93 North is bad enough

[RPM]

Come on folks. Smarten up. Going north on 93 is bad enouhg without being totally stupid about it.
My complaint,
Last Thursday around 3 pm heading to Winnipo I spotted a sign from road maintinance " LEFT LANE ENDS 1 1/2 MILES AHEAD ", For those of you who dont understand , what it ment was, Left lane ends 1 1/2 ahead , Not left lane ends NOW..!!
Thats right people , This means ,That if you are traveling in the left lane ,in about a mile and a half you will be required to merge with the people traveling in the right lane. This will be clearly marked by alot of big red/orange cones slanted toward the right , and if you miss the cones there are usually 2 or 3 state troopers to guide you safely.
So that was me in the white van who did the speed limit in the left lane for about a mile and a half while the rest of you stood still in the right lane.
When I got to the very last cone, I simpley merged with the right lane traffic and was on my way. Nobody had to hit there breaks nobody was puy out.
this is how it is suppose to be.
So please, when you see me in the left lane, dont swing to the left to try and block me from driving as this is very dangerous, and as the girl driving the GREEN BRONCO found out , the Staties will pull you over.

[meredith weekender]

Could not have said it any better. Thank you RPM.

[Orion]

For some reason it seems most people just don't get it. If they did, there would never be a problem nor hard feelings. I've commuted for 100 miles/day for 30 years on interstate highways, and the logic and methodology you post is right on. Thanks for posting RPM.

[hilltopper]

Originally Posted by RPM

So please, when you see me in the left lane, dont swing to the left to try and block me from driving as this is very dangerous, and as the girl driving the GREEN BRONCO found out , the Staties will pull you over.

I'd love to here more of this story!

[Pineedles]

What the sign also means, if you don't want a big traffic jamb in 1 1/2 miles start to get over to the right, but I don't encourage trying to be a "pop-up barrier" for those that want to miss the traffic jamb they are causing.

[Lakesrider]

A mile and half at 60 mph is around 90 seconds. So you had to come down from the speed limit to zero, in under 90 seconds, seeing as the right lane was stopped. You stated yourself that you did the speed limit for about a mile and a half. So you were doing what, 60-65 mph at the end of the cones? Wow. Highly unsafe. Also, If you were doing the speed limit entering a construction zone...... I wouldn't have let you in. And the reason she tried to block is that she had probably done the prudent thing and gotten into the right lane when it was safe to do so instead of forcibly getting in the right lane at the cones...So at least you know one girl was "put out"..... I don't condone cutting anyone off. But exactly what was it you did? And sure you did. You cut off the people who had gotten into or were already in the right lane waiting to get home before you came along and got in front of them...And how if they were sitting still how did you get in? That is right, one of those "idiots" who had gotten into the right lane before you, had to keep their brakes on while you got in ahead of them.....
Politeness on the road is everyone's responsibility, bragging about how you beat everyone to the cones is not......

[wifi]

Originally Posted by Lakesrider

A mile and half at 60 mph is around 90 seconds. So you had to come down from the speed limit to zero, in under 90 seconds, seeing as the right lane was stopped. You stated yourself that you did the speed limit for about a mile and a half. So you were doing what, 60-65 mph at the end of the cones? Wow. Highly unsafe. Also, If you were doing the speed limit entering a construction zone...... I wouldn't have let you in. And the reason she tried to block is that she had probably done the prudent thing and gotten into the right lane when it was safe to do so instead of forcibly getting in the right lane at the cones...So at least you know one girl was "put out"..... I don't condone cutting anyone off. But exactly what was it you did? And sure you did. You cut off the people who had gotten into or were already in the right lane waiting to get home before you came along and got in front of them...And how if they were sitting still how did you get in? That is right, one of those "idiots" who had gotten into the right lane before you, had to keep their brakes on while you got in ahead of them.....
Politeness on the road is everyone's responsibility, bragging about how you beat everyone to the cones is not......

Very well put, couldn't have said it better. Just about as bad are these jokers passing on the shoulder. Time for a driver bonehead thread?

[lakershaker]

If everyone gets over to the right lane 1.5 miles early, it just creates an extra-long traffic jam. The way the traffic is supposed to flow is cars alternate merging when the lane is closed, not 7,500 feet before... This way, the bottle-neck distance is minimized. And if RPM were doing the speed limit, it was probably the marked 45 mile per hour work zone limit, or should have been. I have no problem if someone wants to get over earlier that they need to, as that is their personal decision. But if DOT wanted everyone over and out of the left lane 1.5 miles earlier, they would have closed the lane back then!

[Mee-n-Mac]

Originally Posted by lakershaker

If everyone gets over to the right lane 1.5 miles early, it just creates an extra-long traffic jam. The way the traffic is supposed to flow is cars alternate merging when the lane is closed, not 7,500 feet before... This way, the bottle-neck distance is minimized. And if RPM were doing the speed limit, it was probably the marked 45 mile per hour work zone limit, or should have been. I have no problem if someone wants to get over earlier that they need to, as that is their personal decision. But if DOT wanted everyone over and out of the left lane 1.5 miles earlier, they would have closed the lane back then!

And if everyone (to use your example above) waited until the cones closed the lane you'd have a traffic jam 1.5 miles later than you mention (above). Frankly I don't see much of a distinction between the two. If people are looking for a simple formulaic rule as to when to merge then they're going to be disappointed, there isn't any. Somewhere between the sign and the cones you should find a good spot to merge, zipper-like, into any traffic that may be present. And that traffic should be smart enough to allow cars to merge so everyone doesn't come to an unnecessary standstill. It's a co-operative venture not a competitive one. If there's no hard and fast rule then use that rare thing we call commonsense.

To summarize :
1) Don't wait until the last second if you can find a open spot earlier.
2) Don't jam on the brakes, stop and wait for an open spot.
3) If you're a mergee, try to find a way to let 1 car in front of you if traffic is dense.
4) If you're a merger, then observe the unwritten rule of slotting 1 car into a 1 car opening. Don't be a "donkey" and try to sneak in behind another car who's been given a 1 car space.
5) Violate these rules in my presence and my foglights will open up to reveal twin .30 cal Brownings. Better hope you'll be covered under the new healthcare system !!





OK, OK so the last one isn't a rule per se, more like a wish.

[Orion]

The only way to ensure that everyone gets through in the order they arrived is to not leave a 2 mile open lane on the left. Everyone should merge in an alternating fashion at the end of the lane, not randomly over the 1 - 2 mile span.

The traffic has slowed to a safe speed to do so by the time you reach that point.

Nobody gets their nose bent out of shape.

Traffic flows at the best possible rate through the construction and there are no cut-ins.

Everyone gets through in the order they arrived.

This isn't rocket science!

[chipj29]

I was in the exact spot RPM is talking about (just north of 104 exit?) on Sunday. I was towing a trailer. Tried to get over sooner, but was not able to get over due to other cars in the right lane, I was trapped. So there I was, in the left lane and slowing, bearing down on the cones. I had no choice but to make a somewhat unsafe move into the right lane. This was due to the fact that there was not one single considerate driver in the right lane that would let me over. Sorry, but what can you do?

Oh and before you say that I shouldn't be towing a trailer in the left lane, if you are driving at 65 in the right lane, and traffic slows down considerably just prior to the exit, again, not much I could do except change lanes.

[RPM]

Guys this isnt new stuff , My drivers ed teacher taught us this 37 years ago.
If you take both lanes right down to the last cone ,then MERGE EVERY OTHER
CAR, there wont be any horn honking or middle finger pointing and traffic will flow "SLICKER THAN OX SNOT". ( quote my dear old dad ).

Next week we will go over;

> choosing the correct lane at the tolls.
> how to NOT go 60 in the high speed lane.
>why the Brunis traded Phil Esposito.
>If the the speed limit on rt.104 is posted 55 why go 35?
>and using common scents while driving

[VtSteve]

Originally Posted by RPM

Guys this isnt new stuff , My drivers ed teacher taught us this 37 years ago.
If you take both lanes right down to the last cone ,then MERGE EVERY OTHER
CAR, there wont be any horn honking or middle finger pointing and traffic will flow "SLICKER THAN OX SNOT". ( quote my dear old dad ).

Next week we will go over;

> choosing the correct lane at the tolls.
> how to NOT go 60 in the high speed lane.
>why the Brunis traded Phil Esposito.
>If the the speed limit on rt.104 is posted 55 why go 35?
>and using common scents while driving

I too have been driving interstates for well over thirty years, and every day now as well. I try to leave enough distance between me and the car ahead to allow for a peaceful and orderly migration for the impatient drivers in the left or right lanes. Just as in ski lift lines, I've learned to Never expect alternate merging. So no RPM, the left lane ends in a mile and a half is not your Target, just a gauge. I'm quite sure that if you at least try to pull in earlier in a better spot, things Might flow more smoothly. But I've learned to be more patient, knowing full well getting ahead of another few cars will only lead me to be right behind someone else quickly enough.

