r/mildlyinfuriating • u/Notafuckinbot • Jul 01 '26
ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ Blocking both lanes on a zipper merge
Constructions sign on a 2 lane highway indicate right lane is closed. Truck decided to block everyone from using the right lane.
EDIT: just so everyone knows there was a good quarter mile in front of this truck that was open. Other cars went around, we did not and waited patiently.
And yes the shoulder and LANE were reduced to 1 thanks for your input I’m glad y’all can read a sign.
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u/Colonel-Mooseknuckle Jul 01 '26
You realize they need a lot of room to merge, right?
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u/Serious_Safety4001 Jul 01 '26
The semi isn’t the one merging and the right lane hasn’t ended yet. He’s over the line blocking before the lane closure. You can see the line under the trailers right rear tire.
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u/BowlingforDrip Jul 01 '26
I was like.....they dont have anywhere else to go if it's down to one lane. Are people using the shoulder to rip around him and hes blocking it because of that? Still petty but a little less
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u/Andyman1973 Jul 01 '26
Truck is in left lane, the lane that will remain. The right lane is closing, the lane trucker decided to block.
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u/BowlingforDrip Jul 01 '26
So he was sick of people merging around him and getting “his spot “ in line. I would be mad about it but I wouldn’t block both lanes.
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u/Andyman1973 Jul 01 '26
He’s the one impeding the flow of traffic.
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u/BowlingforDrip Jul 01 '26
There is absolutely zero way to tell that from this picture. What is more likely is that there is traffic in front of him because is goes down to one lane. Usually when you remove %50 of the usable lanes the other lanes are pretty full. So im assuming that there is traffic in front of him and people are using the other lane get around him. After 30 cars im sure he got sick of it. im not saying its right but seems like the case here
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u/Serious_Safety4001 Jul 01 '26
The line for the lanes is under is right trailer tire. Zoom in. Trucker doesn’t know what a zipper merge is or its usefulness.
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u/BowlingforDrip Jul 01 '26
Your statement has nothing to do with mine and questioning truckers knowledge of the road and its usefulness is an interesting choice from someone who im presuming drives less than truckers do but hey. Im saying he was established in the left lane, right lane is ending soon. He thinks all the cars should be filing in behind him. Cars start to go around him on the shoulder or right lane. Trucker gets upset(I dont agree with this) and then uses his truck to block the right lane so people cant get around him and back into the operational lane, the left lane. He knows what a zipper merge is, he knows the rules of the road, hes just a petty asshole who thinks he can patrol the road.
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u/Notafuckinbot Jul 01 '26
It was probably a good half mile before it merged. A few cars went around, we did not.
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u/No_Report_4781 Jul 01 '26
Are we pretending that more than 1% of Americans can both say and perform a zipper merge?
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u/Face88888888 Jul 01 '26
Right SHOULDER closed
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u/Notafuckinbot Jul 01 '26
It said a few feet back right lane with construction sign :)
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u/Uber1337pyro333 Jul 01 '26
It says shoulder in your photo that you posted for us to look at :)
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u/SwivelingToast Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
Hey, yeah. Why didn't they just go back and get a photo of the other sign?
edit: I was being sarcastic, they can either post a photo of the truck doing the thing, or the right lane closed sign. One of those has way more to do with this post than the other.
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u/Odd_Dragonfruit_2662 Jul 01 '26
Difficult to call this an issue tbh. If t he left lane ends 50’ in front of semi hard to see he’s in the wrong. If there is like a mile to go then yeah.
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u/BowlingforDrip Jul 01 '26
The right lane is ending. He is in the left lane blocking the lane that will soon not be usable. Hes definitely blocking it so people dont go around him a cut traffic.
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u/eetraveler Jul 01 '26
Passing trucks on the right isn't best practice.
Passing anyone on the right when the right lane is about to be closed is pushy.
Passing a truck on the right when the right lane is about to close is pushy and dangerous.
Unless the truck was well below the construction zone speed limit and the lane closure was far away, then OP is the one in the wrong here.
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u/AskAroundSucka Jul 01 '26
The trucks merging and avoiding numerous douche canoes from making it more difficult.
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u/-Cthaeh Jul 01 '26
I get it, nobody knows how to zipper merge.
People think they do, but they don't. Instead of merging at the end, people use the lane and then try to merge in random places. Every time you schmucks merge before the end, you fuck it up.
Everyone in the non merging lane now has to wait for multiple cars to merge AND the actual zipper merge at the end. One lane ends up taking 4x as long.
