08-08-2019, 12:49 PM
(08-07-2019, 04:58 PM)ijmorlan Wrote: This is the only stable solution of which I am aware to the merging problem. If everybody merges early, then as others have pointed out, what is the other lane for? And if everybody aggressively takes “their” spot right to the merge point, you get unstable and dangerous traffic flow. As is often the case, the two “sides” of the “debate” are both wrong.
Incredibly well said.
My favourite merge occurred on Hwy 403 eastbound near the Grand River a few years ago. Some clever contractor put up a sign that showed two lanes merging without either lane ending, and that's exactly how the road cones were set up with the dotted line through the centre of the merge blacked out. Traffic had to zipper merge to the centre where the dotted line had been, then the cones veered us left into the lane which remained open. Neither 'side' of the debate existed as it was a true zipper merge of equally prioritized lanes. I don't know if that was just an experiment by the MTO or what because I haven't encountered it anywhere else since, but it was brilliant.
...K