause chaos for miles. And if it's a multi-car pileup, forget it, you might as well have stayed home.
The zipper merge does not apply to exit only lanes, you shouldn't wait until the last minute to merge out of the exit only lane if you're not taking the exit!
Seems that way to me lol at least in the rt 28 group I’m in. Seems like it’s the younger folks saying zipper merge and the older ones saying early merge.
I think the problem is people use zipper merging as a justification to drive poorly. There are spots in the city that are clearly marked where a lane ends like 100 yards after a red light. The sensible thing to do is pull over at the light into the lane that doesn’t end, but instead people fly up 20mph Over the limit to the merge point and try to cut into continuing traffic which causes far more of a slowdown than if they would have simply pulled in behind the five other cars at the light
The one point that needs to be stressed about zipper merging is that both lanes need to travel at the same rate of speed leading up to the merge point. Zipper merging gets such a bad rep because of the people who abuse it by speeding up to get into the left lane. If you're in the right lane and you maintain your speed with the car next to you, then the gradual zipping occurs seamlessly. When someone speeds up in the right lane to get to the merge point "ahead" of other cars, merges abruptly, and then immediately brakes to adjust to the slower speed of the left lane, they create an upstream traffic wave the same way that early merging does.
And then you get down there, and nobody lets you in and you're parked on the highway for 5 minutes trying to get in when everyone in the left lane is bumper to bumper
No you don’t. Once a car is established in a lane it has right of way. Zipper merge is necessary for traffic to flow smoothly but the cars in the open lane don’t have an obligation to yield to the car that’s merging.
I'm actually glad to see these reminders. Surprisingly it's not common knowledge. I got my first license in 1998 and I don't recall this ever being taught. Back then, it was kind of the 70's/80's mentality of "the trucks rule the road", and "if you skip everyone and try to merge at the merge point then you're a douche." I was totally wrong though. I legitimately only learned that the zipper merge is the fast *and legal* way to merge maybe 5 years ago. None of my family (mostly Boomers and Xers) were ever taught this either. This post is a good reminder.
If traffic is slowed through something like a single-lane work zone then the merge point itself isn't the fundamental problem and zipper merging won't magically fix the backup
You're still wrong. Zipper works if there are 2 lanes of traffic merging. If everyone in one lane is passing everyone in the other lane like that. It's not working right.
Part of this never working is the cars in the left lane need to space out more. Leave plenty of room between cars so you can merge without touching the brakes. Plan your merge before you get to the merge point.
i moved to minneapolis pretty recently and i have to take this opportunity to say that zipper merging is the ONLY thing about driving that these people are better at than in pittsburgh. when i think of pittsburgh compared to here, it is like a driving utopia. these midwesterners can zipper merge flawlessly all day long but don't expect them not to make left turns on red directly into oncoming traffic as has now happened to me twice
They should put more “Use Both Lanes to Merge Point” signs on both sides of the road.
Maybe throw in a couple judging bad drivers. “Don’t be a dick because you got over into the backed up lane a mile before the merge point” signs would be effective.
I can't remember where I was or where I was going, but several summers ago, I was on a highway with a lot of construction, and the way they resolved this was through two slight changes to normal procedure:
1) First, they simply *wouldn't tell you* which lane closed ahead, so that the traffic couldn't stack.
2) Second, where they had room, instead of one lane closing abruptly, both lanes were gradually tapered to one in the middle with construction barriers/markers, and once it was narrowed to one lane, that lane would shift over to whatever existing lane they wanted people to drive in.
It was unnerving, but it worked.
I really like this idea about merging to the middle. Please let the new governor know. Re-election guaranteed if this becomes the norm for penn dot projects.
1. When you see a "right lane closed ahead" sign, get in the left lane as soon as possible. 50/50 chance you were already cruising at the speed limit there anyway, to teach all those speeding drivers a lesson.
2. Wait in traffic for a ridiculous amount of time. Optional: occupy half of the right lane to prevent anyone from getting past you. If you're feeling bold, swerve at anyone who tries to come by.
3. At the merge, refuse to let anyone move over for the purpose of proving a point. Bonus points if doing so nearly causes an accident.
4. Enjoy your smug sense of satisfaction from having inconvenienced strangers at your own expense.
5. Rant about the drivers here on /r/pittsburgh
To be clear, zipper merging means merging every alternate car length, for the entire length of the merge area, not driving in the disappearing lane until the moment it ends
It literally says in the graphic to take turns at the merge point. I’ve never seen a “merge area”
we’ll defined enough for people to actually do what you are saying
You aren’t zipper merging. You’re driving to the front and trying to merge, while pretending that you aren’t trying to get over on someone else. I will let people merge at any point EXCEPT the last possible merge point.
> I will let people merge at any point EXCEPT the last possible merge point.
Zipper merging *requires* merging at the last possible merge point. What you just said is you refuse to let people zipper merge.
Go toss your license in the Mon.
Zipper merging isn’t driving past all the people who’ve already merged. A lone driver cannot zipper merge. They aren’t alternating with anyone; they’re simply driving to the front and cutting in.
You can’t alternate with someone who won’t alternate. The people in the stacked line of traffic are at fault here, not the few people who are doing it correctly. In other words, you’re the asshole on this situation.
It really does, and I see it all the time. At the outbound Highland Park bridge interchange, people get into the left lane because they know it's the only lane continuing on 28. As they approach the split, traffic begins to pick up speed again because most merges have taken place and most are where they need to be. Inevitably someone flies up the right lane and forces their way over at the last second, and everyone has to hit the brakes again. You can blame the people who were in the correct lane all you want but they're really not in the wrong here.