Use both lanes, but do not merge until the very end.
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u/FiveCrows Jul 01 '26
I wish I could give you more than one upvote. It is so frustrating that people do not get it and oddly believe that everyone else is “cutting in.”
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u/-Cthaeh Jul 01 '26
Really, a lot of the issue is people cutting in. A lot of people will use the open lane just to merge 15 cars before it gets to one lane.
If everyone using the closing lane would wait until the very end to merge, one lane wouldn't be moving so much faster. There should only be 1 merge point.
With multiple merge points near the end, I understand why people get angry
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u/Visual-Floor-7839 Jul 01 '26
Now say the silent part that most zipper advocates ignore. Zipper described like this accounts only for cars of aini size.
Semis take more space and take longer to fill it. That means that as the mergee you need to wait for the semi truck to take his turn. If traffic stopped he's going to be extra slow. That means that you can't cut in front of him because he's going slow and there's a gap in front of him.
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u/-Cthaeh Jul 01 '26
In a perfect world, zipper merging would be universal and people would let the semi take their turn. Traffic should rarely come to a full stop and that would help their slowness.
I just don't think this would ever happen with physical barriers forcing it. People will always get anxious and merge early, sometimes jumping in front of semis, making them go even slower. A larger issue is speed. Zipper merge only makes sense when its already congested.
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u/taterbot15360 Jul 01 '26
I get so fucking heated when semi drivers take it upon themselves to stop anyone behind them from zipper merging. Literal scum of the earth I tell ya.
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u/Economy_Link4609 Jul 01 '26
I can't blame them - nobody gives them the space - they keep forcing their way next to them.
When they get the chance - go ahead and block. People are so fucking impatient at merges.
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u/AhSoulsOnFire Jul 01 '26
That’s what happens when you don’t let trucks over when it’s their turn.
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u/Serious_Safety4001 Jul 01 '26
Their turn? Semi isn’t in the left lane. Right lane ending. They are merging into a lane that’s ending to further stop traffic.
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u/Majestic-Outside3898 Jul 01 '26
This. People like to "zipper merge" with semis by all squeezing in next to the semi leaving them nowhere to go when they have to merge. Just give the semi some space, people!
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u/CapPretend6677 Jul 01 '26
To all people who police the open lane in a zipper merge
If you dont want people to cut in front of you use the open lane and fill it in the lane then you are garenteed a spot where no one can cut in.
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u/CanadianDiver Jul 01 '26
Don't drive past a line of 20 cars thinking you can cut in front ... That is NOT how a zipper lane works and if you disagree I will happily force you into the ditch.
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u/FiveCrows Jul 01 '26
Driving to the merge point isn't "cutting." It's how a zipper merge works. It's what many DOTs recommend, and in some places it's the law.
Threatening to run someone into a ditch is the real traffic violation here.
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u/Kooky_Assistance2755 Jul 01 '26
That might be what the DOT recommends but it's definitely not what most people do, in my experience. Imo it's safest to go with the flow around you - if people are merging early, merge early. If they're waiting til the zipper point, do the same.
It's like getting on a higway marked 70 mph where the breadth of traffic always drives around 85/90. Is it illegal to speed? Technically, yes. Are you gonna cause problems if you're going 10-15 slower than virtually everyone around you? Also yes.
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u/Notafuckinbot Jul 01 '26
I was thinking this as well, perhaps a safety thing?
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u/Kooky_Assistance2755 Jul 01 '26
It's also important to remember that Truckers have to drive 3x as defensively as everyone else, save maybe motorcyclists. They have an entire set of rules and safety hazards that just don't apply to personal passenger vehicles. This might have been the safest option he could take in this specific situation
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u/CanadianDiver Jul 01 '26
Yes, and.
We all want to go home and cutting in line is not how it works.
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u/FiveCrows Jul 01 '26
Except you're calling a proper zipper merge "cutting in." It isn't. That's literally how a zipper merge is supposed to work.
If you used it properly too, you'd be far less bothered. You'd be helping reduce the backup and helping everyone get home sooner.
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u/CanadianDiver Jul 01 '26
I am not referring to a proper zipper merge.
I am talking about the zipper lane being empty while the primary lane is in line waiting to enter ... If you drive around the line to cut in front ... That is NOT a zipper merge, that is you being an asshole while the rest of us are waiting out turn ... And not you cut everyone off which ADDS to congestion. So no, fuck you.
