Zipper Merge, do or don't?

[Minimalist]

Full license retest (written and road) every two years ought to stop all this nonsense, most never knew the rules of the road and can't fathom something so complex as learning them. Zipper merge as a practical concept ought to be asked at every job interview, so now you are unemployed and can't drive if you are unable to see the Zipper is quicker.

Can't pass the tests, take transit and stop making our roads inefficient and dangerous.

Other pet-peeve about Calgary drivers... not signaling when they are turning off of a traffic circle. This stuffs up those waiting to get on the circle as we are waiting for you to pass, oh wait you turned. Thanks dick!

[dirtsniffer]

you think it's reasonable to have the entire driving population take a road test every 2 years?

[lilmira]

Originally posted by 16hypen3sp
I educated some of my coworkers on zipper merge tonight and I thought they were going to rip my head off.

They think it's 100% wrong and you should join the thru lane queue way, way before your lane ends. No one should be jumping the queue.

AB Trans did a release on this too... (May have been posted before.)
https://www.transportation.alberta.c...ction/DB85.pdf

Ask them if they zipper merge at the chair lift on the skihill or form one line only.

[Minimalist]

Originally posted by dirtsniffer
you think it's reasonable to have the entire driving population take a road test every 2 years?

Why not? Fear of failing? Fear of drivers who can actually drive? I'd include winter driving skills in the test as well, just like in Sweden.

In CA a Firearm Safety Certificate is good for five years, must retest at that point. You'd have to agree vehicles are more dangerous and do more harm than firearms. Yet you are tested once as a teen and good to go for life.

I let my license expire as I was working outside of Canada as a non-resident, shocked to return and be required to do both the written and road test all over again in two days. Had to study a few hours as I was not going to fail. I did learn some new rules and relearned some old ones. Passed the road test no problem after avoiding a 50 km/hr t-bone on the passenger side after a car ran a very solid and old red light. Tester turned white and said "Yeah, you've passed" Helped a bit that I was in a Smart Car, might have seemed more than it was.

All this is wasted thought, in a decade or two we'll all be in self-driving cars running error free, zipping like mad and wondering why we drove like we did long ago.

[StreetRacerX]

If I can merge in before the lane ends without disrupting traffic I will, otherwise it's all the way to the end.

[J-hop]

Originally posted by Minimalist
Full license retest (written and road) every two years ought to stop all this nonsense, most never knew the rules of the road and can't fathom something so complex as learning them. Zipper merge as a practical concept ought to be asked at every job interview, so now you are unemployed and can't drive if you are unable to see the Zipper is quicker.

Can't pass the tests, take transit and stop making our roads inefficient and dangerous.

Other pet-peeve about Calgary drivers... not signaling when they are turning off of a traffic circle. This stuffs up those waiting to get on the circle as we are waiting for you to pass, oh wait you turned. Thanks dick!

2 years is pretty aggressive but I think mandatory retesting is a great idea. I've retested twice in 5 years for work and it definitely makes me think a little more about my driving skills (lack there of). I think every 5 years would be fine and then increase the frequency above a certain age.

One thing as a forum we can do (or stop doing) is when someone asks for an easy registry to pass their class 5 don't tell them. Kinda silly to say that Calgary drivers are shit and then tell someone where to go to easily get their license...

[tirebob]

The zipper merge is well studied and proven to speed up traffic in these situations. I think it would be a huge improvement if they were doing road work or accident attendance and they placed signs well ahead announcing the work with signage asking traffic to travel to the end and merge zipper style. I have seen this when driving in Europe and it works awesome!

I think part of the problem here in Calgary is people who are lifers here were used to low volumes of traffic so it was easy and simple to get into one line early and carry on, but now with the traffic volume it just isn't efficient. You end up with single lanes backed up for miles interfering with proper exit and entrance lanes etc, which only magnifies the problem.

Zippering at the end is not rude... It is the proper way to keep the entire flow of traffic moving at the most efficient way possible.

