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do gooders causing problems
Aug. 3rd, 2008 10:32 amHere's an article about merging on the freeway, when a lane ends. It has inspired me to give you my thoughts.
There are two kinds of people. Let's say the left-hand lane is ending soon. There are people who get over the soonest they can - lineuppers, and there are people who cruise past them in the now-empty lane, expecting to merge at the last minute - sidezoomers. Lineuppers curse at the sidezoomers, saying that they're not playing along, and taking advantage of the morally correct.
But here's the thing. Traffic moves the best if everyone stays in his lane, and cars merge one-by-one right at the end of the lane - the zipper merge.
So lineuppers cause problems. If most people get over early, that leaves an excess of empty space in the left lane. So first of all, traffic is backed up even farther than it should be. Second, if most people move over early, the rest of them will be stuck in an empty lane with no way to get over. And blocking the traffic behind them. And if they stop and try to get over, traffic gets backed up even farther. So pretty soon you've got two miles of empty lane, and two miles of backup, when it should have only been one mile. At some point, someone's going to be left with no alternative except to stay in that left lane. But with traffic, things tend to reach some sort of equilibrium. There will always be a certain number of sidezoomers.
My point? Don't be a lineupper. Stay in your lane. If everyone stays in their lane and merges at the last, traffic will move much more smoothly, the lineuppers won't be grinding their teeth, and there will be no opportunity for sidezoomers to take advantage.
There are two kinds of people. Let's say the left-hand lane is ending soon. There are people who get over the soonest they can - lineuppers, and there are people who cruise past them in the now-empty lane, expecting to merge at the last minute - sidezoomers. Lineuppers curse at the sidezoomers, saying that they're not playing along, and taking advantage of the morally correct.
But here's the thing. Traffic moves the best if everyone stays in his lane, and cars merge one-by-one right at the end of the lane - the zipper merge.
So lineuppers cause problems. If most people get over early, that leaves an excess of empty space in the left lane. So first of all, traffic is backed up even farther than it should be. Second, if most people move over early, the rest of them will be stuck in an empty lane with no way to get over. And blocking the traffic behind them. And if they stop and try to get over, traffic gets backed up even farther. So pretty soon you've got two miles of empty lane, and two miles of backup, when it should have only been one mile. At some point, someone's going to be left with no alternative except to stay in that left lane. But with traffic, things tend to reach some sort of equilibrium. There will always be a certain number of sidezoomers.
My point? Don't be a lineupper. Stay in your lane. If everyone stays in their lane and merges at the last, traffic will move much more smoothly, the lineuppers won't be grinding their teeth, and there will be no opportunity for sidezoomers to take advantage.