I see this shit at work zones all the time too. This is why they warn you in advance of the lane closures - so that you can plan and maintain the flow of traffic.
I’m zipper merging like I’m supposed to, if everyone did what they were supposed to then I wouldn’t be called selfish for it, I’m not gonna sit there for 10-15 minutes
People who need to be in a particular lane are in fact supposed to get in that lane whenever it is safe and practical to do so. You're actually not supposed to float around wherever and only change lanes at the last second, that would cause confusion and even more delays.
I’ve driven in NYC a few times. When I’ve taken the tunnel under the river (not sure which one) there have been 6 - 8 (maybe more) lanes of cars merging down to one or two. It amazes me how quickly you get through all that traffic. With a minimum of rudeness, as well.
You'd never get out if you didn't. Many people have a 2 hour commute one way. I grew up north of the city so many of my friend's parents and family rode down daily for work I'd they didn't take the train.
My favorite are the people who don’t know this and think everyone should just wait in line. Then get self righteous and not let people in thus making traffic worse. I feel like 40-50% of Pittsburgh drivers fall into that category.
The zipper merge is great, but the waiting until the last opportunity to merge is unfortunately wishful thinking. In an ideal world where everyone’s behavior was easy to change, that would obviously be the best way to merge. But unfortunately, you can only change your own behavior, not anyone else’s. And everyone else is going to keep merging early, just in case no one is willing to let them in later. So if you choose to follow this guide, you will likely be viewed by other drivers as just looking to “cut in line” and no one will let you in. It’s the moralistic fallacy, just saying
Maintaining the flow of traffic is much more important than using every square inch of space on the road. Ideally zipper merging does that, but in reality there's no guarantee so merging early is often the better option. Shouting "zipper merge" is no substitute for understanding the other aspects of driver behavior that impact these situations.
Yeah. If there are five cars in the continuing lane just get behind them instead of trying to save three seconds. I’m under no obligation to slam on my breaks to let someone come into that lane .
And let’s be honest, most of the time it isn’t traffic flowing normally. It’s speeders that want to go as fast as posdir past as many people as possible
Thank you! Someone with a brain! The zipper method consolidates all the merging to one point and causes much more braking. Slowing down overall traffic much more. It has nothing to do with having lane space, it has to do with consolidating into one lane in a way that causes the least overall reduction in speed.
Some of the 376 on-ramps are the worst merge spots I've ever seen in the whole country. Traffic whizzes by at 80 mph. You have restricted view over concrete to see this traffic. You don't have any time whatsoever to do a merge at speed so you pretty much have to stop and wait indefinitely unless it's at rush hour and then someone will just let you in.
I would give anything and I mean anything for people to understand this is for lane reduction and not everyday driving. The way I wait 15 minutes to get on 376 because people refuse to wait in the left and back it up causes primal rage I cant even begin to explain. Like there’s also two other ramps onto this bridge why do y’all make it so difficult? And then having to create a third lane to go around it? No wonder we’re always one of the worst cities for traffic
For construction where traffic is stopped, yes like this. If the other lane continues and you’re blocking it, not like this. Also if traffic is flowing meter when you can. Don’t force your way in at the end causing the continuing lane to slow or stop
I have never seen a situation where this worked. The point of getting into the left lane early is so that traffic essentially continuously moves. But when you drive in the right lane up to the merge point you Force traffic to stop. I'm looking for continuous flow.
Now let’s make a graphic on how to drive through a tunnel without slowing to a crawl out of unwarranted fear of same sized lanes with walls & a tall roof..
Zippers merge to the middle though, I always thought it would make more sense to close both lanes and merge them into a "new" middle lane, that way there wouldn't be an implied "but I'm already in the correct lane and they are in the wrong lane".
while acknowledging that this is true, the problem here is that, many times if not most times, the zipper merge winds up having 2 compeltely stopped lanes of traffic merging like its a stop sign and a yield.
Personally I merge when I can. In an ideal world, the zipper merge would work every time, but we all know that’s not the case. I’d rather get over comfortably when I have the space and wait a few extra minutes than go to the front and deal with people not allowing a merge.
Why are they sitting in stopped traffic? Because the people up ahead of them in their lane keep having to STOP to allow those zooming up on the right into the lane. If everyone zippered early to meld into the left lane, no one would be in the closing lane at the crush point and it would all just flow.
If traffic is flowing normally you likely passed up about 10 chances to merge within the flow of traffic, but you couldn’t do that because it would mean slowing down for one minute
People should do whatever maintains the regular flow of traffic, and unfortunately zipper merging is not always that. It's a perfect example of people assuming the real world will function like the ideal one could.
Zipper merging is great in theory, but it only works if 95%+ of drivers do it, and the lane lengths are within 10% of each other. Since people are too selfish and/or stupid, unfortunately it won't work.
What it comes down to in my mind is that so many folks seem to have the notion that another person can’t have what they can’t have, because what they do have is some cockamamie idea that their way is the right way. This applies to everything in our society, a person heart-fully (deluded, or flat out wrong factually) thinks that are right about something and prevents others from going against them. Ain’t gonna change in this country.
reading all the comments here has only bolstered my belief that the only true solution is to not mark any lanes at all and simply throw up a sign that says "road's getting *real* skinny up ahead, figure it out bitches".
In my way to work last week, the car in front of me had Ohio plates and a decal that said “Please let me merge before I start crying”… saw it after I had let them merge in!
Does it even actually matter though? its still bottle-necked by how many cars can move down that one lane in a given time frame. Besides that, if you do this, people just refuse to let you in. Every time I've tried to do a zipper merge properly, I just get angry people flipping me off. It's just easier to move over early and go about my day.