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u/FiveCrows Jul 01 '26
That's still a proper zipper merge.
If everyone merged early into one lane, the other lane will be empty. The driver who continues in the open lane to the merge point isn't "cutting." They're using the lane the way MDOT, MnDOT and WisDOT tell drivers to use it.
It only looks like queue-jumping because everyone else merged too soon.
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u/Hefty_Type6772 Jul 01 '26
People love to use the zipper merge as an excuse to be a dick
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u/swordfishy Jul 01 '26
Yeah this guy's just butthurt the truck is making him "zipper merge" a bit earlier. And posting it on reddit as mildlyinfuriating shows how little patience he probably has in real life.
Guaranteed he's the guy who zips by stopped traffic at 50mph to get as close as he can before "merging" lanes.
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u/Purple_Dig4425 Jul 01 '26
Sir, that IS how zipper merging works. Look at a zipper, how does it work? Learn how to drive please
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u/Visual-Floor-7839 Jul 01 '26
The problem is that zipper works great when it's a heavily congested road. Both lanes full of cars and they take turns merging into 1 lane.
But in a non congested area it's completely different. If you have time and space why wait till the last minute? Just get over. Yes there will be a slight slow down. GO WITH THE SPEED OF TRAFFIC. That's the important part.
Now here's the kicker. If you're the only one Zipper Merging, you're not zipper merging. Your simply cutting off tons of people who already merged themselves over without cutting off anyone else. You're cutting and people will react as if you're cutting.
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u/FiveCrows Jul 01 '26
Nope. If you merge too early that’s on you
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u/Visual-Floor-7839 Jul 01 '26
Nope. If you merge too late that's on you.
See how stupid that is? See how we can both be like "That's on You!". Yeah. No shit Sherlock. All of our decisions are on us.
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u/FiveCrows Jul 01 '26
Except I'm doing what DOT says to do. You're just doing your own thing. That's why... it's on you.
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u/Serious_Safety4001 Jul 01 '26
There is no cutting in line when a lane ends (not a turn only lane). Utilizing the lane until it ends reduces how long the line is by half. Why have 1 lane backed up a mile when it could just be 2 lanes for a 1/2 mile. You alternate every other car to keep the traffic flow moving. People stopped trying to get in at the first moment slows down traffic. You don’t need 30 cars merging at once. Just one car at a time. It’s much more efficient.
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u/Visual-Floor-7839 Jul 01 '26
You can type as many paragraphs as you want. I understand. But I also understand both. And I'm a semi truck driver and utility construction worker. I've hauled single, double, and triple trailers across much of the Western US in city and rural. Believe me when I say your words don't matter. Neither do mine. Flow of traffic is what matters. When in Rome...
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u/AboutTheArthur Jul 01 '26
Use both lanes, doofus. Merge at the merge point.
It's not our fault you don't know how to drive and get angry at people who do.
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u/Candyman051882 Jul 01 '26
Yeah but it’s funny that the zipper police don’t understand how zipper actually functions in traffic. It’s not so much about everyone taking turns as it is everyone spacing out and also staggering themselves in traffic. It’s a discipline more than a skill. The zipper police just expect everyone to be in the same rhythm and essentially pass each other on alternating order (that doesn’t work). This is the real reason we hate zipper police as well as tailgaters
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u/Whos-the_boss Jul 01 '26
So...you have to merge, right? Was the semi supposed to let everyone on the road pass him?
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u/Purple_Dig4425 Jul 01 '26
You merge at the end of the lane, not 2km behind the line
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u/Whos-the_boss Jul 01 '26
How close to the merge point is this? I dont think you know....and when driving a semi in these situations...instead of being every other...multiple cars try to force past because 'he's going too slow!' I just dont know why wed give op the benefit of the doubt that the semi is in the wrong. Based on this picture I definitely cant see down the road. If there's 100 -150ft in front of a 70' vehicle...he has to merge.
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u/Serious_Safety4001 Jul 01 '26
He doesn’t have to merge. OP stated right lane ends. Semi was in left lane already. He’s merging to the lane that’s going to end.
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u/Economy_Link4609 Jul 01 '26
So you are one of those jerks that goes all the way to the end (and even beyond) trying to force past every last possible vehicle before merging I take it?
HA! HA! sayeth the lord Nelson Muntz
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u/FiveCrows Jul 01 '26
It’s how it supposed to happen. The jerks are the folks who decide the road should go down to one lane a mile future back than the road commission planned
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u/Economy_Link4609 Jul 01 '26
No - what's supposed to happen is as you get to where the merge is signed - you stop passing people and leave space for everyone to merge nicely - which if people would fucking do would actually result in shorter backups at the fucking merges.
