We’re sure that most of our readers have heard the legend of Hackney Carriages having to carry a bale of hay and some oats for their horse (and contrary to popular belief, it was dropped from law in 1976), but traffic laws and road legislation in the UK are some of the most comprehensive in Europe, so it’s no surprise that many drivers can’t quite recall every one of our numerous road signs.
A survey of 22,000 motorists by Halfords Autocentres has revealed that 70% of drivers can’t correctly identify the meaning of this sign (right, used for illustrative purposes and may not reflect actual real-life signs).
Zip merging
The sign is used on motorways and dual carriageways, it shows that one lane ahead is blocked by an obstruction, but the confusion comes from understanding the next action. Pulling over into the next lane as soon as it’s possible is the majority choice, but one that is technically wrong.
What the sign is actually telling you to do is to continue driving in the lane until you’ve almost reached the merge point, then slowly ‘zip merge’ into the clear lane, where it’s safe and clear to do so. Just 27% of drivers knew the correct meaning in the survey, the last three percent believed that ‘straddling both lanes, blocking vehicles from reaching the head of the queue’ was acceptable.
Another survey by a national tyre chain also found that one in five road signs are a mystery to the average driver.
Avoidable breakdowns
The survey by Halfords was carried out as part of a roadworthiness campaign, but the fact that there are typically 85,000 breakdowns each year, with an estimated 40% being preventable isn’t what’s at interest here, this is more about driver education and habits.
36% of motorists admit to never reading the Highway Code once they’ve passed their driving test, and 20% of drivers haven’t read it within the last decade, is it a wonder that identifying signs isn’t at the forefront of their thoughts?
It seems easy to understand a great many of road signs, the ones we see daily are perhaps even ignored, only ever taking notice of ones that are clearly warning of danger, but while we may have a basic understanding of what they mean, could we 100% positively identify the sign and the textbook meaning? It’s doubtful.
Some years ago, AutoExpress polled 1,000 readers, 90% thought that driving standards were falling, but only 15% of respondents felt their driving standard had dropped, perhaps a brush-up on the Highway Code could help to change that thinking?
Highway code
While it’s easy to think that the Highway Code hasn’t changed significantly, you may be surprised to hear that in the last three years alone, there have been 48 updates to it, including changes to the MOT regulations, learner driver laws and penalties for using a handheld device.
With some organisations calling for more regular eye tests as part of an ongoing campaign to increase road safety, perhaps part of the test should include a brush-up on the Highway Code, or at least the changing road signs to help with awareness of what they all mean and how to respond correctly.
While it could be argued that the sign in question and the lack of knowledge regarding it is purely a case of semantics, the fact is that swapping lanes prematurely could actually increase congestion in the build-up to the blockage, and that’s before we get to the highly inconsiderate act of blocking the road so other drivers can’t ‘queue jump’.
It’s frustrating to see other motorists policing the roads themselves, the Police always advise against such actions, and yet drivers continue to act in such a manner. Maybe it’s those drivers that should be labelled as un-thinking or selfish, rather than the drivers happily going about their business, in full compliance of the law?
Bedtime reading
If you’re one of the 36% of drivers that haven’t read the Highway Code since passing your test, or even if you haven’t picked up a copy in the last five years, it could be worthwhile to familiarise yourself with the latest regulations and driving standards.
It’s unlikely that anyone will learn the full meaning and action of all 100+ road signs, but it’s a useful exercise in updating your own knowledge-base, and who knows, you may learn something new.
Should you wish to take part in the Halfords survey, you can find that here; please note that PetrolPrices has not been paid to endorse this survey, and has no affiliation with the survey or the creators and promoters. We put such links in at the interest of our readers.
Do you think that driving standards are falling? Should the average motorist know the meaning and action of all road signs? Will you share your result from the test? Let us know in the comments.
Given that I have never heard of the term “zip merge”, I am one of the 70%.
Zip merging appears to be a misnomer for continuing to the obstruction and then trying to merge when the speed differential is greater. Not only is danger increased, traffic flow is reduced and severity of any accidents are greater. Courtesy is discouraged as we are expected to drive like selfish a***holes. It is also a pollution and stress increasing strategy which is clearly government policy.
In fact if all 4 lanes were occupied up until the obstruction (or merge point) and then everyone properly and politely “zip merged” as i understand they do in Germany, there would be less congestion, the road would flow better, and everyone would spend less time being delayed. But I do agree that the sign does not in any way confer the meaning of “zip merging”. It is an information sign telling us perhaps the reason we should be zipping but does not say to zip. I think there should be another sign that goes along with the one shown that clearly instructs people to zip merge. It wouldnt be hard to design one and I think Germany might even have one already that we could “borrow” – oh but if we brexit we might have to buy it instead 😉
I don’t think additional signs are needed – they certainly don’t have them in Germany, to use your example. A speed limit sign, for example, states the maximum permitted speed, which does not instruct drivers to drive at that speed nor does it tell drivers to slow down. Motorists ought to know what to do with the speed limit information and don’t need additional instructions to slow down if exceeding the limit. Driving is all about adapting to the road conditions in line with ‘information’ provided by road signs, markings etc.
