My Recent Road Rage Story

[Thomas Rogers]

Krash's story inspired me.



This was a minor road rage story, but since I am always trying to be a better driver on the road, I will submit it here to see if I should have done something differently.





First, some background: My state of PA has a lot of bridge construction on major roads lately. Because of this some high volume highways are shut down to 1 lane, and it is commonplace to see signs that read: "Use Both Lanes Until Merge." I am encouraged by these signs. Anyone who will stop and think about it for a second will recognizing that queuing up into a single lane, prematurely, can be slower than using the full two lanes until the cars have to interleave into a single lane. I have seen from experience the signs make a difference.



Well, for the story. I am driving on NY 17 between Binghamton and Elmira. There is a bridge being worked on and the right lane is closed 2 miles ahead. Traffic is already starting to slow. I notice that the right lane is totally clear, and everyone is lined up in the left lane when there is still 1 mile to the merge point....one mile. So, I don't go over yet. I continue in the clear, right lane.



But as I continue on, passing the lined up traffic in the left lane, a few people in that lane see me coming down the right lane and start to crowd me. You know the move. The first guy that did it I just pulled around a little on the right. That kind of ticked me off....I still have almost a mile of clear lane before the merge.



Then, a few hundred hards ahead, a knob in an orange PT Cruiser pulls right out in front of me...and I have to swerve to miss him, or almost stop, or I will hit him. As I swerve towards the shoulder, he pulls in front of me again. He is not going to let me pass. So, to avoid missing him, I swerve back into his spot in the left lane that he had vacated. My only other move was to stop.



So...still about 1/4 mile from the merge point I decided the "unruley mob" wasn't going to have me using the open right lane until the merge point and just stayed in the left lane with the rest of the stop and go sheep.



Was I wrong?



TJR

 

[EddieS'04]

If you were in Texas no wrong. For the most part folks here use both lanes and merge ever other car. Some are assine and wont let any in. My father-inlaw is from Boston. He tells me in the north east it is a whole different thing. He says it is every man for himself on the road. I actually saw some of that attitude some years ago when we traveled with them in Mass. and to lake ontario in their RV. Some of the idiots scared me. I was glad I wasnt driving. Not everybody in Texas is couteous but most are..

 

[David Griffith 2]

I think you are wrong.. I have a horrible commute and I cant stand when people do that.. You know you should be waiting in traffic like everyone else.. JMO I see close calls everyday and people getting pissed off about that very same issue.. I see it DAILY.. No, there is no law against it, but you should know better. Only my opinion, not trying to stir up anything.

 

[Andy Chase]

Sorry TJR, but I agree with the other drivers on this one. In my opinion, which I see this everyday on my commute home where one land ends and people ride it out all the way to the end, even passing people on the shoulder. It slows traffic down to have people get over at the end. When they do this, everyone behind him has to press on the brakes to make room, but if you get over when you can, no one needs to use there brakes, therefore the flow of traffic is not slowed down.



Just out or curiosity, what's your view point on when people cut in line in front of you when you are standing in line, such as at the store or waiting to get into a concert?

 

[Carey Frennier]

I had a guy brake check me when I was about 4 car lengths away from him... going 25mph..in an ice storm. He was driving this really beat to hell 80s something chevy rwd sedan. I think he wanted to total it lol. I've never been more angry in my life. I had a lifted, tricked out 2000 Chevy Silverado 2500. I was seriously tempted to ram him off the road. I don't know what I would have done had my girlfriend not been there calming me down.



Oddly enough, it's never happened to me again.



I do notice a lot of people tailgating me in the city. 90% of them are young women in little cars in a hurry. I baby my truck for the most part so I guess I drive a little slow! It makes no difference in the city of you race light to light or take your time.

 

[Les]

Frankly, I see 2 miles of boneheads, all getting in a row like a bunch of ducks. In Florida we have other problems, but in this case, for the most part, there would have been no open lane and most people would alternate when merging.

 

[Darrell Miller]

Just the other day, I was coming out of the city and trying to get on the highway. The busy road had one lane that turned right and fed the highway, with two lanes heading off to the left. I saw the signs placed well in advance and got myself over to the right lane. It took me 45 minutes to travel the half mile from there to the highway. Why? Because car after car went up the middle lane and then forced their way into the right lane. It would be understandable if one or two cars made a mistake, for not for a multitude. It was especially fun seeing cars get out of line behind me, go up the middle lane, and then crowd back into the lane.



