To think if you don't let people join stationary traffic you're a dick.

[WhyBeADick]

I hate drivers who do this, I don't get why you'd be a dick for the sake of saving yourself 1 second.

Sat in stationary or slow moving traffic, if there is someone waiting on a side road to join I would always let them in, I can't go anywhere and I need to leave a gap for people in the opposite direction wanting to go up that road anyway so why not? After they'd gone, id move up and I imagine the person behind me would then let the next person in if anymore were waiting and so on...

Yet I see so many drivers speeding up on purpose if they see someone trying to join or not letting cars in when they can't go anywhere anyway. What's the point of being a cunt? It saves about 1 second of your journey!

The side road I come out of joins a really busy main road - all cars moving very slowly.
It’s the nearest junction to where I start my journey but is also the last junction at the end of a rat run avoiding the very long queue on the main road.

I totally understand people who have been waiting in traffic for 20 mins being reluctant to let the steady stream cars out of this junction. They slow the main road traffic further.

Luckily, most people let me out. I don’t get offended when they don’t for the above reason.

Diagram included!
Standstill queuing traffic - green line.
(Much longer than in diagram.)
Rat run through residential - yellow line.

Nice
I generally drive a small Polo but it's nice to know people definitely do treat me differently if I'm in a Range Rover (which isn't mine, and isn't unnecessary but I'm glad you decided that)

The Highway Code also says the following, according to that link from the RAC:

“You should follow the signs and road markings and get into the lane as directed.
"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 don't have a problem with that (because it's the HC, obvs) but I think what pisses many drivers right off are the ones who ignore the last paragraph - the ones who overtake the ones doing the very low speed and then try and push in. That's not merging in turn.

People do treat you differently depending on the car you drive!
I drive an old person’s car (so I’ve been told!) and it’s brilliant. Must be the reason I don’t get anyone tailgating, people always let me out, in fact they keep well away from me! Either I’m a shocking driver or they assume an 80 year old is at the wheel! 🤣

Why would it be a problem for anyone is the traffic is moving freely? The issue is that one lane is stopped or very slow moving surely, so merging in turn is correct

Nope I hate drivers who deliberately drive up side lane to bunk sitting traffic knowing fine rightly they are in wrong lane oh it grinds my nerves.

But I do let other drivers in if they genuinely need in my lane

Yes it is!
the people doung the low speed should be in both lanes. The person driving past them is just doing what they’re supposed to.

ok I’ll give you that they should do it at an appropriate speed, but both lanes should be used. What part of that are people not understanding?

I will often let someone out of a side road and then feel bad for the person at the back of our queue, because if everyone lets one person out of the side road, the person at the back of our queue has just had their queue doubled in length. Compared with the people queuing in the side road who know they don't have priority. It's conflicting, is what I'm really saying.

As for the merge in turn thing, I completely agree that if we all used both lanes the way we are supposed to, fewer people would have to wait at all, and no-one would get annoyed about people rushing up the outside lane and merging at the last minute.

American roads actually have a sign that says something like "like a zip" where we would say "merge in turn" as it's by far the more effective way, but counter-intuitive.

But British people do love a good queue!

Not necessary is there signs that says merge... we have a particular junction that you stay in left lane to go straight (which is always sitting) and right lane to go right. And then you get said idiots flying up right lane cos its 'free' get to top and indicate information left lane and no fine rightly what they are doing so it's a big no from me

But that’s a totally different scenario. You’re right there, if that lake is turn only they shouldn’t do thst

but we’re talking about where 2 merge. Do you agree then int right to use both lanes?

Disagree

the people on the main road are queuing and have been queuing for a while
the person in the side road hasn’t had to queue at all
if you let them in,
you’re increasing the time everyone on the main road queues and increasing the queue on the main road
especially if they move slowly or then they start letting more people in or because of your positioning then you are forced to let more people in

if I’ve waited 20 mins to get to that point I don’t think it’s too much for that car in the side road to wait a few mins for a handful of cars to go past.
if they just arrive when I get to that point I won’t let them in
if they’ve been sat there for a little bit I will.

also the people merging lanes when we’ve all had notice you should let them in. Unless they’ve undertaken you or driven along a closed lane.
if we just heard the lane was going to close in a mile it’s madness for everyone to merge before that, it creates more traffic.

Did you miss the bit where it said merging as you're approaching the road works? Not - leave it till the absolute last minute where the road is actually closed before you move over (esp if you're going to use it as an opportunity to overtake the cars going at the speed limit for that section of road).

Approaching as in somewhere between the 800 and 200

I’ll try again

you’re supposed to use the lane and merge at (before if you want, but you’re not forced to) the point where it merges.

at

privided speed is slow. Use all the available road

I knew this would turn into a merge in turn debate.

And I'll do the same

As you're approaching, not immediately before the road closed sign.