I always stay in lane until I can see the merge point then find a safe place to pull in.
Finding that safe place however is not helped by the “lane police” who think you should pull in as soon as you see the sign, causing huge queues.
I ignore them, they are idiots
As opposed to the “lane clowns” who cause the queues.
The sign does not indicate that one lane is closed as you say, it states that two lanes are closed.
Zip merging simply does not work in the uk as British drivers get very aggressive towards those who ‘queue jump’ by staying in the right hand lane or lanes until the last moment. As you state in the article, some see straddling lanes to prevent ‘impatient queue jumpers’ from passing and at the merge point, many will simply not let those in the right hand lanes merge. It’s all well in theory but not in practice.
That situation is only ‘in practice’ because people don’t know the Highway Code and thus out of spite shose to break it because of their own ignorance and selfishness.
BTW – the sign doesn’t state that one lane is closed, but that two lanes (out of four) WILL be closed off in 800 yards ahead. You are then supposed to follow the Highway Code to safely merge in turn to the nearside (open) lanes. It DOES NOT state that upon seeing the sign, you should force your way into the ‘open’ lanes to your left straight away and then block people who DO follow the code’s rules.
That is a LOT different to not letting someone in who fails to slow down as they approach the ‘merge in turn point’ and tries to force their way in as some people do. If done safely and at a reasonable speed, this reduces traffic jams considerably as traffic uses all lanes and leaves sufficient gaps so that vehicles don’t have to brake sharply when vehciles merging do so (which also is a major cause of traffic jams, never mind accidents).
Being of a certain age I used my common sense. The sign says Closed in 800 yards. So that what it means, nothing complicated about that. Move over to the ‘open’ lanes before they are closed off. I asked my wife what the sign meant, and, although of a certain age she new fine well!
What is up with people who refuse to Merge in Turn even when there are signs saying so. Where we live a roundabout is often blocked as the result of drivers leaving on two lanes and immediately joining the left lane when the two lanes do not merge for some distance and yes there is a sign Merge in Turn in NYards.
It has also been proved that if traffic uses all carriage ways and then merges close to the blockage, then traffic overall moves faster. In some places there are even signs that say use the carriageways and merge in turn, but it appears from my experience that most drivers cannot read.
Or in this case, even understand the picture!
Absolute rubbish, what happens and we have the data to prove it, is that traffic comes to a grinding halt as people push and shove at the point where there are only two lanes. What will be interesting is once cameras currently under test get the HOTA approval is that people will change their ways. The A9 in Scotland is a prime example, where it have become pointless to do dangerous overtakes.
All the gantry signs with cameras do is move the problem further back leaving miles of empty but perfectly usable lanes. You now have to move over before the red X or face a fine – I know someone who got hit by that one.
Red X is a different scenario. That does mean ” Do not travel any farther in that lane”.
Please let me know where you got the data. I’d love to see it simply because I’m a data geek and asking to lick an argument. Thanks
This action is just quite simply plain unadulterated ignorance.As soon as I see this type of signage I will always try to get into the left lane as soon as possible,and not leave it ’till the last possible instance.
ACPO and RAC say that YOU are doing the wrong thing:
https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/driving-advice/zip-merging/
ACPO does not exist any more so cant be giving advise. The sign in question is not the one used for zip-merging which is something entirely different and is normally proceeded with a merge in turn sign. The picture in this article is a good example – https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/motoring/motoring-news/you-know-drivers-jumping-queue-13431925
Just read this and agree wholeheartedly.
Steven, You have the ignorance problem, then. Suppose there is a half-mile tailback due to two lanes being closed. If everybody behaves like you, we get a one-mile tail-back on lanes 1 and 2, and a mile of empty in lanes 3 and 4. There are four problems with that:
(a) The back of the queue is now earlier than the first warning sign, so people are arriving at 70mph onto a stationary queue without warning. Lots of rear-ending, lots of fresh blockages.
(b) The back of the queue may now be far enough back to block a previous junction, so that people cannot leave at that point without sitting in a queue for no good reason.
(c) Empty lanes will attract people who want to jump the queue, which is unfair and increases frustration. People who use lanes 3 and 4 as intended by the highway code are then deliberately blocked by those people who chose to fill up the inside lanes prematurely. Zip merging is visibly fair.
(d) With stationary traffic in lane 2 and adjacent fast traffic in lane 3, any contact is going to be very severe.
I have seen zip merging done properly (too rarely). It works excellently. Everybody knows that they have all waited about the same amount of time, so there is no resentment. You pick the car you think it is fair to merge with, and track a few feet behind him. The next guy behind him drops back slightly to give you a gap.The guy behind you lets him in. Nobody has to stop and wait for an opportunity, nobody gets hassled. It is safe to do this up to maybe 40mph. If two lanes are closed, 1 and 2 can merge, and 3 and 4 can merge separately.
Even people who never saw it done can figure it out from seeing the cars ahead of them. Why can’t you?
(e) if every person ahead of you politely lets one car join your lane, and each of them politely lets one car join your lane ad infinitum.., you might as well get the sleeping bag out!
Very well put. Couldn’t agree more.