Regarding your story, I think it depends on what type of lane you mean. If it was a normal drive lane that was closed 2 miles ahead, I think it's fine to drive on it until the cones or whatever push everyone together. If it was a breakdown lane without a sign saying you could drive in it due to construction or at certain times of day, getting in line would have been more appropriate.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Griff said:

I cant stand when people do that.. You know you should be waiting in traffic like everyone else.. JMO I see close calls everyday and people getting pissed off about that very same issue..

I don't understand your logic.



There was a mile of empty road. I wasn't driving on the shoulder. I would never do that. I was driving in the right hand lane that was to be closed in 1 mile ahead.



Any near-miss that might be caused in such a situation are by the a-holes trying to play "line enforcer" cutting off people driving legally and correctly down the empty, open lane.



I understand waiting your turn, but c'mon. If more people would use both lanes until the merge point EVERYONE would wait less...traffic studies prove it, thus the signs I mentioned in many states.



Andy said:

In my opinion, which I see this everyday on my commute home where one land ends and people ride it out all the way to the end, even passing people on the shoulder. It slows traffic down to have people get over at the end. When they do this, everyone behind him has to press on the brakes to make room, but if you get over when you can, no one needs to use there brakes, therefore the flow of traffic is not slowed down.

As I said, studies prove differently, therefore the signs that are emerging in most states. If you were correct you would see more signs say "MERGE LEFT EARLY", or somesuch, but I don't see those.



Again, I never said I would/did pass on the shoulder...the right lane was clear for a mile plus.



TJR

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Andy asked:

Just out or curiosity, what's your view point on when people cut in line in front of you when you are standing in line, such as at the store or waiting to get into a concert?

That's a moot question, IMHO



It's not the same thing. The line that formed EARLY in the left lane in my case was a voluntary thing. The merge point was 1 mile ahead. No sign indicated to merge early. People did that voluntarily. I have a legal right to drive down the open right lane until it closes and I can reasonably file in...that doesn't have to be 1 mile, or 5 files back.



The stop and go of a mile of cars has what traffic control folks call a "memory". The longer the line, the longer the delay/memory. Queuing up too soon can cause more delays than merging nearer the merge point...again, studies prove it, thus the signs.



Now if you had asked:

How would you feel if there were two roped off lines for entry to a rock concert, and at the end of the lines there was only one ticket taker and you were standing in the left line behind a bunch of people while others walked up the right line which was largely empty?

That question is applicable to my case. If you had asked that question hhen I might answer that:



a. I would wonder why I am waiting in the long line



b. I might feel like the guy in the right hand line might have an urgent need that makes them not want to wait unnecessarily



c. I might consider being a knob and jump over into his line as he tries to go by because he seems to be getting the better of me; but then I would reconsider because I would recognize that it was MY decision to wait in the left line.



TJR

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Darrell it was the NORMAL, regular right-hand lane of a two lane road that was open. No cones yet, no nothing. Just signs warning of a right hand closure, first 2 miles ahead, then 1 mile ahead (where people started to pull out in front of me), then a few hundred yards before the closure some reflective PVC barriers to funnel the lane closed.



I ended up moving over about 1/4 mile before the closure because people kept dodging out from the left hand lane into the fully open right hand (open and empty) lane I was driving on.



I think they were wrong (to put my life/car and theirs in jeopardy). The lane was open. They were queuing prematurely, IMHO. If they want to do that, fine. That's their perogative. But I was doing nothing wrong or illegal. Those that swerved to stop me were breaking the law....NOT ME...again, IMHO.



TJR

 

[Andy Chase]

Where are these studies...Maybe the people doing the studies are the idiots that drive all the way to the end and cut in, yes they get there quicker, but they cut off a bunch of people too. I've seen days when people do get over early, and the flow of traffic is 45-55mph (in a 65), but when people cut in at the end the flow is 0-2mph and wearing out brakes which costs me money and more gas. I've never seen these sign's either. I know its not illegal, but a lot of people will agree that it pisses them off when someone cuts in front of them. Just like when people merge at a yield sign or yield at a merge/new lane sign, those people piss me off too.:angry:

 

[FlipTrac_511]

I feel for you TJR. I'm not sure why drivers treat a merge as a lane change when they should be naturally working their way up to the point of merge. On the other hand, I am aware that there are drivers who do exploit the situation, shot-holeing and jumping in and out of lanes, and driving on the shoulder. This is what upsets drivers who have been patiently "waiting their turn". This is why when the merge is slow, I will match the speed of the other lane despite how many yards I have before the tip of the merge. This means, if the other lane is stopped, I will stop or crawl very slowly even though there are no cars in front of me. This way I slowly and safely wedge my ST into the other lane. A true merge IMO. This way nobody feels cut-off, exploiters and lane cutters can't go 'round, and I rally other drivers behind me to do the same which I think helps move traffic along fairly.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Andy, I think you need to calm down a bit. We can't control other people, but we can control our response to their actions.