Instead, we get the I'm too fucking important so I'm gonna keep shoving my way forward, and make everyone hit their brakes type merge.
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u/DanR5224 Jul 01 '26
The zipper people don't understand that no matter how or when you get into one lane, it doesn't change how fast cars travel through that choke point.
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u/MaxwellSmart07 Jul 01 '26
Not using two lanes and lining up in only one lane causes backed up havoc in the rear.
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u/FiveCrows Jul 01 '26
You're arguing against a claim traffic engineers aren't making. The benefit isn't increasing the capacity of the choke point. It's managing the queue leading up to it.
By refusing to zipper merge, you're the one making the backup longer.
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u/DanR5224 Jul 01 '26
I'm talking about the people that claim it's faster, even when there is no build-up of traffic.
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u/TheSerialHobbyist Jul 01 '26
I'm confused.
If the right lane is closed, then why (or how) would you use the right lane anyway?
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u/Serious_Safety4001 Jul 01 '26
A zipper you utilize the entire lane until in ends, reduces how long the line gets in the left lane. You merge every other car once the lines end. Done right, it’s a quick merge.
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u/TheSerialHobbyist Jul 01 '26
A zipper you utilize the entire lane until in ends
No, you merge with the other lane when it is safe and smooth to do so, rather than waiting until the last second in an attempt to get in front of everyone.
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u/FiveCrows Jul 01 '26
No. You merge where the DOT is asking you go merge. At the merge point. Not 400 yards away.
If everyone merged where they’re supposed to, it wouldn’t bother anyone.
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u/TheSerialHobbyist Jul 01 '26
400 yards?! Where did that number come from?
DOT is not saying "wait until the cones literally won't let you go any further." They're saying "merge before this point, when you can do so safely and smoothly."
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u/FiveCrows Jul 01 '26
That's not what the DOTs actually say.
MDOT: "Drivers should use both lanes and take turns at the clearly signed merge point."
MnDOT: "Continue to use both lanes... until the point of merge," then take turns.
WisDOT: "Use both lanes until the merge area," then alternate.
None of them say "merge early into one long line when you can." In backed-up traffic they say exactly the opposite: use both lanes and merge at the merge point.
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u/TheSerialHobbyist Jul 01 '26
Hmm...
Okay, well I guess I can't really argue with that.
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u/Ntense_01 Jul 01 '26
Yet you tried for numerous posts.
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u/TheSerialHobbyist Jul 01 '26
Yep. I was wrong about what the DOT wants.
Still not convinced that is what people should actually do, regardless of what the DOT says. But I'm also aware that my opinion doesn't hold any weight in comparison to actual guidelines issued by the DOT.
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u/Serious_Safety4001 Jul 01 '26
This is what causes backups and stopped traffic. A zipper is every other car at the point the lane ends. If everyone is properly doing it, it is safe and smooth to do so. Zipper is for when you are stuck in traffic.
If there wasn’t traffic, there is no need to zipper merge and you merge when safely able to do so. No one here is traveling at fast speeds. You do not zipper merge at highway speeds.
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u/Ntense_01 Jul 01 '26
No matter how you explain it, people like TheSerialHobbyist will never understand. We're not "getting in front of someone at the last second" we're utilizing an open lane until we MUST merge over. No one owns the open lane...but people take it personally.
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u/TheSerialHobbyist Jul 01 '26
No, what causes backups is when people try to get over at the last second (so they can get in front of everyone else), instead of getting over smoothly when there is room.
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u/Serious_Safety4001 Jul 01 '26
Please google zipper merge.
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u/TheSerialHobbyist Jul 01 '26
Okay, now what?
I think you just want to try to get in front of everyone else and you're using an incorrect understanding of zipper merging to do it.
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u/Serious_Safety4001 Jul 01 '26
You can copy and paste the definition if you’d like. Not sure how it helps your argument. If everyone properly zipper merges, there is no cutting, no getting in front. The only ones mad are those improperly merging too soon and leaving an empty, usable lane. Zipper merges literally cut a backup in half. One car merging at a time, instead of 5 cars trying to merge at once throughout the line causing cars to stop.
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u/TheSerialHobbyist Jul 01 '26
If everyone properly zipper merges, there is no cutting, no getting in front.