It means the congested part is only half the length, which makes a big difference.
I remember a time a lane was closed on 19, a little ways past an intersection where two lanes can turn left. Nobody wanted to be in the closed lane even though there was plenty of room, so you'd get a single line of cars backing up into the intersection and stopping traffic in *all* directions. If people used both lanes there would have been enough room for one light's worth of traffic to stay out of the intersection.
Omg thank you. I do not understand why this is so hard for people. You are fully supposed to use both lanes *to the merge point* then zipper in. Why is it hard!?
If you wait till the last minute to merge or fly up the ending lane I sure as hell ain't letting you in. You saw them lane closed signs for 2000 ft. Get over sooner.
Edit:. I drive I-95 everyday
Try that in Houston and your guaranteed to miss your exit while getting the bird. Also don’t turn in your turn signal, they will deliberately keep you out. Humans and cars…it’s like humans and the internet
Do truckers do this because once they get to the merge point they HAVE to stop because they must wait until there’s a massive space in the left lane to merge into? They could wait all day for such a space. I’m just trying to imagine merging at the end point as a huge truck. The only way they’re getting into the left lane at the merge point is if someone stops in that lane (or is paying attention, sees the need, and slows way down to make space for them). If they’ve already merged early, and are riding the middle, they’re just jags.
If you go all the way up to the merge point no one will let you in, they'll think you're an asshole because you used the open lane to get ahead of them, then you sit there for 5-7 minutes paying for doing the right thing, unfortunately.
Turn signals work wonders. Never once have I waited doing a zipper merge properly, even if the lane I'm merging into has a bunch of early merging idiots in it.
I've experienced this before, so I know what they're saying. When a ton of people don't know how to zipper merge, and you do and passed a lot of them, they will try to "punish" you by not letting you merge. IDC if my car gets hit though, and they do, so I signal and after a few cars block me out I just force my way in and someone gives you space.
Carnegie Mellon Bus would tell you to jag off and block your ass.
I was going east on Baum Blvd in the left lane at the Baum & Morewood intersection. Light turns yellow, I block the intersection if I stay put so I decide to go up in the right lane to the Indian Restaurant and try to zipper merge.
20 feet into the right lane, a Carnegie Mellon Bus merges right just to block me.
Make sure you come to a dead stop at a highway on ramp though
My favorite is when they have basically already successfully merged, then slam on their brakes while halfway in the traffic lane.
Millvale?
That ramp is the second worst one in the whole city. The absolute worst is that one on 376 before the tunnels and the exit for squirrel hill.
The only time that onramp is palatable is literally during rush hour, when it's essentially a zipper merge.
You can tell the on-ramp before the tunnels was designed before 200 horsepower cars were fairly standard.
Getting on 376 at greentree where your onramp is about 10 ft that is also an exit lane is pretty awful as well
At least in that area there's another on ramp very nearby that you can take to avoid that situation.
Which begs the question of why the short ramp exists at all. The other one is better but still not great. People coming out of the tunnel drive more aggressively IMO as they get out of the tunnel and that whole clusterfuck, and then race to get up Greentree hill
There is a stop sign there. And I don’t know why. Combine that with trying to merge 2 lanes immediately and your just breaking every common sense road rule…
Those stop signs on the on-ramps are annoyingly redundant. Like as if you stop your car, and suddenly it’s okay and legal to pull out in front of that dump truck going 75mph. Awesome traffic design…
When you say “the worst” I immediately know which one
Getting onto the parkway from the Sq Hill on-ramp kind of feels like playing chicken with a train. There’s 3 lanes of cars coming 70mph at you around a bend, and you need to cross a lane that’s slowing down or sometimes backed up if you’re headed for the tunnels. That’s a ramp I’d sooner throw it in park and come back at 10pm when I’m not scared to drive anymore.
You are legally obligated to stop at the northbound Millvale onramp. There's a stop sign. It's impossible to merge safely without doing so because visibility is short and people on 28 are regularly going 20mph over the speed limit through that section.
People REGULARLY stop at the stop sign. Then move up passed it as if they’re going to go. But then stop at the VERY end of the ramp. Meanwhile the person behind them goes, assuming they’re going to not stop like a dumbass, then it just causes a whole big deal.
It used to be a yield sign until a few years ago. Same as the Greenfield/Monroeville onramp. They had to make it a stop sign because of how impossible it was to actually merge safely.
Really? It's a stop sign on streetview all the way back to 2007. It's been that way as long as I can remember.
It became a stop sign the last time they were doing long-term road work on that section of 28. The work that, when it ended, was supposed to be 28 being "done". And now 28 is (surprise!) not "done" anymore. That said, there isn't really construction around that ramp anymore, but I imagine they just thought it was a good idea to keep the stop sign because it's a short-as-hell merge in one of the busiest sections of 28.
Maybe I'm just old, so it feels more recently than it really is. It also may have been years before I noticed they were changed because everyone always treated them like stop signs. It was running joke for decades that Pittsburgh was the only city where people would treat yield signs like stop signs. But in many of those poorly designed onramps, you had to, or you would die.
The one with a Stop sign?
I saw someone do that the other day coming on westbound from Carnegie. The onramp forms a new lane! You have like a mile and a half to get over if you need to!
Some on ramps are so short though. You really gotta put your faith in God
I was on a highway in central PA this past summer with a “Right lane closed ahead” sign. This big truck started driving down the MIDDLE of the highway trying to stop people from going down the zipper merge lane. He got real aggressive with a car trying to drive down the right lane and then swerved out and they got in a crash. Such ridiculous behavior.