Think of it this way. 2 lanes, traffic is slowing according to reduced speed limit for roadworks. Signs appear saying lane closed ahead. 800 - some cars move in left lane. Traffic continues flowing. 600 - more cars move over. 400 - ditto. 200 - cars are pretty much in the left lane. Traffic moving forward smoothly. Car X decides nope, they're all going too slow and I can use the remaining 200 to zip past a few. Gets to lane closed, has to stop because they haven't adjusted their speed to left lane. Indicates (or doesn't), and tries to move it. Realises they can't because their speed doesn't match the left lane. Driver in left by the lane closed sign has to stop to let car X in. Cars behind then have to stop.

Happens all the time. Too many drivers don't understand why reducing speed and using the countdown signs as a guide to approaching the roadworks and the need to start moving over in order to keep the traffic moving forward steadily.

So do dicks, arseholes and tits, do you ask on other threads why someone uses those as an insult too?

So at what distance away from the merge point should all drivers have merged? 200? Not at the point?

should any drivers leave it until the end?

how much empty road should be left ahead of the merge point?

i don’t actually disagree that some can and should merge a bit earlier, but equally some should not. So the last car merging at the end isn’t doing anything wrong.

Use all lanes and merge like a zipper.

technically those which go down the outside lane then merge later are actually following the Highway Code. Single line queing creates longer tailbacks which then impacts other junctions.

I merge as above, won’t block if they are on the outside or if from a slip lane will let them in at their turn

This.
if I’m queuing for 40 mins because everything joining is stopping the main road get anywhere then I’m less inclined to let someone in, but if everyone’s screwed I let side roads in.

A left only lane and a right only lane would not be eligible for merging in turn so the scenario you’re describing is dangerous / stupid driving not legitimately using BOTH lanes heading in the same direction to merge.

This thread is full of people who are unable to understand dynamic driving or indeed road signs / the Highway Code.
it’s not the people driving on the incorrectly named “fast” lane who are are causing the queues it’s the people who decide to sit in left hand lane of the two lanes that can merge and become the equivalent of victor meldrew and who are also in the wrong. It’s this group of drivers that actually cause the queues by undertaking this petulant I’m not letting them in my lane nonsense when in fact the lane ahead belongs to all drivers in the merge in turn scenario.

Depends on the circumstances. If there is a queue of traffic waiting in a side road I will generally let one car in. In many circumstances it's the only way people trying to join the main road at busy times are ever going to move. But if the next person in the queue tries to push in as well I usually close the gap pretty quick.
Same on the motorway. If people are sensibly merging in turn then no problem - its the best way for everyone - but some people take the piss. Last weekend I was stuck for hours in a massive queue on the motorway due to an accident. It was baking hot, nobody wanted to be there, but most people were being reasonably well behaved. However, there were a number of arseholes who obviously thought they were special and that the big red crosses in the outside lane (smart motorway) didn't apply to them. Every time an emergency vehicle came down, they'd squeeze into the third lane until the ambulance or whatever had passed, and then pull out again, some even using the ambulances as a kind of shield so they could move further up. When I eventually got to the part where the traffic went to a single lane one of the cars I'd seen following an ambulance down the closed lane was right at the front but nobody was letting him in. Obviously lots of people had seen him do it and nobody, me included, felt inclined to help him!
I think if other drivers are behaving reasonably then you should be courteous if you can, but some people don't deserve it.

I completely agree in most cases, slow / stationary traffic each car should let one in. I do.

That said, let one in. Not 5 , I see this alot where someone is far more concerned about being seen to be "nice" and has forgotten you have just held up the ten cars behind you. One car one let out.

I fully admit though I do have an issue with the arses that try to bully their way out. It's always a man , without fail, he always drives with one hand and thinks he's terribly cool and speeds up to the line and then aggressively inches to try to force through (they always have too big a car to turn into the traffic fully even leaving a gap for access.). They always carry the air of puffed up self important arrogance.

There's a particular road near me they do this alot , and I admit to being petty and inching forward enough to prevent them or outright saying no I won't let them out. Drives them nuts.

I admit it's not one of my finer qualities. It's probably wrong but I don't care.

Anyone else, absolutely one car in.

Glad to see someone has linked my thread from a few weeks ago to save me the trouble.

Just drove the same bit of road for the first time since I made that thread. Still lots of people joining the back of the queue at 800 yard warning sign leaving a nice empty lane for me to appropriately use and merge at the merge point but this time 2 people were right behind me. Hopefully means more people are starting to drive properly and we will have two shorter lanes of matched speed traffic merging correctly in turn before too long.

Approaching - so anywhere between 800 and around the 200, depending on the road conditions, volume and speed of traffic. Don't use it as an overtaking lane and then find yourself not able to merge into the the left lane because your speed doesn't match those cars and you've left it too late to merge smoothly, and don't merge too early thereby creating a big tailback.

What causes the problems is a combination of bloody mindedness - people moving over too early and then refusing to let anyone in between the later stages of the countdown, and drivers being determined that they overtake the slower cars to join at the point where the lane is actually closed, as opposed to doing it gradually and smoothly a bit beforehand. A zip doesn't have 2 parallel lines which close right at the top by some mechanism - it closes gradually on the way up as the 2 lanes come together.