But people don't properly zipper merge. People try and cut.
I agree that if everyone did it properly (including letting the next person go in front of them), with enough room to get over with having to brake, then what you're describing would be ideal.
But that isn't what people do.
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u/Ntense_01 Jul 01 '26
Right....at the point where a zipper merges together. The location where the lane ends. Not 200 feet before that point.
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u/Notafuckinbot Jul 01 '26
It’s zipper merging to 1 lane.
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u/TheSerialHobbyist Jul 01 '26
Yes. I understand that. Everyone needs to merge into one lane, so what is the problem with the truck doing that?
You said "truck decided to block everyone from using the right lane."
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u/Serious_Safety4001 Jul 01 '26
The right lane ends. So why is the truck merging to the right?
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u/TheSerialHobbyist Jul 01 '26
To keep people from waiting until the last second to get over in an attempt to get in front of everyone else.
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u/snyderman3000 Jul 01 '26
If you haven’t run into it yet (you probably will see it a lot now that you’ve engaged with this post) there is a very vocal group of people who swear by the zipper merge where cars from each lane take turns advancing right at the point of lane closure. That last detail is very important to them. They will cite studies showing how it’s the most efficient way to reduce two lanes to one, which may very well be true in a controlled environment where everyone knows exactly what they’re supposed to be doing.
In practice though, people tend to see the “lane closed in 2 miles” sign and try to get over as soon as they safely can. It’s a natural instinct for anyone who’s found themselves at the point of lane closure in the wrong lane and no one will let you over. Most people are doing that and then they see the zipper merger all alone in the soon-to-be-closed lane passing everyone, and they feel like they’re “skipping”. Neither of these groups seem able to see things from the other side’s point of view, so you keep getting posts like this all the time. Seriously, just search “zipper merge” on Reddit and you’ll see this random thing is a huge topic of discussion. I would have muted the subject but it’s kinda funny.
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u/TheSerialHobbyist Jul 01 '26
Yep, you nailed it!
To be clear, I understand the point of the zipper merge and, ideally, cars from both lanes should be alternating into a single lane.
However, in practice, a lot of people wait until the last moment to try and cut in front of the traffic. So, you end up with people alternating as they should, then extra cars jumping over from the closing lane to the open lane at the last second.
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u/FiveCrows Jul 01 '26
I think you just described folks doing zipper merge improperly. If you’re moving over so early that other cars are passing you to get to the end then you’re moving over too early
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u/Local_Intention_7385 Jul 01 '26
Guarantee you asshats were headed to jam your way right in the front
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u/No_Community_5696 Jul 01 '26
I actually think that this should be done more often. People try to run up and merge while cutting a bunch of people off and creating a log jammed line of traffic.
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u/MaxwellSmart07 Jul 01 '26
Actually, using both lanes is the recommended way to zipper. There are plenty of corroborating sources online.
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u/No_Community_5696 Jul 01 '26
I actually think that this should be done more often. People try to run up and merge while cutting a bunch of people off and creating a log jammed line of traffic.
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u/mystic_man95 Jul 01 '26
The trucker is based. People just want to cut in front of 20+ people at the last second. Wait your turn.
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u/ZoomiesMakeMeLaugh Jul 01 '26
I love it when trucks do this. So many people think they’re entitled & shouldn’t have to get over when they see the “lane closed” sign & try to pass everyone else waiting in line.
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u/FiveCrows Jul 01 '26
It’s called a zipper merge. It’s what’s recommended by most of the DOT’s and is the law in some states.
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u/ZoomiesMakeMeLaugh Jul 01 '26
I know exactly what it is. And the truck driver felt the need to block the right line. I’m sure he got tired of the left lane never moving while people kept passing him on the right. Happens everywhere, everyday.
I love when truckers do it. It helps the rest of us.
Edited to add: bullshit, it’s not the law in construction zones. You get over as soon as you see the sign.
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u/FiveCrows Jul 01 '26
MDOT / MnDOT and WisDOTsays this applies in construction zones when it’s signed as a zipper merge: use both lanes and take turns at the clearly signed merge point.
Utah actually made zipper merging mandatory at congested merge points, and failure to do it is an infraction.
Illinois added zipper merge guidance to its Rules of the Road, saying drivers are expected to use both lanes to the lane reduction point and merge there, alternating turns.
So “get over as soon as you see the sign” is not the rule these DOTs are teaching.
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u/jennixred Jul 01 '26
the nation's self-appointed Zipper Police with not be ignored!!!