@TheGoldenBowl ShotsFired But if there is a massive, almost stationary line of traffic trying to get through where the two lanes taper to one (either due to roadworks or just design), it's incredibly rude to sail past all the patiently waiting cars and try to butt in at the very last moment; I loathe drivers who do that.
It's not rude, you are MEANT to use both open lanes till the merge point, then zipper in seamlessly, one by one, in turn (Rule 134 of HC).
Like this:
///// \\\ (merge point)
Car 1||
||Car 2
Car 3||
||Car 4
Not like this:
Car 1 |||||
Car 2 |||||
Car 3 |||||
|||||Car 4
Everyone goes through nice and calmly in turn, no “butting in” or “scrum” as you see it. When people do this properly, queues are quantifiably shorter because the road space is properly utilised (see all the wasted space |||||| in the second quite excellent if I do say so myself 
diagram) and it flows more freely. By creating an artificial and unnecessary queue in lane 1 (and then deliberately blocking people trying to use lane 2 quite correctly), you are the one causing the delay and tailbacks – they would be literally halved if everyone used all the road space available.
There are loads of videos on YouTube showing how the zipper merge quantifiably works to ease congestion. If drivers were meant to get into a single lane at some random point 3 miles before, that is where they would put the merge point/road closure.
Honestly, it’s far better for everyone to use all the road and then calmly merge in turn to get past the obstacle, like the HC recommends. Also better for stress levels.