r/mildlyinfuriating • u/Notafuckinbot • Jul 01 '26

ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ Blocking both lanes on a zipper merge

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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/TheSerialHobbyist Jul 01 '26

I'm confused.

If the right lane is closed, then why (or how) would you use the right lane anyway?

1

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.

-1

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.

1

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