Why move over ASAP. Sign isn’t telling you to do so. Not ignorance just common sense.
Quite correct Paul, on all counts. Another ridiculous road rule.
Actually waiting until the last few meter before moving into the 1st and 2nd lane can result in you being landed with a NIP for driving without due care and attention and camera technology is being tested to do more enforcement in this regard.
Well, in my experience what usually happens is that people merge maturely and sensibly for a while, and then an Audi appears and steams flat out down the right-hand lane to push in front of everyone else, followed by a queue of BMW drivers who don’t want to be left out, and then a huge articulated lorry pulls over to block both lanes and keep the Audis and BMWs in their place – usually to the huge pleasure and satisfaction of all the other road users who have just been well and truly screwed over by the Audi drivers…
and the reason a lorry blocks their path is that once level with a truck it is virtually impossible to see their indicators (in the vain hope they may actually signal their intention) and it is also hard to see a car directly just past you. it is actually safer to block inconsiderate drivers for there own safety. bear in mind most trucks in the UK are at 44000Kilos thats about 38 times your average family car.
The problem stems from the sign not matching what it is “designed” to instruct. If zip merging is what is required, then design a sign that makes that clear. Don’t forget there are many cars/lorries on British roads that are foreign or have foreign drivers and are likely never to have read the highway code. The sign shown here informs the non-highway code reader that two lanes are blocked ahead (not one as stated), so the instinctive decision to this is to get into a lane that isn’t blocked as soon as safely possible.
Some joined-up thinking would be nice.
I agree with Mark T the sign is ambiguous, at least for a four lane situation. I’d stagger the length of the closed arrows to emphasise the merging even to the point of also staggering the open lanes across the whole sign. provided the cones of closure are done this way (they usually are) then why cannot the sign match the road!
Malcolm
Quite agree. Zip merging won’t happen until the majority understand that it is a requirement. Information signs to that effect would help. They are used elsewhere to good effect. When drivers understand it they do it!
in actual fact foreign drivers are probably more used to filtering properly than UK drivers. The comment above about British Drivers being agressive about proper filtering is the key. in the channel islands it is actually an offence to not obey the “Merge in Turn” signs at junctions for instance. The introduction of a similar law here would be the answer but of course it would only work with proper publicity, driver education, and, most importantly, visible policing and it’s this latter point that just won’t happen. A few years agio a law was brought in to try to stop middle lane cruising but it hasn’t worked at all, simply because it isn’t policed. Does anyone, anywhere know of a single prosecution for this offence?
Whilst I don’t know to a prosecution for this offence I do think it should be noted that a much more serious offence takes place because of these middle lane cruisers and that is it causes some impatient drivers to UNDERTAKE. That surely needs policing.
The motorways would be safer and more pleasant if people used the correct lane. If you caught up with a driver doing 60mph in lane 3 with no traffic in lane 1 or 2.
Is the correct response to:
1. Undertake (Illegal)
2. Flash headlights (not very British and doesn’t make a difference if the driver doesn’t check their mirrors)
3. Tailgate (Illegal)
4. Leave them in their own world to cause annoyance, without them knowing they’re doing anything wrong
Undertaking is not strictly illegal in the UK. It can be extremely dangerous, and is punishable IF deemed to be careless driving.
Undertaking is in fact necessary otherwise dead bodies would pile up in the streets…
It is actually illegal by default ie unless certain conditions are met. The legal term is Overtaking by the left an your highway code states it ‘must not’.
Common exemptions are:-
1) Vehicle is slowing and indicating right
2) Road is congested and your lane is moving quicker the the lane to the right.
3) Instructed to do so by a traffic officer
So if I’m going faster ( but not exceeding the speed limit) than a lane hogger who’s causing congestion then you’re saying it’s ok for me to undertake as the right lane is going slower than mine?
If lane 1 is for “driving” and all others for overtaking which was certainly as stated in the highway code last time I looked.., how can you be criticised for continuing to “drive” in lane 1 if there is no one ahead of you to overtake as long as you are not causing a danger?
Humberside police stopped and prosecuted a driver going over the Ouse bridge on the M62 about a month ago, they followed him for around 5/6 miles sauntering in the middle lane and then pulled him over,
Just follow @tvprp on Twitter, they catch at least 1 a week on the M4.
On the A303 between Andover and Honiton there are lots of sections of dual carriageway interspersed with single carriageway sections. Most of the dual sections now have blue and white rectangular info boards starting at the “Dual carriageway ends 800 yards ahead” sign which actual say something like “When queuing use both lanes and merge at head of queue”. Why don’t they roll these out at all pinch points?
and at roadworks too!
There can be dual-carriageways with only one lane in each direction. Just to be clear.
Actually I’ve seen a Twitter post from the police showing a middle lane hog getting pulled over and done for inconsiderate driving. Far too infrequent though I’ll agree.
I remember seeing a sign, in roadworks, instructing vehicles to merge alternately. It was so long ago that I don’t remember when it was or where it was. It was not graphic, it was an alphanumeric sign advising drivers to merge.
Maybe that should be used more often, I can’t remember seeing it ever again.
There are “Please merge in turn” signs near Bracknell fire station – they work!