Like I said...over 1 mile of empty road...traffic in the left moving along at a good clip (not quite yet stop and go). Their choice to pull over early.



I'll look for the studies. The signs I spoke of are there BECAUSE engineers have seen more accidents and more delays by people merging too early.



TJR

 

[David Griffith 2]

I'm not saying what you did was Illegal TJR, just that it's wrong. You knew you were cruisin by traffic... You knew those people were going the same place you were.. It's just called common courtesy and people seem to lose it when they get on the road.. Maybe the signs weren't there to tell you not to do it.. But that doesn't justify doing it...Again, my own personal opinion here.. To each his own.. You are correct, those people pulling out were putting you in jeopardy.. but why do you think they would do such a thing? This apparently wasn't just one person pulling out to try to prevent you from doing it... It pisses folks off, bottom line.



Do what you want bud, I'm just responding to you when you asked us what we thought.

Your honor, the defense rest..

 

[Andy Chase]

Let me try to put this another way, the MNDOT did a test of ramp lights to getting on the freeway. For a week they left the lights off and allowed everyone to merge onto the freeway all bottled up coming down the ramp, and a week they left them on which metered the traffic getting onto the freeway during rush hour, (1 car every 15 seconds or so) Yes the line on the ramp was long when metered, but the flow of traffic on the freeway was much higher.



Also, when you are warned of fire dangers, dont they always tell us to stay calm and exit in a neat and orderly way? Isnt it true if everyone gangs up at the door, it will take longer for people to get out?

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Andy,



I found this as a first hit (see PDF), and it's catching on. It's called "LATE MERGE", and it increases throughput by 20%, so are the claims



And excerpt from the PDF below:

The Late Merge encourages drivers to use both lanes until they reach a merge point at the lane closure taper effectively doubling the queue storage capacity. Signs are posted 1.5 miles advance stating "USE BOTH LANES TO MERGE POINT". At the merge point signs are posted saying "MERGE HERE. TAKE YOUR TURN" where motorists effectively execute a "zipper merge". Motorists from each lane take turns merging into the open lane. The Late Merge also has an increased throughput of roughly 20 percent. Motorists tend to perceive this method as fairer because they can chose to use the lane with the shortest queue.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Griff, I get that. It pisses people off. And I used to be one of those mindless sheep that would prematurely queue up to. But I didn't go out onto the ramp. I didn't wait until the last minute. I just didn't move over when everyone else did. That's might right. Others have that same right. If they decide to merge early, then they should be okay with that and NOT get pissed off if others don't.



As I said, I wasn't cruising by at 90 mph. I wasn't weaving in and out. I just didn't start to move over prematurely as other were. I slowed down to under 55 since that was the limit for the construction zone.



As it became clear that more and more people had moved over to the left and the left was starting to slow and get congested I looked for signs indicating how close to the merge point I was...the next one said ONE MILE. I said "heck if I'm moving over yet"...and I didn't.



Then the yahoos came out in full...(only two to be exact).



I did nothing wrong.



If people want to queue up prematurely, that's their perogative.



ANDY, I didn't GANG UP near the merge point. Neat and orderly isn't 1+ miles ahead of the merge point, IMHO.



TJR

 

[Thomas Rogers]

It's fun to see what the brits say about this very subject (see link):



Most agreed with this guys sentiments:

You should stay in lane until you come to the pinch point. If Everyone did this and then properly zipped it turn AT the pinch point then there will be no empty lane for someone to roar up. I will continue to roar up said empty lane until people realise the idiocy of merging 29 miles before the pinch point. leaving a very long empty lane, and making tailbacks longer, with the often very bad knock-on effects of blocking other exits, junctions, etc.



George, London UK

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Another study of "LATE MERGE" (see link).



Again, unless otherwise signed or controlled, it is legal and studies show that traffic throughput is improved if drivers use all lanes until the closure/merge point. Premature queuing into a lane causes delays, and seems to drive some folks in the queue "mad" when others drive down the empty lane(s).



That's my PSA for the day.



TJR

 

[Les]

This thread is actually pretty funny. If you guys want to wait in one lane, while there is an open, completely legal lane, right next to it, by all means you go right ahead. Me and Tom will gladly make use of the open lane. And we do appreciate you and thank you. This isn't wrong, illegal or immoral so lighten up. If you want to sit and burn daylight and gas, go ahead, again, we appreciate you doing this and thank you...:lol::lol::lol: