Zipper merge: is it the legal way in MO and KS?

Transportation topics in KC
brewcrew1000
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Re: Zipper merge: is it the legal way in MO and KS?

Post by brewcrew1000 »

You ever notice Semi's or other drivers sometimes block that construction lane ending making impossible for anyone to merge
aknowledgeableperson
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Re: Zipper merge: is it the legal way in MO and KS?

Post by aknowledgeableperson »

I see that neither hurting or helping the situation. Traffic is already backed up and just crawling along. Shooting up just shortens the line and gets those behind the truck further up the line. Traffic ahead is already bumper-to-bumper with the result being that traffic doesn't have to worry about cars merging so hopefully the line will move faster.

Can tell you one experience on a recent trip to St. Louis. Just got past one exit when the highway became a parking lot with my car in the left lane. Traffic would move ahead a car length or two at a time. Finally got to a sign that said there was an accident in Warrenton, a few miles down the road. After 20 to 25 minutes traffic started to speed up some then back to a crawl. At the bottom of a hill the semi in front of me got over to the right lane and all I saw was a clear lane of traffic. Thinking that the highway was opening up in front of me I just continued forward and when I went over the crest I then saw the accident (overturned truck in the median) with the highway down to one lane. Of course there were the gawkers that slowed traffic down to the crawl but I was able to merge over without trouble. Before doing so there I looked in the rearview mirror and there was no one in sight in the left lane.
flyingember
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Re: Zipper merge: is it the legal way in MO and KS?

Post by flyingember »

aknowledgeableperson wrote:I see that neither hurting or helping the situation. Traffic is already backed up and just crawling along. Shooting up just shortens the line and gets those behind the truck further up the line. Traffic ahead is already bumper-to-bumper with the result being that traffic doesn't have to worry about cars merging so hopefully the line will move faster.

Can tell you one experience on a recent trip to St. Louis. Just got past one exit when the highway became a parking lot with my car in the left lane. Traffic would move ahead a car length or two at a time. Finally got to a sign that said there was an accident in Warrenton, a few miles down the road. After 20 to 25 minutes traffic started to speed up some then back to a crawl. At the bottom of a hill the semi in front of me got over to the right lane and all I saw was a clear lane of traffic. Thinking that the highway was opening up in front of me I just continued forward and when I went over the crest I then saw the accident (overturned truck in the median) with the highway down to one lane. Of course there were the gawkers that slowed traffic down to the crawl but I was able to merge over without trouble. Before doing so there I looked in the rearview mirror and there was no one in sight in the left lane.
the time it hurts is when traffic is going 25mph and has to slow down to 10mph to form a gap and let someone in.

but if you slow down to meet their 25mph and fit into a natural gap, no harm.
aknowledgeableperson
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Re: Zipper merge: is it the legal way in MO and KS?

Post by aknowledgeableperson »

When traffic is light I can see cars being able to go 25 mph. But most of the time there is medium to heavy traffic and there is no way for it to go 25 or even your 10 mph. I have heard one equate the effect to an hourglass. May not be an exact comparison but it is close.
AJoD
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Re: Zipper merge: is it the legal way in MO and KS?

Post by AJoD »

I think the hourglass comparison is reasonable. Which is more efficient, an hour glass with the shortest possible neck, or a much longer neck?
pash
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Re: Zipper merge: is it the legal way in MO and KS?

Post by pash »

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Last edited by pash on Mon Feb 06, 2017 12:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
brewcrew1000
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Re: Zipper merge: is it the legal way in MO and KS?

Post by brewcrew1000 »

So now that MO and KS are somewhat promoting and using Zipper Merge's, is it actually working? I think they encouraged Zipper Merge up North on I-29 and on 69 near 119th. In my experience with it here was awful. 2 redneck types kept blocking the left lane which was the ending lane even though there were signs that clearly stated to use both lanes of traffic. These redneck type sure were proud of eachother doing this civic duty and congratulating eachother in the process. I was so pissed at these rednecks that I just swerved into the shoulder and went around them
droopy
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Re: Zipper merge: is it the legal way in MO and KS?

Post by droopy »

I saw it work flawlessly over the summer on I-70 somewhere between KC and Columbia, but they had huge signs for a couple miles explaining it. Later on the same trip (so presumably many of the same drivers from the first merge) the zipper went very poorly with another lane closure that had no signage regarding the zipper. It was pretty amazing.
brewcrew1000
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Re: Zipper merge: is it the legal way in MO and KS?

Post by brewcrew1000 »

droopy wrote:I saw it work flawlessly over the summer on I-70 somewhere between KC and Columbia, but they had huge signs for a couple miles explaining it. Later on the same trip (so presumably many of the same drivers from the first merge) the zipper went very poorly with another lane closure that had no signage regarding the zipper. It was pretty amazing.
Does it actually seem to be faster or at least more organized?
droopy
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Re: Zipper merge: is it the legal way in MO and KS?

Post by droopy »

It's the way I learned to drive in New England so perhaps I have a bias, but yes, it is way safer and more efficient. Mostly because you don't have a Masshole blowing down the left lane 25 mph faster than the right lane then merging last second. You have 2 lanes moving the same speed which makes for an easy merge. That is what I saw happen on the I-70 drive I mentioned. Zipper merge worked well, 2 lanes cooperating, second merge was a cluster fuck with faster cars getting cut off by slower cars in the other lane.
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