More on merging

In response to Gretchen's comment on "Changing Lanes is not the Same as Merging":


Question -

"How do you feel about the situation where a merge is required and the merge lane is stopped but the main lane is steadily moving, but solid with traffic? It's rare, but I've seen it. Do cars stuck in the lane that is ending have to wait for hell to freeze over, or at some point is it ok for someone in the main lane who sees they will NEVER get in to slow down to a near stop and let them in?"

Answer -

If people actually followed the traffic laws, this is how it would go down:

A car approaches a merge where their lane is ending.
The car puts on their blinker before coming to a complete stop and should attempt to "change lanes" before coming to a complete stop.
If changing lanes is not possible before the lane ends, the car stops at the merge point and their blinker remains on.
People in the through traffic lane see a car with their blinker on. The stopped car(s) and traffic control devices indicating an upcoming merge should be an indication to drivers in the through lane of what is happening ahead.
The first few people can't react in time, so they continue on past.
People who are approaching the merge point should realize that a car is attempting to merge up ahead because they can see the blinker on well in advance.
This is where the part about "preventing a merge" comes in. Since people in the through lane have adequate warning that something is happening, they should be able to slow down in time to allow a merge to occur.
If they fail to allow the merge to happen when they've had adequare warning, then they're considered driving recklessly and should receive a traffic ticket.
Traffic should zipper together, every other car if there is a constant supply of cars in both lanes.
If only an occasional car is in the ending lane, then they must wait for the through traffic to slow down so they can merge.

If an accident happens while merging, it will always be the fault of the car who was doing the merge (ie: the car coming from the lane which is ending), because they left their lane before it was safe to move into the other lane. So, the merging traffic should be especially careful that the through traffic is actually letting them in.

So yes, someone should let the merge happen. Unfortunately people don't allow the merge, and never get a traffic ticket.

But if they never get a traffic ticket, how will they know they ever did something wrong? They never will, I suppose. This is why I think people need to take refresher Driver's Ed classes, or pass some sort of "advanced driving" test in order to renew their license. (I also think that "salvage titles" are a scam by the insurance companies... I'll blog about that sometime in the future.)

This does not apply to people pulling out onto the street from a business or side street. That is not a merge. I am un-aware of any laws which dictate how that situation would be handled.