Lakeshore overpass merging debate rages on

Salt and pepper. Heaven and hell. Cats and dogs. 

Summer 2017 in North Bay has presented another set of opposing methodologies. Drivers accessing the Lakeshore overpass, heading northbound, fall into one of two camps: Are you a zipper merger? Or a liner-upper?

During the past several months, motorists heading northbound past the Lakeshore Drive and Judge Avenue intersection have encountered traffic cones closing the right-hand lane as they approach the deck of the bridge that is under construction. 

Many drivers, now familiar with the lane closure, begin to ease into the left lane of traffic on Lakeshore Drive well before they are out of space. But, is this the right choice when facing this situation? At peak traffic times, the left northbound lane is backed up, sometimes for several hundred metres, while the right lane remains mostly vacant.

Experts say that by driving to end of the closing lane and merging at that point (instead of much earlier, for instance, where a sign is simply warning that a merge will occur ahead), alternating between vehicles from both lanes, traffic backups can be reduced by as much as 40 per cent.

Those who do dare use the right-hand lane often face scorn from motorists waiting in the left lane when they either race ahead of the pack when the light turns green or force their noses into the left lane to merge. In social media posts regarding the Lakeshore overpass debate, several commenters expressed that they would not allow drivers using the right lane to merge in front of them. These sorts of confrontations can lead to traffic snarls, accidents, and road rage incidents.

Few things cancel out our ingrained Canadian politeness as much as witnessing what some motorists see as "jumping the line."  

Why can't we all get along? Are we not civilized people? There must be a better way, and there is, according to multiple authorities on road safety and efficiency.

Enter the zipper merge:

Video courtesy of the Alberta Motor Association via YouTube

According to an article on driving safely in The New York Times,  "Sometimes traffic slows because two lanes narrow to one. A bottleneck calls for a technique known as zippering. You may call it cutting in and cheating, but you have to get over that. The trick is, again, maintaining speed with less braking.

"Drivers should use both lanes until traffic slows, then you do what they taught you in kindergarten: Be nice. Take turns. Instead of bunching up to prevent the jerk in the other lane from cutting in, you leave space so he can glide in. Then a car from your lane proceeds. Then you let another driver cut in. And so on. As you approach the final merging point, leave even more space."

Zipper merging is not the law in Ontario, nor in any of the areas included in the embedded videos. Yet, the evidence seems fairly convincing that the practice makes for a safer and more efficient driving experience.

How do you handle the merge on the Lakeshore Drive overpass? Cast your vote in our poll below.

Video courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Transportation via YouTube