While what you described as people going too slow too soon is indeed a problem. So is the arrogant behavior of the driver you just described. That would be you.

Combined with the people that brake and go to slow, the inevitable crisis is, well, inevitable. I see it all the time, people rushing past the slowed cars, only to put on their turn signals (or not), at the last possible moment. Then the inevitable view of brake lights as cars slow down to let them in. This is the end result of these construction areas. It's way too much to ask that people prepare well ahead of time, and calmly merge in without reducing speed too much. People aren't that good at driving.

The slow drivers in the left lane are always an issue, always will be. Here we have a major problem in that many drivers go out to pass, then slow down PASSING IS A VERB PEOPLE!

[Rattlesnake Guy]

We have all been in the traffic jams that turn out to be nothing more than the Caterpillar effect. The effect that people hitting the breaks causing other to hit the breaks. The cumulative effect is that the entire group ends up much slower or stopped for no real cause.

In heavy traffic, I try to drive as a team member. If we can all go fairly fast and not have to touch the breaks or cause others to brake, we can all get there a lot faster and safer. One of the truly impressive things while driving is a 100 cars going 65 miles an hour on a crowded 3 lane highway with everyone staying in their lane and just all happy to be moving fast enough.

[ApS]

As a practical matter, merging early will allow you to merge again to the far-right lane. Unless traffic is stopped, oftentimes you can merge ahead of an 18-wheeler. This opens up a space for the "cones-crowder" into the middle lane. Once past the bottleneck, you can return to your favorite lane.

Originally Posted by RPM

"...Guys this isnt new stuff , My drivers ed teacher taught us this 37 years ago, If you take both lanes right down to the last cone ,then MERGE EVERY OTHER CAR..."

Hasn't cellphone use changed all that?

When we visitors cross into NH, what does the rest of the sign say after "Welcome to New Hampshire?"

RPM, have you considered what would happen if everybody adopted "three lanes are open until the very end"? (It already happens with regularity around cities with third-world drivers).

Thirty-seven years ago, most cars had marginal "drum" brakes and standard "stick-shift" transmissions. Drum brakes were inadequate for the practice of "tailgating", and standard shift cars left more room between cars. (And, I read yesterday, that we have been polled as a ruder society).

A friend repeats the theory that automatic-transmission drivers fail to maintain a proper following distance and creep up on the car ahead when traffic slows. (Causing "The Caterpillar Effect").

Originally Posted by RPM

"...>If the the speed limit on rt.104 is posted 55 why go 35...?"

Driving conditions?

Originally Posted by RPM

"...>and using common scents while driving..."

I've long maintained that we should develop—and trust—our scentses.

[SOB]

Yes in a perfect world you could ride the left lane until the very end and then everyone would merge in an beautiful display of 1 car being let in, an then one passing, and 1 car being let in, and so on...

However in reality vehicles are driving at different speeds, they are different sizes, and the distance between them is varied depending on the drivers. So it is no where close to a perfect world.

I deal with this exact scenario every night driving home on 495 in MA heading south. All summer long they are digging up one lane or the other, and at least 1 lane is constantly closed.

Every time I see some portion of drivers get over to the 2 right lanes anywhere between 1.5 and 1 miles before the lane closes. Unfortunately the folks who ride the left lane to the bitter end suddenly need to get into the lane in an erratic jerking motion. If you're lane is closing, then YOU need to take caution to get over in due time.

Occasionally I find an 18 wheeler that will play ball with me. He rides the left lane at a safe speed, slowing the traffic down. I stay by his side in the middle lane running a little slower. With a safe distance left i flash him or her the lights to get over and they ease into the middle lane.

One thing happens here, everyone gets angry at him for going the marked construction zone speed of 45 mph and ends up flying over to the far right lane... but there is magic at the end.. NO TRAFFIC JAM

Go ahead and quote some laws and rules myself and the truck driver are breaking.. but it proves the theory.. get over way ahead of time and there is no merge to take place.... creating the need for people to stop!!!

I am glad this was brought up, it has drove me crazy for years. I always thought the people who stayed in the left lane just didnt see the signs to merge. I am surprised to find out some people actually think it is the correct procedure.