To say this sign does NOT mean move over now

[DappledThings]

Roadworks going on near me, a section of dual carriageway is temporarily reduced to one lane. As you join that section from a roundabout there is this sign (except with only one black arrow for the one lane staying open not two).

The second lane closes in 800 yards. At the closure point there is a standard circular blue sign with a white arrow to the left indicating the lane closes there and to merge into the left lane.

So every day I do that, merrily overtaking 50 or so cars sitting in the left lane for the entire 800 yards.

AIBU to consider that this sign means lane closing in 800 yards and merge where the arrow tells you to and not please pointlessly queue from this point leaving the lane empty for the full 800 yards.

Nobody ever looks pissed off at the merge point and I wouldn't think they had the right to be. I don't understand why everyone queues from so far back. It's so inefficient.

Yeah people merging from miles away before the lane closes is one of life’s mysteries. I wonder if the British are so bloody polite and just love queuing that that’s why it is

Well I queue up and I make sure not to leave a gap for the chancers to bob in at the last minute.

I think some people hate merging last minute in case they don't get let in right away.

Personally, I love merrily driven along and over taking until the last minute like yourself :D

They're probably afraid they'll get to the end and not be able to merge in, so they merge sooner. I personally merge in the very instant I see the sign and keep the gap in front of me tight so nobody who's chanced it can force their way in.

@EaselArt is the reason why these things get so congested. Not chancers, they’re driving as supposed to. The zip approach is much more efficient.

But why do you consider people following the signs (warning sign about closure further ahead and actual overtaking over sign at that point) to be chancers?

You have chosen to move over far in advance of the point at which signs tell you to.

Again, why is someone following the signs forcing their way in? They are merging at the merge point where the signs say to.

The signs which highlight how to zip should be used much more.
Traffic could move much more efficiently if people zippered properly instead of behaving like @SarahShorty

They really need to educate people on what merge in turn means and why it's more efficient. There will always be people thinking it's more efficient to queue for a mile because they don't understand basic physics.

This roadwork has two signs to try and get people to drive properly including a picture one.

Then you're the one breaking the highway code. They aren't chancers. They are driving properly. If you are blocking people from merging at the closure then you're a shit driver.

You use both lanes. It limits the congestion. You merge at the closure point by zipering. That's how to drive.

Apparently some people like causing queues for the fun of it? Only reason I can think of

To zipline mergers:

Depends on the speed you're going at. 800 yards is not far a distance to cover if you're doing 60mph, for example. I'll see the sign, take my foot off the gas and will signal and merge in when I can. The zipline method is a theory that when put to practice the results tend not to be quite as people expect.

All a matter of opinion. Judgemental comments from people that love overtaking are not helpful.

There is nothing more frustrating than people who merge too early then get angry at people who merge at the correct point! I've had SO many people beep/hand gestures/abuse from windows because I've dared to try and merge in turn at the end of the lane 😆

But why? You're the one in the wrong. You're breaking the highway code by doing that. You're the one who clearly doesn't know how to drive safely.

Apparently in Oz they have a promotional campaign saying “Don’t be a dick, merge like a zip!” 😁

The actual ‘rules’ are hazy in this country (unlike some parts of Europe where you can be fined for not merging in turn) and even the AA gives different advice depending on road speed/conditions:

AA lane merging/roadworks

I tend towards ‘use the available space’ but it does rely on other drivers not being knobs 😁

I’ve always wondered about this and have heard the thing about zip merging being more efficient but from a physics pov i don’t get why people merging at the point of closure is more efficient than people merging 800yds previously.

if you still have 100 cars to change from 3 lanes to two lanes and get through a two lane gap it surely doesn’t make any difference where they merge? Am I being dim! 😂

Oh golly gosh! I better hand in my licence right this instant.

Dream on.

I'm somewhere in between I think. I do get a tiny bit prickly when people merge in at the last minute but probably only because I didn't have the 'balls' to do it myself. Not letting mergers in is pointless and petty and in some cases dangerous. Oh and selfish too. Because they're not going to sit there all day, so if you don't let them in someone behind you is going to have to. It's just childish.

The proper way to drive is to use both lanes until one closes and then merge in turn.

Not merging in turn is shot driving, and worsens congestion.

Too many people are terrible drivers, have no idea how a road is meant to be used and cause so many problems.

It makes the queue shorter.
If you've got 100 cars queuing in one lane, then the queue is over 100 cars long and causes traffic to slow up much further back, blocks slipways further back, blocks roundabouts further back etc.

You want the queue as short as possible so it doesn't impact on traffic further back using roundabouts and slip roads etc.

So using 2 makes that 100 car length queue a 50 car length queue.

You're supposed to drive to the closure point and merge there, it's much more efficient so you're absolutely not unreasonable!

I like to zip early rather than have my bumpers up against the closed lane, you know you've got to get over so why leave it to the last nano second.

"Don't be a dick! Merge like a zip!"

That's going to me my new catchphrase

100% this.