[dirtsniffer]

Originally posted by Minimalist

Why not? Fear of failing?

because the cost to tax payers for marginal increases and safety are not worth it..

There are 3,000,000 drivers in AB. so 1.5 million renewals a year, at a cost of $150 and assuming 10% of people take the test twice that is an annual expense of $250 million per year.

[OTown]

I don't mind zipper merging but that's only if the lane ends and it's bumper to bumper traffic. IMO if you have ample time and space in free flowing traffic (at speed) to change lanes, then do so. I find there are some idiots who speed down the entire merge lane to pass 10 vehicles that are at speed and cut them off with a last minute unsafe move and slow down everyone causing a bottleneck in behind. Now that's a dick move.

As an example - Westbound Glenmore Tr at 14 St SW - the rightmost lane is an off-ramp to 14 ST. There are so many people that use that lane as a passing lane and cut in right at the junction, forcing people who are actually using the off-ramp to go to 14 ST to wait while this dick decided to block their lane. Northbound Deerfoot @ Mcknight is another example.

[killramos]

Originally posted by Minimalist

In CA a Firearm Safety Certificate is good for five years, must retest at that point. You'd have to agree vehicles are more dangerous and do more harm than firearms. Yet you are tested once as a teen and good to go for life.

There is so much with this entire statement.

[rx7boi]

in his mind that is a bulletproof analogy.

Don't pop his bubble!

[M.alex]

I wonder what all those butt-hurt people over zipper merging think about the time when merging onto deerfoot southbound on the calf-robe bridge meant you got a 10ft long lane and a yield sign before being dumped onto the highway

[speedog]

Been here since 1979 and don't ever recall a yield sign to get onto Deerfoot or a 10 foot lane.

edit: correction, I do remember that yield.

[rage2]

Originally posted by speedog
Been here since 1979 and don't ever recall a yield sign to get onto Deerfoot or a 10 foot lane.

Don't have anything older than 2009 when they redid this, but hey the yield is still there!

https://goo.gl/maps/k97RM5RQkam

Beyond thread talking about it:

http://forums.beyond.ca/showthread.php?threadid=131670

Moar:

http://forums.beyond.ca/st2/deerfoot...68#post2523468

Originally posted by sexualbanana
1) Deerfoot and Peigan Trail (Southbound)
- The lane that Peigan connects with Deerfoot is too short to be a merge, and the speed on Deerfoot is too fast to be a yield. A lot of people stop there because it's a very short period of time to merge onto Deerfoot, which I don't blame them. It's almost an immediate merge before the lane runs out. And once you stop, you don't have any room to gain any speed to try to yield onto Deerfoot, nor are any of the drivers already on Deerfoot able to slow down enough for you to yield safely onto Deerfoot, lest they put themselves at risk of getting rear-ended.

[JustinMCS]

Zipper makes sense but SO many people have an issue with it, for example, on Memorial when the lane reversals are in effect, people honk and dont let you in on purpose and wave the middle fingers around. I stopped the other day and pointed at the large sign that says:

[J-hop]

Just a reminder when heading south on crowchild at 16th, the lane that exits onto 13th ave NW and 16th ave ramp connects to is NOT an acceptable place to 'zipper merge'. Holy hell that causes problems.

[rage2]

Originally posted by J-hop
Just a reminder when heading south on crowchild at 16th, the lane that exits onto 13th ave NW and 16th ave ramp connects to is NOT an acceptable place to 'zipper merge'. Holy hell that causes problems.

Only idiots zipper merge there, but everyone knows to use the shortcut now and it's not much of a problem anymore.

What I hate is ppl taking their sweet ass time, huge gaps to cars in front defeating the purpose of the shortcut.

[thetransporter]

this sign means stop in Calgary , now with zipper merge what will happen

[lilmira]

We already know but here is another article.
http://globalnews.ca/news/3174719/it...ffic-ama-says/

[Swank]

Originally posted by thetransporter
this sign means stop in Calgary , now with zipper merge what will happen

I love it when you come around the corner from one of those only to see a 'lane ending' sign, it's a merge in disguise