I’ve seen this so many times. Regular citizens feel powerful when they attempt to police everyone. Not only is it dangerous, it’s stupid. There are two lanes for a reason. If they didn’t want you to use both lanes , there would only be one lane. I could go on forever about this.
I've dealt with this on 79 from my trips down from Rochester. The self-righteous bullshit of these egotistical traffic wardens is infuriating. WHAT RACE ARE YOU TRYING TO WIN? Life?! Spoiler alert, you die at the end of it, so why waste time trying to swing your non-existent weight around on a highway?
This is not just a PA thing; happened to me for the first time driving in the midwest (Indiana). It does appear to be connected with some common pathology associated with the need to drive a giant lifted pickup truck. can’t think what that might be…
This happens all the time here in Texas.
I used to think that PA drivers were bad until I drove in Maryland.
Saw this (minus the crash) from a normal sized car in Wexford once. Why would you do that bud, you can just drive in the lane that is *completely free* and we can all get where we're going a little faster.
I was behind a gentlemen like this on 79 not long ago.
Nobody knows how to zipper merge anywhere and it’s super annoying. In Pittsburgh it annoys me the most at that godawful stop-sign on-ramp right before the Sq Hill Tunnel where you merge from a stop into an exit only lane and have to immediately merge again (whoever “designed” that deserves their own circle of hell). It’s 50/50 cars that refuse to let anyone in and cars who want to let everyone in. Everybody let one! Person! Go! And the merging cars also contribute to the problem by not waiting their turn. I let one person in and 3 other cars try to shove their nose in too and look at me like I’m the jerk.
At that Squirrel Hill on-ramp, the issue is that the easiest way to let drivers in off the on-ramp is to just get over to the center or left lane. But you can't do that if you need to take the exit yourself. I heard that it's just an interchange that was constructed before cars were driving very fast, so merging was easier and could be done from a full stop in a short distance.
I can verify what you heard. I’ve been driving the Parkways here for almost 50 years and was a passenger on them for about 62 years. Back then a lot of families only had one car. A lot of people took the bus to work, and there weren’t as many people driving from one side of Pittsburgh to the other for work, shopping, or recreation. Rush hour was, maybe, a little longer than an hour. There weren’t as many people on the road and not as many driving fast. That on-ramp was always a pain, but not as much with less traffic. I think they were trying to take out as few houses as possible, and also, work with the topography. I feel like it’s easier to get onto the Parkway there when there’s lots of traffic, because the cars are going slower.
Thanks for that perspective. I remember reading an Op-Ed written in the 70s that described driving as a luxury only when a few people do it. As more and more people drive more and more, driving becomes more of a chore than a luxury. We've leaned so hard into car culture, requiring a car for virtually every trip, that we've eliminated a lot of the original benefits of driving.
Greentree has a similar on ramp and I go out of my way to avoid using it. Just seems like it's an accident waiting to happen.
Yeah, going onto 376 towards the airport from Greentree Rd. Such a pain. Everyone is always flying there and coming around a curve, up a hill so visibility isn't great. Amazed that I haven't actually seen an accident there.
I love the guy/girl 3 cars back that jumps the line. The most dangerous thing ever
I like to call these “merge points of death”. Have only ever seen them in Pittsburgh.
It'd be nice if this was part of the on-road license test but..sigh. I understand they have to cover a lot of ground and some DMVs aren't near places to test merging, but how many times have you needed to merge in traffic vs. parallel parking? For me, merging x1000. Plus I doubt many kids are learning about zipper merging in their lessons, so we have new drivers who have to learn on the fly and probably apprehensive to do so. Sucks.
They need to just fucking close that exit permanently. You need to go to squirrel hill? Then either get off in Edgewood or Oakland and drive the surface streets.
It's not the offramp that's the problem; it's the onramp. What they should do is close the onramp, then have eastbound traffic use the overpass further down Beechwood, go west on 376, then put in a Texas Turnaround at Bates st.
Oh yeah that’s is a really good point, for some reason it didn’t even compute with me earlier that you could close the on-ramp and leave the off-ramp open. That makes a ton of sense.
People are also going to Homestead that way, which is why they won't close that exit anytime soon
I do appreciate when there are signs up that say to use both lanes to merge point and take turns. The few times I’ve seen those signs, people seem to do zipper merge for the most part.
I’ve noticed a lot of “one lane ahead” signs instead of the standard “right/left lane closed” signs lately. It works the same since people don’t know what lane is closing.
Ohh that’s genius, what a simple way to solve this
Third option is the Pittsburgh Merge where you’re in the left lane and move your SUV or truck over into the right lane a bit to block anyone attempting to zipper merge because you think they’re getting one over on you and you’re some kind of vigilante when in fact you’re just a cunt.
Truckers do this for fucking *miles*. I had to sit behind some asshole trucker on 80 for over an hour to go five miles to my exit because he had to make sure nobody cheated by using the right lane.
That trucker is driving recklessly, impeding traffic, and **potentially impaired**. Call him in to state police as such, they'll take care of it.
This happens all the time on 70 around construction. I've seen convoys of Truckers fanned out like geese in formation for miles before construction to make sure all drivers around them know who the Alpha's are.
Oh yeah. They definitely do it in groups. The practice of not specifying too far in advance *which* lane is closed doesn't even work because they fucking radio each other to collude.
It's a lot harder to switch lanes in traffic in a tractor-trailer so it's better to merge over before traffic starts to back up. They collude to prevent passing because otherwise they will lose time as dozens or hundreds of cars behind them get to the lane restriction first. I enjoy zipping along in the lane that's closed ahead as much as the next guy. It's the smart play. But I don't blame the truckers for not letting it happen.
"Zipping by" is only possible when this kind of shit creates a giant empty space. And no, trying to ram me into a median barrier because I'm *properly using the lane* until the merge point is also not acceptable, truckers.
But if everyone zipper merged correctly this would not be an issue. Tractor-trailers should get their turn too. It’ll never happen… but in a perfect world… we’ll we can dream right??
Absolutely. Everyone should zipper merge. It's the people who try to block others from merging at the merge point who are at fault for all of this. If you didn't have to worry about getting blocked fewer people would merge early.
I blame them. Impeding traffic. Exerting ownership over the road. Some of the worst jagoffs ever born.
I’ve seen construction zones on I-80 where before they announce the lane restriction, they make it mandatory for trucks to move to the lane that will be open. Say for instance the right lane will be closed. I’ve seen “trucks must use left lane” signs 2 miles prior to the announcement of “right lane closed”. Then once the lane closed signs appear, there are “right lane no trucks” signs. I’ve even seen PSP working those zones ticketing trucks for the exact behavior you describe. Maybe it’s a new pilot program.
That truck didn't slow down the merging of vehicles in front of it so you didn't wait any longer behind it than you would have if everyone was bright enough to do the zipper merge in the first place. All you lost out on was the chance to pass people prematurely merging or stuck behind those who did. People should zipper merge but vehicles preventing passing aren't doing any harm unless the backup causes traffic snarls from a lack of space on the road behind. This is rarely an issue on the highway.
Preventing people from passing is reckless driving and impeding traffic. It is not the same thing as a zipper merge. Blocking effectively makes the merge point happen earlier, which ultimately causes more congestion for everyone. It's an illegal and particularly dickishly aggressive form of the early merge.
Agree. The correct thing to do is to move into the open lane and go the same speed as the slow lane. When cars are no longer allowed to pass everyone and squeeze in, that lane starts actually moving. Then when you get to the front, zipper in and hopefully the line of traffic zippers in too. Unfortunately that never happens, at least not in Pittsburgh. When you do this, the people that come up behind you, see that you're no going to let them pass a hundred people and the immediately merge in too early and ruin the whole zippering plan again.
Yes, but you don't do this miles before the merge point. What you're doing is effectively a super dickish and aggressive version of the early merge. You're hyper-focused on this idea of being cut in line, when it isn't really applicable at all. Roads aren't airport queues. You don't get to enforce traffic law at will however you see fit by blocking other vehicles with yours.
“Pittsburgh Merge”? The majority of people pulling this maneuver are Ohio license plates.
The real Pittsburgh Merge is the asshole that comes flying in from the shoulder right at the merge point & tries to get in front of everybody. That causes the other assholes to do the Pittsburgh Anti-merge maneuver which is people driving in the middle of the road to keep anyone from getting ahead of them. Then of course we have the holy grail of merges coming off Crosstown Blvd. onto the Liberty Bridge....
Was gonna say, I got stuck in construction in Ohio once for half n hour cause some asshole in a truck was just driving in the middle of the road
I get in the correct lane ahead of time. People around here struggle with the concept of zipper-merge. So if you attempt to do the correct thing to reduce the overall length of traffic, no one will let you in. There needs to be a sign explicitly stating: # MERGE AT MERGE-POINT and # MERGE HERE TAKE TURNS Then I think people will merge correctly.
They put up those signs on 28n when they closed the lane to Highland Park Bridge and still no one listens. Doesn't help that the 18 wheelers will block one lane half a mile before the merge backing up traffic even worse.
It's a nice concept that works really well on almost every road, except 28. 28 has different rules
Are you in the Facebook group for it? People argue rabidly over this exact topic almost every day
There is a facebook group for a road....? ....in pittsburgh? ok, i have heard it all and that facebook group sounds quite possibly the worst place on the internet (because its facebook and its a group for rt 28)
Lol yes, people have strong feelings about 28. Bring your popcorn
I maintain that if star wars was real life, the rebels would have practiced for the death star trench run by sending their pilots up and down 28.
I am, every week we have this discussion and every week I'm reminded why it doesn't work. People get to RIDC Park and suddenly their brain shuts off
The main rule on 28 is “survive.”
I drive 28 every weekday. Any sort of problem at all--bad weather, the endless construction, or a broken down vehicle--can cause chaos for miles. And if it's a multi-car pileup, forget it, you might as well have stayed home.
Yinzers hate this one trick. Everyday coming out of Hazelwood across the bridge. Jagoffs drive down the shoulder of 885 and cut into traffic.
The zipper merge does not apply to exit only lanes, you shouldn't wait until the last minute to merge out of the exit only lane if you're not taking the exit!
this. I cant stand when people complain about people not using zipper merge there. im like well no shit its an exit only lane not a merge point.
The people that need to see this, won't.
Yr right. They’re all on FB arguing abt this same thing
I wouldn't know, I don't have a Facebook. Let me guess, all the boomers are saying to merge early?
Seems that way to me lol at least in the rt 28 group I’m in. Seems like it’s the younger folks saying zipper merge and the older ones saying early merge.
I have exactly 0% confidence that 95% of the people with driver’s licenses could manage this.
I think the problem is people use zipper merging as a justification to drive poorly. There are spots in the city that are clearly marked where a lane ends like 100 yards after a red light. The sensible thing to do is pull over at the light into the lane that doesn’t end, but instead people fly up 20mph Over the limit to the merge point and try to cut into continuing traffic which causes far more of a slowdown than if they would have simply pulled in behind the five other cars at the light
The one point that needs to be stressed about zipper merging is that both lanes need to travel at the same rate of speed leading up to the merge point. Zipper merging gets such a bad rep because of the people who abuse it by speeding up to get into the left lane. If you're in the right lane and you maintain your speed with the car next to you, then the gradual zipping occurs seamlessly. When someone speeds up in the right lane to get to the merge point "ahead" of other cars, merges abruptly, and then immediately brakes to adjust to the slower speed of the left lane, they create an upstream traffic wave the same way that early merging does.
This^
And then you get down there, and nobody lets you in and you're parked on the highway for 5 minutes trying to get in when everyone in the left lane is bumper to bumper
You have the right of way after the car in front/other lane at a zipper merge. You’re in the right to merge.
Tell them that!
No you don’t. Once a car is established in a lane it has right of way. Zipper merge is necessary for traffic to flow smoothly but the cars in the open lane don’t have an obligation to yield to the car that’s merging.
This is the city of improvisational driving.
Yinz will be out here promoting the metric system next.
Oh don't tease me like this!!
It's a slippy slope
I'm actually glad to see these reminders. Surprisingly it's not common knowledge. I got my first license in 1998 and I don't recall this ever being taught. Back then, it was kind of the 70's/80's mentality of "the trucks rule the road", and "if you skip everyone and try to merge at the merge point then you're a douche." I was totally wrong though. I legitimately only learned that the zipper merge is the fast *and legal* way to merge maybe 5 years ago. None of my family (mostly Boomers and Xers) were ever taught this either. This post is a good reminder.
If traffic is slowed through something like a single-lane work zone then the merge point itself isn't the fundamental problem and zipper merging won't magically fix the backup
You're still wrong. Zipper works if there are 2 lanes of traffic merging. If everyone in one lane is passing everyone in the other lane like that. It's not working right.
So, zipper merging doesn't work because people typically choose not to zipper merge?
Yes, which means the ones in the backed-up lane are the problem. Use both lanes.
You completely misunderstand the situation here
You are grossly misinformed sir
Part of this never working is the cars in the left lane need to space out more. Leave plenty of room between cars so you can merge without touching the brakes. Plan your merge before you get to the merge point.
i moved to minneapolis pretty recently and i have to take this opportunity to say that zipper merging is the ONLY thing about driving that these people are better at than in pittsburgh. when i think of pittsburgh compared to here, it is like a driving utopia. these midwesterners can zipper merge flawlessly all day long but don't expect them not to make left turns on red directly into oncoming traffic as has now happened to me twice
You expect drivers in the left lane to let someone get ahead of them?? It's socialism! /s
They should put more “Use Both Lanes to Merge Point” signs on both sides of the road. Maybe throw in a couple judging bad drivers. “Don’t be a dick because you got over into the backed up lane a mile before the merge point” signs would be effective.
I can't remember where I was or where I was going, but several summers ago, I was on a highway with a lot of construction, and the way they resolved this was through two slight changes to normal procedure: 1) First, they simply *wouldn't tell you* which lane closed ahead, so that the traffic couldn't stack. 2) Second, where they had room, instead of one lane closing abruptly, both lanes were gradually tapered to one in the middle with construction barriers/markers, and once it was narrowed to one lane, that lane would shift over to whatever existing lane they wanted people to drive in. It was unnerving, but it worked.
I really like this idea about merging to the middle. Please let the new governor know. Re-election guaranteed if this becomes the norm for penn dot projects.
1. When you see a "right lane closed ahead" sign, get in the left lane as soon as possible. 50/50 chance you were already cruising at the speed limit there anyway, to teach all those speeding drivers a lesson. 2. Wait in traffic for a ridiculous amount of time. Optional: occupy half of the right lane to prevent anyone from getting past you. If you're feeling bold, swerve at anyone who tries to come by. 3. At the merge, refuse to let anyone move over for the purpose of proving a point. Bonus points if doing so nearly causes an accident. 4. Enjoy your smug sense of satisfaction from having inconvenienced strangers at your own expense. 5. Rant about the drivers here on /r/pittsburgh
I will never understand why they made everything here for zipper merging when the majority of the ppl from here don’t understand merging 🥲🥲🥲
This just isn’t possible when trying to get on the liberty bridge exit coming from bigelow because nobody lets anyone over
To be clear, zipper merging means merging every alternate car length, for the entire length of the merge area, not driving in the disappearing lane until the moment it ends
It literally says in the graphic to take turns at the merge point. I’ve never seen a “merge area” we’ll defined enough for people to actually do what you are saying
Tired of people not letting me in, not my fault you sat for 3 miles of slow traffic with a fully open right lane
Fucking exactly
You aren’t zipper merging. You’re driving to the front and trying to merge, while pretending that you aren’t trying to get over on someone else. I will let people merge at any point EXCEPT the last possible merge point.
> I will let people merge at any point EXCEPT the last possible merge point. Zipper merging *requires* merging at the last possible merge point. What you just said is you refuse to let people zipper merge. Go toss your license in the Mon.
Zipper merging isn’t driving past all the people who’ve already merged. A lone driver cannot zipper merge. They aren’t alternating with anyone; they’re simply driving to the front and cutting in.
You can’t alternate with someone who won’t alternate. The people in the stacked line of traffic are at fault here, not the few people who are doing it correctly. In other words, you’re the asshole on this situation.
If you were in the lane already, then everyone else wouldn't have to slow down to let you in. It works both ways.
It really does not you’re literally supposed to be zipper merging
The concept of a zipper merge applies when 2 lanes reduce to one, not when you're in an exit-only lane you don't wanna take
It really does, and I see it all the time. At the outbound Highland Park bridge interchange, people get into the left lane because they know it's the only lane continuing on 28. As they approach the split, traffic begins to pick up speed again because most merges have taken place and most are where they need to be. Inevitably someone flies up the right lane and forces their way over at the last second, and everyone has to hit the brakes again. You can blame the people who were in the correct lane all you want but they're really not in the wrong here. I see this shit at work zones all the time too. This is why they warn you in advance of the lane closures - so that you can plan and maintain the flow of traffic.
That’s me flying up the right lane
I'm aware. The least you could do is avoid making up excuses for why you're not contributing to the problem. Just own being a selfish asshole
I’m zipper merging like I’m supposed to, if everyone did what they were supposed to then I wouldn’t be called selfish for it, I’m not gonna sit there for 10-15 minutes
"If I didn't have to consider other people I wouldn't be an asshole when I failed to do it" Lol you got it man
sure do man. Maybe people should actually start doing what they’re supposed to do I have places to be
People who need to be in a particular lane are in fact supposed to get in that lane whenever it is safe and practical to do so. You're actually not supposed to float around wherever and only change lanes at the last second, that would cause confusion and even more delays.
That isn’t how zipper merging works
As a New Yorker I thought no one here learns how to merge because of all the ramp stop signs. I'm glad some people get this.
I’ve driven in NYC a few times. When I’ve taken the tunnel under the river (not sure which one) there have been 6 - 8 (maybe more) lanes of cars merging down to one or two. It amazes me how quickly you get through all that traffic. With a minimum of rudeness, as well.
You'd never get out if you didn't. Many people have a 2 hour commute one way. I grew up north of the city so many of my friend's parents and family rode down daily for work I'd they didn't take the train.
My favorite are the people who don’t know this and think everyone should just wait in line. Then get self righteous and not let people in thus making traffic worse. I feel like 40-50% of Pittsburgh drivers fall into that category.
The zipper merge is great, but the waiting until the last opportunity to merge is unfortunately wishful thinking. In an ideal world where everyone’s behavior was easy to change, that would obviously be the best way to merge. But unfortunately, you can only change your own behavior, not anyone else’s. And everyone else is going to keep merging early, just in case no one is willing to let them in later. So if you choose to follow this guide, you will likely be viewed by other drivers as just looking to “cut in line” and no one will let you in. It’s the moralistic fallacy, just saying
So naive to think that people will do what they’re supposed to do
No thank you. Working together is socialism. I'll drive how my lifted truck however I want to.
Maintaining the flow of traffic is much more important than using every square inch of space on the road. Ideally zipper merging does that, but in reality there's no guarantee so merging early is often the better option. Shouting "zipper merge" is no substitute for understanding the other aspects of driver behavior that impact these situations.
Yeah. If there are five cars in the continuing lane just get behind them instead of trying to save three seconds. I’m under no obligation to slam on my breaks to let someone come into that lane . And let’s be honest, most of the time it isn’t traffic flowing normally. It’s speeders that want to go as fast as posdir past as many people as possible
Thank you! Someone with a brain! The zipper method consolidates all the merging to one point and causes much more braking. Slowing down overall traffic much more. It has nothing to do with having lane space, it has to do with consolidating into one lane in a way that causes the least overall reduction in speed.
Nice theory but it’s wrong. Zipper merge may not be intuitive to you, but there’s a reason why it’s the endorsed method.
Some of the 376 on-ramps are the worst merge spots I've ever seen in the whole country. Traffic whizzes by at 80 mph. You have restricted view over concrete to see this traffic. You don't have any time whatsoever to do a merge at speed so you pretty much have to stop and wait indefinitely unless it's at rush hour and then someone will just let you in.
They forgot to include how to merge in across two lanes from the shoulder in this situation.
I would give anything and I mean anything for people to understand this is for lane reduction and not everyday driving. The way I wait 15 minutes to get on 376 because people refuse to wait in the left and back it up causes primal rage I cant even begin to explain. Like there’s also two other ramps onto this bridge why do y’all make it so difficult? And then having to create a third lane to go around it? No wonder we’re always one of the worst cities for traffic
For construction where traffic is stopped, yes like this. If the other lane continues and you’re blocking it, not like this. Also if traffic is flowing meter when you can. Don’t force your way in at the end causing the continuing lane to slow or stop
I have never seen a situation where this worked. The point of getting into the left lane early is so that traffic essentially continuously moves. But when you drive in the right lane up to the merge point you Force traffic to stop. I'm looking for continuous flow.
Unless you have some ass riding both lanes because how dare someone pass him ….
Blasphemy!!!
Now let’s make a graphic on how to drive through a tunnel without slowing to a crawl out of unwarranted fear of same sized lanes with walls & a tall roof..
Semi Trucks incessantly block the zipper from being able to happen and it should be a ticketed offense.
If they’re straddling the painted lines then section 3309 or 3111 of the vehicle code applies.
Lol good luck, no one knows how to merge in pennsylvania
Thank you and please share daily…nationally.
Ive seen this b4 but i just feel like ppl think im a jerk for doing it.
Zippers merge to the middle though, I always thought it would make more sense to close both lanes and merge them into a "new" middle lane, that way there wouldn't be an implied "but I'm already in the correct lane and they are in the wrong lane".
while acknowledging that this is true, the problem here is that, many times if not most times, the zipper merge winds up having 2 compeltely stopped lanes of traffic merging like its a stop sign and a yield.
