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.

Interesting article from USA where various approaches are used in different states. Overwhelmingly early merging seems to keep the traffic moving more efficiently than late zip merge.cleantechnica.com/2021/06/22/new-mexicos-zipper-merge-experiment-is-failing-producing-pollution/amp/
Also an incidental finding during the trials in New Mexico zip merging cause more air pollution in the area of the lane closure due to concentration of slow moving cars.

You are 'zipping' like you are supposed to. People who close the gap make the whole queue move slower, and those who get out of the lane early make the queue longer.

Don't stop doing what you are doing.

Good article from the USA - explains it v well @Angrymum22

@DownNative

i am afraid the Highway Code only has one rule which doesn't give any specific guidance :

Rule 134 of the Highway Code says: "In congested road conditions do not change lanes unnecessarily. Merging in turn is recommended but only if safe and appropriate when vehicles are travelling at a very low speed, e.g. when approaching road works or a road traffic incident. It is not recommended at high speed."

I know this because I used to be a driving instructor - I always told my pupils to use all the road space, I wrote to police chiefs, the royal society for the prevention of accidents, the AA, the dept of transport to try and push for that rule to be made clearer.

its possible to merge in turn safely, you can pass queueing traffic at a sensible speed, and as long as the actual merge point is in slow moving traffic it's safe and again no where does it state any lane has priority, it's simply a road that had two lane that now has one - there is no left and right from the merge point onwards

I'd probably assume there was a good reason for everyone not using the other one! I know sometimes people are sheep and a bit stupid, but it's actually pretty rare. Although sometimes nobody uses a loo cubicle and then you realise nobody is actually in there...

Anyway, the issue here is that people won't agree, so the Highways Agency needs to make clear which approach to take.

Yes it's a weird thing that lots of people don't understand. I generally now merge earlier than I should but I'm fully aware that thats is wrong but look at all the comments about chancers & not letting people in 🙄

locomocol Have you ever actually struggled to be let in when driving properly (i.e. using the full length of the lane) though? I haven't. I don't care if people who can't drive or understand zipping think I'm a 'chancer'. I get out of the queue quicker and I don't contribute to making the tailback worse.

Just updating this thread to say the same roadworks are still ongoing. They have now updated them with new signs that say very clearly in big letters USE BOTH LANES WHEN QUEUEING and another one saying MERGE IN TURN further down. Most people still choosing to pointlessly queue in left lane with just a couple of us merrily zipping down the right lane to the merge point.

There really is no telling some people! Someone tried to block me this morning. Saw me coming down the right lane, tried to move out (without signalling), realised he was too late and moved back in, then moved out again and sat in the right lane very slowly, receding into my rear view mirror, presumably to stop anyone else using the right lane correctly.

Right, but what he's actually done is force the traffic behind to merge correctly.

There is a journey that I do often where one bit of road seems to merge easily but not too far away it does it again and people just don’t seem to understand. People block others from merging, lots of beeping and road rage!

I’m not sure how safe I feel knowing that there are so many idiots on the road after reading this.

It was probably @SarahShorty she’s found out where you live. 😂

Me too. If I'm near the front, no CF is getting in front of me, they can stick the highway code where the sun don't shine!

I'm a she. Thanks, and kindly eff off.

@DappledThings Zipping merrily at a speed in excess of that of the continuing lane makes merging impossible. Alternate merging IS possible IF the cars in both lanes are traveling at identical speed AND the cars are offset, in which case, you will be able to slot safely into the gap between two cars without forcing the car behind to brake.
There is more than one rule in the Highway Code.

Zipping merrily at a speed in excess of that of the continuing lane makes merging impossible. Alternate merging IS possible IF the cars in both lanes are traveling at identical speed
We are travelling at identical speeds, once we reach the merge point.

So even though it has a clear instruction to use both lanes there are still those insistent they would continue to queue only in one lane. So in defiance of logic and an outright command on a sign?

By all means crack on!

Sorry I thought that you had flounced away after your little strop.
You are allowed to say fuck off dear, it’s perfectly okay. Have fun!

Nope, he's forced people to stay in one lane in defiance of the sign and created a huge gap in lane 2 by not allowing anyone to travel in it at normal speed. Possibly insisted on then forcing himself back in before the merge point, can't say for sure as he was out of sight once I'd merged.

So why tag me? The AIBU section of the site is ridiculous and not worthy of my time. And it's not becoming of a lady to swear. Thanks.

So everyone behind him was across two lanes, then. Like the sign said.

It's 6 of one, half a dozen of the other.

Merging too early and driving past the inside lane BOTH create the problem.

Because I don't want to queue jump. All those people waiting to get through the pinch point have been waiting longer than me, why should I go ahead of them?

It's like the school pick-ups, where a parent saunters to the front of the line. I guess they're just making the queue shorter too?

(I'm aware the highway code allows this, so I try not to get annoyed by people zooming past everyone down a lane that's been clearly sign-posted as blocked off.)

This. I've often thought that they need to explicitly state, "merge in turn" as generally people form queues in the inside lane. Then you get the sanctimonious idiots who drive down the middle of both lanes to prevent people using both lanes correctly.

This. I've often thought that they need to explicitly state, "merge in turn" as generally people form queues in the inside lane.
It does say "merge in turn" now, as well as explicitly "use both lanes when queueing". People are still mostly only using one lane. It's very odd.

You’re not supposed to be queuing though that’s the whole point!! So annoying people like you blocking up all the roundabouts and main roads where I live because everyone’s sat in one lane coming off a slip road rather than using bath lanes and merging at the top.

I agree if it's blocking a roundabout or a junction, I agree that's different, but I haven't seen that happen recently. I would go down the empty lane if that were the case.

The one I saw today was literally three straight lanes in a single road, and signs saying the left-hand lane was closed off in 100, 70, 50, 30, 10m.