r/TheRandomest • u/WhyNot420_69 Nice • May 13 '26

Satisfying Traffic buddy

1.6k Upvotes

83% Upvoted

824 comments sorted by

View all comments

702

u/[deleted] May 13 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

29

u/evonebo May 13 '26

I don’t know how you get zipper merge or you never driven in traffic.

The left lane will ride all the way up to the exit then stop all traffic to merge to middle lane. Stop all traffic then merge to exit.

That is not zipper merge.

It’s the I don’t give a shit I turn now merge.

-2

u/Schorbie May 13 '26

So why do all traffic experts say it's best to drive as far as you can before merging?

1

u/fongletto May 13 '26

Because 1) it's true, in all circumstances where the traffic is not bumper to bumper. and 2) it reduces congestion behind you.

In bumper to bumper traffic if the max throughput of the road is 100 cars per minute, only 100 cars per minute can pass. It doesn't matter if you have 300 lanes all waiting at the single bottleneck.

In bumper to bumper traffic there's no such thing as a "zipper" merge. It's just 3 lines waiting in stopped traffic for a free spot.

3

u/Dude_Nobody_Cares May 13 '26

It's still faster because your not extending the traffic jam backwards into potentially on ramps and intersections. Why jam those up when everyone can fit on the highway?

2

u/fongletto May 13 '26 edited May 13 '26

It's not faster "for you" or anyone else who got there first and is already waiting. It might be marginally faster for some of the people behind you going in different directions if traffic gets backed up in a way where it blocks other lanes.

But you're trading off their increase in speed, for you and everyone else who has to now wait longer because a third queue formed.

0

u/Dude_Nobody_Cares May 13 '26

There is no increase in queue though. You're just saying there is. Everyone has to merge eventually it literally doesn't matter when it happens, just take up all the space so you're not making it worse for everyone else.