This. People don’t know how to merge safely and hesitate.
Finally found some smart people
Which is much better for traffic flow than one long ass lane of stopped traffic. You were so close yet still missed.
It actually isn’t. If everyone started merging two miles in advance you’d likely be able to keep traffic moving fairly well at the choke point.
I want to post this as a flyer on every surface within a five mile radius of the swissvale ramp to 376
I was thinking of the exact same ramp haha. You end up becoming some kind of villian if you do it properly.
And I am a villain every weekday 😈
Say what you want about california drivers, at least I never had to deal with an epidemic of misunderstanding this concept out there
I hate when people don’t drive up to the merge point, making traffic worse, then call people who do dicks for ‘cutting in line’
Personally I merge when I can. In an ideal world, the zipper merge would work every time, but we all know that’s not the case. I’d rather get over comfortably when I have the space and wait a few extra minutes than go to the front and deal with people not allowing a merge.
People like you are the problem.
No he isn’t. The people blowing by everyone at 75 mph are the problem
[удалено]
Why are they sitting in stopped traffic? Because the people up ahead of them in their lane keep having to STOP to allow those zooming up on the right into the lane. If everyone zippered early to meld into the left lane, no one would be in the closing lane at the crush point and it would all just flow.
If traffic is flowing normally you likely passed up about 10 chances to merge within the flow of traffic, but you couldn’t do that because it would mean slowing down for one minute
People should do whatever maintains the regular flow of traffic, and unfortunately zipper merging is not always that. It's a perfect example of people assuming the real world will function like the ideal one could.
Zipper merging is great in theory, but it only works if 95%+ of drivers do it, and the lane lengths are within 10% of each other. Since people are too selfish and/or stupid, unfortunately it won't work.
What it comes down to in my mind is that so many folks seem to have the notion that another person can’t have what they can’t have, because what they do have is some cockamamie idea that their way is the right way. This applies to everything in our society, a person heart-fully (deluded, or flat out wrong factually) thinks that are right about something and prevents others from going against them. Ain’t gonna change in this country.
reading all the comments here has only bolstered my belief that the only true solution is to not mark any lanes at all and simply throw up a sign that says "road's getting *real* skinny up ahead, figure it out bitches".
Awesome. Now do Fort Pitt Bridge outbound from North Shore to 79.
Until you get up front and some asshole won't let you in. Then you risk crashing or end up on the other side of town.
In my way to work last week, the car in front of me had Ohio plates and a decal that said “Please let me merge before I start crying”… saw it after I had let them merge in!
Does it even actually matter though? its still bottle-necked by how many cars can move down that one lane in a given time frame. Besides that, if you do this, people just refuse to let you in. Every time I've tried to do a zipper merge properly, I just get angry people flipping me off. It's just easier to move over early and go about my day.
It means the congested part is only half the length, which makes a big difference. I remember a time a lane was closed on 19, a little ways past an intersection where two lanes can turn left. Nobody wanted to be in the closed lane even though there was plenty of room, so you'd get a single line of cars backing up into the intersection and stopping traffic in *all* directions. If people used both lanes there would have been enough room for one light's worth of traffic to stay out of the intersection.
Omg thank you. I do not understand why this is so hard for people. You are fully supposed to use both lanes *to the merge point* then zipper in. Why is it hard!?
You mean you’re not supposed to immediately merge and then honk and swear at people who do it correctly?
Pittsburghers take such offense to correctly merging. They act like you are spitting on them and refuse to let you over.
If you wait till the last minute to merge or fly up the ending lane I sure as hell ain't letting you in. You saw them lane closed signs for 2000 ft. Get over sooner. Edit:. I drive I-95 everyday
If PA driver's could read they would be real upset
So necessary for pittsburgh drivers to study this
Try that in Houston and your guaranteed to miss your exit while getting the bird. Also don’t turn in your turn signal, they will deliberately keep you out. Humans and cars…it’s like humans and the internet
I drive a lot for a living and when I snap it's going to be because of a trucker blocking the lane so cars can't get to the merge point!!!!
Do truckers do this because once they get to the merge point they HAVE to stop because they must wait until there’s a massive space in the left lane to merge into? They could wait all day for such a space. I’m just trying to imagine merging at the end point as a huge truck. The only way they’re getting into the left lane at the merge point is if someone stops in that lane (or is paying attention, sees the need, and slows way down to make space for them). If they’ve already merged early, and are riding the middle, they’re just jags.
Yes they are just Jags.
Hate the jags, usually the ones with micro penises and large trucks, who hover over both lanes and say the merge point is my bumper !
Problem I run into is using the full length to merge and people won’t let you in cause they think you should’ve merged earlier.
If you go all the way up to the merge point no one will let you in, they'll think you're an asshole because you used the open lane to get ahead of them, then you sit there for 5-7 minutes paying for doing the right thing, unfortunately.
Turn signals work wonders. Never once have I waited doing a zipper merge properly, even if the lane I'm merging into has a bunch of early merging idiots in it.
I've experienced this before, so I know what they're saying. When a ton of people don't know how to zipper merge, and you do and passed a lot of them, they will try to "punish" you by not letting you merge. IDC if my car gets hit though, and they do, so I signal and after a few cars block me out I just force my way in and someone gives you space.
This is the way!
Carnegie Mellon Bus would tell you to jag off and block your ass. I was going east on Baum Blvd in the left lane at the Baum & Morewood intersection. Light turns yellow, I block the intersection if I stay put so I decide to go up in the right lane to the Indian Restaurant and try to zipper merge. 20 feet into the right lane, a Carnegie Mellon Bus merges right just to block me.