There are also some on the Hanworth roundabout where it goes down to Crowthorne but the merge area is very short. Creating 2 lanes only to merge to one almost immediately causes more problems than it solves. Same used to be true of the Bagshot Road near the M3 – that had an outer ‘chicken lane’ on both sides which has now been hatched out – great improvement.
I quite agree there are too many roundabouts and approaches to traffic lights that are 2 lanes in 1 lane out leading to immediate merge in turn. I have had so many near misses cars in the other lane just pile through regardless,
Clearly time people took their highway code book out. Its shown on the default 4 exit roundabout and with nice colour pictures.
Be default (unless signed otherwise)
Left hand lane is for the first and second (ahead) exits
Right hand lane is for the third and fourth exits(going back the way you came)
‘Merge in turn’ is ambiguous in itself though – for many years I thought it meant ‘merge in corner’ rather than ‘take it in turns to merge’. Likewise ‘zip merging’ – it refers to the interlocking of teeth one after the other in a zip mechanism, but I suspect most people have very little awareness of how a zip works (at least, going by their road behaviour this seems to be the case).
Not at the moment with the roadworks at the roundabout. Had truck pull out into the outer lane blocking it last weekend 🙁
Blackwall Tunnel North bound has a “merge in turn” sign
I have seen a much more explicit German sign that shows a line of red cars on the outside, joining a line of black cars, ending up as a line of alternate black and red cars. The misunderstanding is caused by a sign that needs redesign.
If 2 lanes are to be blocked, then they should merge one lane, then the other, or merge both inside lanes and both outside lanes, before funnelling them onto the two inside lanes. Unfortunately this needs a load of cones and can’t be done for a temporary stoppage.
There is huge disruption caused by the highways agency, who put 4 miles of speed restrictions on a road for a broken down car, which is already on the hard shoulder. All that is needed is an exclamation mark with the word slow and a brief description of the problem. They go in for overkill, frustrate motorists , and actually make the situation more dangerous!
Adding “Merge in Turn” might help…….
Why wait until you reach the obstruction before merging?So what happens when you get there and every other driver wants to stay ahead of the other and wont let you in?You and all the others behind you are stuck and trying to “push”your way into any available gap therefore causing those in the clear lanes to also slow to a crawl.Not to.mention risking a bump.
Before you know it,the whole road has come to a standstill and a tailback has formed.
Best thing to do ,in my opinion,s start moving across when you see the sign and traffic can still be moving relatively smoothly when you get to the so called merge point.Certainly makes more sense than waiting until you get all the way up there just to make matters worse.
Wrong. Doing this creates queues. merge in turn works!
Merge in turn its simple. Often by getting into a lane long before needed that lane becomes needlessly blocked right back to a roundabout or junction. Merge in turn when the lane is closed makes the queue much shorter, and stops all the ‘he’s cheating the queue nonsense that only happens in the UK
Unfortunately most of the drivers who continue in the “closed” lanes don’t do it because it’s “merge in turn”, they do it out of arrogance! What is being I implied here, is continuing in both closed lanes (although in the text it says one one lane is closed) and that’s a recipe for a pileup. It it a rule? Yes. Does it work? No. Therefore the rule and the signs need changing.
The majority of drivers have not looked a the Highway Code since taking their driving test and it has been updated many times over the years .Anyone committing any motoring offence should have to take a test on the Highway Code and motoring laws ,to fail would mean an immediate driving ban The Highway Co de can be found online at gov.uk no need to buy a copy
At least moving over to from the obstructed lanes when you see the sign, you are then able to be a good driver and let one or two of them who have left it until later.
At the end of the day, we all want to get to journeys end quickly and as safe as possible.
As Lynda Skinner points out, we are all trying to get somewhere and those people that change lanes before the obstruction tend to get stuck there because as a car at the front moves forward, one or two push in from the obstructed lane, ergo, the cars in the unobstructed lane are going nowhere fast. The British don’t ‘merge’, they Push In; merging is fine on paper.
Ever tried merging in turn? Rarely will someone let you in.
People don’t merge in turn at McDonalds
Roy,
Interesting. Why is it that people who buy petrol (or that other dirty stuff) manage to get to the till in a civilised manner, why is it then that they can’t merge in a civilised manner once they get behind the wheel?
I do it all the time, someone lets you in. Complete madness all pilling into 1 lane miles before necessary often making the queue back up to a roundabout or junction. |The lane is open till the lane is closed and if everyone was civil then it would work much better. And yes I let people in if they wish to merge in front of me if I am in the open lane
Never seen a four lane carriage way terminate at a roundabout…
You should try getting out more then.
The operative phrase in your comment Ianto is “… if everyone was civil…” Sadly they aren’t.
Everyone should pull into lane 1 earlier as that keeps the traffic flowing, whereas if one apllies your logic then someone in lane 1 has to slow down or even stop (including everyone behind them) to let the likes of you in…in other words you have caused lane 1 to slow down unnecessarily, as have all the others thinking the same as you do and thinking you have the ‘divine right’ to drive passed those who have thought ahead.
Hey GMan I see it differently. If two lanes of traffic are merging into one (or four into two) the traffic will be slowing down, unless there is very little traffic on the road, that’s physics. If those choosing lane 1 leave a long enough gap, not a silly length but about the length of a parallel parking space long enough to drive into rather than reverse, then those alongside in the right hand lane can pull smoothly into the space without causing anyone to break. It’s like air show flying, smooth and precise. You yourself have the option of pulling into the right hand lane if it’s clear instead of staying in the left and thinking others are queue jumping, they are just using the road. Or at least, I am when I do it, I am not trying to queue jump nor operate any divine right, just thinking that if we all, right and left lanes, slow down the correct amount, just a little, then everyone keeps moving at a reasonable speed rather than a long tailback developing in the left hand lane, slowing down a lot of people, while there is a relatively empty right hand lane.
What?? Surely you don’t mean people in the left lane overtake you on the left preventing you from merging in turn in accordance with the highway code!!!
If drivers in the UK merged in turn a lot of the queues would not exist. It is simple!
Instead many merge too early, and the worse offenders are lorries who think they have the right to block two lanes and stop vehicles from going to the front and correctly merging in turn.
It is not rocket science, yet many can’t do this simple action.
The only time when you must move over is when there is an X in your lane on the motorway.
If you have ever been stationery in an “open” lane because of merging traffic ahead then a large vehicle pulls over to prevent others overtaking the queue, your lane then starts to move freely. Problem is that drivers adjacent the lorry do not understand what is happening, move forward into the space vacated by the larger vehicle which then has difficulty merging back in! The sign illustrated is only information not instruction. For safety sake there should next be a “Merge in turn” sign, and in the instance of 4 lanes to 2, then vehicles should be filtered from 4 to 3 to 2. Appreciate this involves more signage and cones but suggesting that 4 and 3 should drive up to the blockage then merge creates a dangerous bottleneck. Imho I support zip-merge but much earlier than is currently required.
You’re not supposed to flash your lights to let somebody out, and if someone does this to you, you’re not supposed to move.
You aren’t supposed to use your horn in aggression – only to let someone know you are there in case they haven’t seen you.
Everyone here does these things anyway. In Britain, convention beats the Code on the road.
If you see that sign, just merge in way ahead of the obstruction. Otherwise you will get blocked by people refusing to let you in as punishment for trying to push ahead. That’s just how it works here and it’s safer to do what everyone expects rather than what’s written down.
Hello Dave
I was taught to never rely on someone flashing lights to let me out etc. All it did was to alert me to a car being there. Recently saw an insurance scam program on TV where a driver flashed lights, other driver pulled out, and flash light driver drove into him, claiming for a new car.
Bit off topic I know.
I agree with readers who suggest “Merge in turn” signs should be displayed. And obeyed!
If they want people to merge they it need to be made clear both in the sign and in the advice given with the sign. The highway code sites only identify the sign as indicating lane closures, with no other information. Later in section 288 they explicitly state to NOT change lanes to overtake queuing traffic but then later state to merge in turn.
I’ve only ever seen a couple of ‘Merge in turn’ signs, one actually in a set of roadworks (just the once), and another in Jersey which ironically is on a corner so gives that momentary delay as your brain ponders if it’s telling you to merge alternately or to merge in the corner.
There is a merge in turn sign in Cromer town centre. And everyone does it, works well.
Correct Ethel. Also in Norwich all roads needing traffic to merge in turn have large white arrows on the roads showing where to merge in turn. (You can see them when there is no traffic on them.)
There used to be a “merge in turn” sign (a few, in fact) in Cornwall on the A30 westbound as it went into the single lane section at Temple (now, thankfully, two lanes each way). Almost everyone ignored it and headed into the left lane incredibly early.
I passed my driving test in 1967 and I’m afraid it’s a fact that the thought of reading the Highway Code now and then never occurred to me until 1974 when I took my motorcycle test.
Next time was 2014. What prompted my purchasing a new one, and ‘Roadcraft – the Police Riders Handbook’ was that I was embarking on an Advanced Rider Training course with RoSPA.
I was amazed at the difference and even picking up the same one every few weeks is worth it for revision.
I did pass my Advanced Test, it was pretty tough but the old addage is true, you NEVER stopped learning when you are a driver or rider, far too easy to get complacent with your own ability.
One of the key elements I was taught when I first learnt to drive, was to “drive ahead” – – in other words – to anticipate road conditions, traffic, hazards etc.. That’s what I have always aimed to do, and it results in a smoother and, more often than not, quicker journey.
So when I see a sign indicating lane closures, I will decide to join the ‘open’ lanes whenever is most convenient and easiest to do so, and often with little drop in speed.
I have noticed that when most traffic adopts this proceedure, there is little slowing in speed, and no constriction at the lane restriction. However, when drivers hammer up to the restriction, and then have to dramatically slow down or stop before they can ‘zip-merge’, it causes severe build-up of traffic, and inevitably slows everyone, and oft causes accidents.
The sign Cleary states that 2 lanes are obstructed and not 1 , I would personally move into the inside lanes when safe to do so and not leave it until the last 50 yards which just creates a bottle neck .
I’d also move into the left lane of the remaining two, because fewer vehicles will move right over and it will move faster, than the right hand lane, which will be slowed by all the vehicles joining it!
Depends on traffic. When it’s free flowing then yes it is advisable to move over when safe and in advance, just like when planning to take the slip road (unlike the idiots who leave it to the last minute and brake and force everyone in the lanes – plural – inside them to brake to let them through) but in a queue you might as well queue in the right hand lane until you have to move over rather than making the overall queue even longer.
Myself & a Colleague have been talking about this very recently as we both use a dual carriageway that has 1 lane closed for roadworks.
We both know that you can stay in the lane until it’s time to merge.
But frequently see drivers stopping early hoping to merge or larger vehicles straddling both lanes in order to stop other drivers passing.
Thats because Lorries have strict times on Driving Times and Breaks; sitting in a queue whilst cars ‘push in’ is costing the lorry driver valuable time and money that he cannot afford to lose.
Merging would be good IF it worked, not barrel-assing to the obstruction and forcing your way in …. that is rude and it is NOT merging
They wouldn’t be “barrel-assing” if everyone was doing it correctly and using the space provided. And there wouldn’t be any “forcing” if people understood to MERGE IN TURN.
As is the law in Germany, Netherlands and the US; and should be here.
‘barrel-assing’ – is that another firkin Americanism ?
If 70 per cent of drivers don’t know what this sign means they should not have a driving licence.
If 70 % of drivers don’t know what this sign means they should not be on our roads.
FILTER IN TURN is a good sign and rarely used but works well when it is. First one I ever saw was on Jersey which worked very well at a regularly congested roundabout.
Looks like Petrol Prices are among the 70%. There are TWO lanes blocked ahead not ONE.
The sign has only one meaning and that is the two right hand lanes are closed ahead. It does not instruct you on how you should move to the left lanes. With regards to zip merging, there is a popular idea that this is the correct thing to do but it is not a requirement in law or even the Highway Code. The Highway Code refers to zip merging but warns it should only be done when traffic is moving slowly. Therefore if you intend to zip merge at the last minute you should expect to be slowed down and take care that those to your left are aware of your intention and are taking appropriate action to allow you to move in – it is your responsibility to ensure it is safe to change lane.
Well said Michael
Merge in turn signs help in urban areas. Why not on autostrade?
Read not just The Highway Code but gets yourselves Roadcraft http://www.roadcraft.co.uk. Only about £9.19 and teaches you the Police aspect to VERY safe driving. 260 pages of advice which will keep you out of trouble and notice and be wary of other drivers with poorer skills than you. The seriously consider doing your IAM or RoadSmart test. You pass this and get a significant reduction in your car or bike insurance. I am 74 and recently resat and passed my RoadSmart test. I redo it every 5 years. My V8 460 bhp Audi S6 only costs me £420.
I used to try to read Roadcraft every year. It surprised me how quickly I forgot certain aspects of safe driving as advocated in this small volume.
I used to be one of the ‘Lane blockers’ but after living in Texas for 7 years and more recently doing a lot of driving in Germany – ‘Zipper merge’ is the way to go. It’s the most efficient usage of the space available, no queue jumping can take place, and you can’t get the situation where there’s a mile of stationary traffic with lunatics doing 70 down the side of it, trying to get to the front.
The only way to change this (and the other ever-increasing, driver-induced annoyances on UK roads) would be for the government to put out some visual public driver re-education material. I’m thinking along the lines of Charlie the Cat and the box of matches (search it on YouTube, Millennials!) However, with less people watching TV and even less people staying tuned for adverts it would have to be a multi-faceted campaign – posters, YouTube ads, etc. Never gonna happen because they’re focusing what little ability they have on the B-word.
Other, similarly solvable annoyances:
* People that insist on doing 55 in the middle lane when there’s an empty extending for miles on their left. This turns a 3-lane motorway into a 1-lane motorway.
* People that try getting onto a motorway at 40-50mph and expect the cars in Lane 1 to evaporate, so that they can simply drive through them.
* People that brake hard on the carriageway of a motorway and then basically do a sharp left turn onto the exit slip road. Dude – slow down a little bit if you must, THEN get off the motorway, THEN brake!
* People that slam their brakes on whenever they see a speed camera – IMO, the speed limit should be on the back of every speed camera.
* People that accelerate towards a roundabout at the last second – just so they can make it look like you pulled out on them – just so they can then get angry with you. Chill out, man! We’ll all get there in the end.
* People that drive right up your backside when you’re already doing the 30mph speed limit. Look, pal… if you wanted to be in front of me, you should have got up earlier.
I hate those people that brake when they see a speed limit sign and they’re already doing that speed – they just want you behind to know that they’ve seen it! And even worse are the ones that are going uphill! Just take your foot off the accelerator!! 😆
No, they brake because they incidentally happen to be travelling at the speed limit, but actually have no idea what the speed limit is.
I suspect that often they actually have no idea what speed they’re driving let alone what the limit is. I also hate those who brake under the variable limit gantries when there’s no variable limit in force. “Just in case”
all well and good but take into consideration usually when one merges the car following tries to merge the suddenly you have a river of cars merging from your right at the same time slowing the flowing lane to a standstill. everyone has to adapt and adopt the same procedures but many are very opportunistic and flaunt every regulation as a whim. but yes I think that all points you raise is an adequate description of a minority of uk drivers that believe the only good drivers is them and they also seem to believe that they are the only important people on our roads and have to be somewhere yesterday. TIME TO CHANGE PEOPLE. Fact is roads are not big enough for everyone, and travelling by road has to be a negotiated, and courteous experience for all, then we all get to where we are going quicker and without incident.
What about the highly inconsiderate act of queue jumping? This is the UK and as a society we expect everyone to queue politely. Queueing traffic works perfectly well if everyone obeys that simple rule. Merging in turn at the front just means that all the polite people at the back of the queue have to wait a LOT longer than the queue jumpers, so it’s no surprise that tempers get frayed and self-important, entitled, queue jumpers don’t get let in. The people who think they have the right to jump to the front of a queue are *expletive*!
It’s not queue jumping. If all drivers were more considerate and all lanes were utilised until the blockage then we could all move at a smoother pace and not have to stop at all.
Some years ago I was called as a witness to a traffic accident, and thought that I needed to read the Highway Code before the Court case.
No shop in my local town sold copies of the Highway Code.
If the Government want us to keep up to date on the Highway Code, it needs to make sure that copies are available.
That’s called “joined up thinking”
We have this thing called the Internet now.
It’s available free online.
According to the Highway Code definition from https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/traffic-signs, this sign means “Temporary lane closure (the number and position of arrows and red bars may be varied according to lanes open and closed)”. Nowhere does it mention zip merging, however rule 134 states “You should follow the signs and road markings and get into the lane as directed. In congested road conditions do not change lanes unnecessarily. Merging in turn is recommended but only if safe and appropriate when vehicles are travelling at a very low speed, e.g. when approaching road works or a road traffic incident. It is not recommended at high speed.”
If everyone merges the moment they see the sign, surely this has the same effect as everyone merging at the last moment? Either way it’s four lanes into two. Personally I would have thought leaving merging until the last minute will actually make the tailback shorter.
You would have thought correctly.
Not so
The ‘merge in turn’ instruction is much simpler and from my experience works very well, however you will always get the idiot that wants to be in front of you!
Is that the bloke driving the BMW?
There is much evidence to support the view that there are many motorists driving who clearly should’nt be. I would contend that many are not “emotionally” strong enough to make key decisions whilst driving a car and are too timid. These people are a danger to themselves and others. The blame must surely lay with the Driving Test & Instructor system, with that system not being rigorous enough.
As a number of people have pointed out, the sign indicates 2 lanes closed ahead, not one, but have you also noticed that the road in the accompanying picture is only 3 lanes? The lane on the left is an exit slip road!
I lived in Germany for 3years and saw true zip filtering even at speed, it just happened!! When I came back home couldn’t believe the aggressiveness of UK drivers towards so called “queue jumpers” and the lengths they went to, trying to prevent someone getting in front of them. This “queue mentality” is really quiet pathetic.
I can’t remember where or when I passed a sign, prominently displayed, of a picture of a large zip with the words ‘MAKE LIKE A ZIP’ alongside. It seemed to work well.
I feel a regular short advert on TV or cartoon strip in newspapers teaching the many misunderstood road regulations and driving practices would be money well spent. I remember the Paddy Hopkirk cartoon strips from many years ago and learnt many good driving practices from it.
Has anyone actually read this statement that accompanies the picture ‘(used for illustrative purposes and may not reflect actual real-life signs)’?
Unbelievable ,, LOL LOL LOL self explanatory,, now I know why a lot of people zip up to the closed lanes and push their way in,, altghough I believe they know what they are doing. Anyway a lot of idiots behind the wheel..
If people want to join the back of a long queue then that’s fine. Merging in turn is not usually a problem once it starts. The issue is the selfish drivers who bomb down the outside then cut in with a few yards to spare, normally picking on a driver who has left more than a couple of inches from the car in front.
Somebody has to start it though, don’t they?
Otherwise everyone are just sheep stopping behind a long tailback, whilst leaving massive open spaces of road unused.
MORE people need to MERGE IN TURN, and then it would become less and less of a problem and even refuseniks would react less negatively to it.
What this sign means and what actually happens is a different matter. What it means for meny inconsiderate drivers is go as fast as possible in the outside lanes until the lanes are closed or the tailbacks cause you to slow down and try and merge into the inside lanes, even if this means forcing your way in.
They shouldn’t be on the road then!!! If it wasn’t SO serious it would be laughable.
I’m sure a lot pretend they don’t know so that they can “jump the queue ”
Makes me so cross, especially on a four/five hour car journey – selfish b****rds!!!
When I see that sign, I get across as soon as it’s safe. Stupid to leave it till the last minute, test just bungs everything up
This is exactly the opposite of what has been proved by proper studies. You know, carried out by people with actual relevant qualifications.
Which is why it is the law in Germany, Netherlands and the US; and should be here. You are wrong.
Obviously the 70% majority of people believe showing courtesy to other drivers by moving into the clear lanes as soon as possible is the correct thing to do. I disagree that this causes more tailbacks than the current situation where people speed up to the merging point then bully their way out, causing the clear lane drivers to break resulting to ‘stop/go’ tailbacks, if 28% of people acted this way on non-motorway roads where dual lanes merge into one there’d be increased aggravation and hold-ups. Maybe the it’s the law that should be changed to agree the majority.
You can disagree all you want, but proper studies, you know, carried out by people with actual relevant qualifications, have proved that you are wrong.
Which is why it is the law in Germany, Netherlands and the US; and should be here.
It applies equally to all cases of merging whether motorway, extra-urban or urban; roadworks or not.
Statistically, 80% of us speed at least once per journey. So maybe that “law should be changed to agree the majority” too.
Actually, I think we should. Speed does NOT kill. As an engineer, I know that sudden changes in momentum kill. Stupidity kills. Inattention kills.But as we are sitting on a planet whopping round its orbit at 33,000 mph, speed of itself does not kill.
I would abolish all speed limits. But anybody who kills, maims, or damages property while driving should be treated under the law as if they had intentionally done so. Charged with murder, GBH, criminal damage, arson, whatever the equivalent crime is, and serving the same appropriate sentence.
Oh dear, if you want someone to do something the best way is to tell them ! The DOT should produce information films on TV to inform people, it used to happen and should again. If any sign cant be explained in enough detail for the driver to absorb its true meaning then a “ministry of information film would help everyone. It’s a well known phrase “does it do what it says on the tin” if it doesn’t it needs to be explained . Waiting for everyone to buy a new copy of the Highway code, however well intended WILL NOT HAPPEN -[and there aren’t enough copies anyway – THINK Ministry of Transport – how to achieve your objective.
So if you’re driving at 33,100 mph and another planet pulls out in front of you, you’re dead.
Back on earth, it is *excessive* speed that kills and it involves your notions of ‘Stupidity’ and ‘Inattention’.
Have a really deep think about your ‘I would abolish all speed limits’.
To use another fanciful statement, ‘You cannot be serious’.
Myself and other engineers that I know are rational and realistic and have a great sense of humour.
I have just come back from Bali, and I totally agree with Paul_ Pedant. On Bali there are no speed limits ( apart from an occasional one by a school) either in town or out of it. In my 10 days there I did not see a single accident. Vehicles, particularly mopeds, come at you from all directions. I saw one with 4 passengers, including children, with/without crash helmets. And one carrying about 16 baskets on his head, Steering with one hand, or another moped with a frame at the back carrying about 10 live chickens, in crates strapped to the moped. And many many many ‘shops’ constructed on frameworks on the moped, complete with a small gas cylinder, for cooking and all the vegetable/meats to make a meal.
The main thing about Balinese drivers is their total calmness. If someone gets in your way, they automatically slow down and let them in. The only sound of a horn is when a taxi driver asks you if you need a taxi. Once, in a taxi on a motorway, my driver was going the wrong way, and he did a 180 degree turn across the face of 3 fast lanes of traffic. They all slowed down to let him in. Not a sound of a horn. Frightened me to death !! But the word is tolerance. That’s what British drivers need to practice.
One more point on my notes above. If anyone disbelieves me, I have most of these “incidents” on my I phone, except for the motorway ‘frightener !’
If you are to zip merge
Please put zip merge !! As a lot of motorist to day can only follow explicit instructions as they can not think for them selves
Good example getting from a to b without using a sat nav …. impossible for many
As they have been taught to be dummies
So sorry please put zip merge and explain to every one what it means
Another concern of mine is when car come tearing down slip roads to join either a motorway OR dual-carriage way, and expect to pull straight out with no thought given to cars ALREADY on the main carriageway.
All of these slip roads should be more clearly marked GIVE WAY or STOP. They seem to assume that they have the “right-of-way” which clearly they don’t!!
We often drive the 157+ miles to our son’s family in South Derbyshire (A2/M25/A1(M)/A14/M6/M42/A444) and this is happening ALL the time.
Can you campaign to do something about this very dangerous situation PLEASE ……………..
Occasionally you do see nervous drivers STOPPING on a motorway slip road. It is extremely dangerous and not recommended.
Again here, all that is required is to MERGE properly.
Er, no. The purpose of a slip road is, in fact, to give joining traffic enough space to accelerate up the the speed of the existing traffic, so it can merge in safely.
If you stop at the end of the slip, you are never going to get out safely in front of somebody doing 60+. You are probably going to be hit from behind fairly often (in either the slip road or lane 1), being as other joiners are going to be sizing up a suitable gap to get into lane 1, and not expecting somebody to act as you suggest.
If anybody bothered to leave the suggested one-metre-per-mph gap, then merging into lane 1 would not be a problem. Or easing off very slightly when somebody was entering would be kinder. Or moving out a lane if it was clear and maybe a slow truck was joining.
If you find people are constantly unable to join the motorway safely near you, then maybe you are just tailgating all the way up lane 1 for 157 miles, and not giving anybody an inch.
Still, give my regards to Burton on Trent.
A more visible presence of plod on the motorway would probably help and maybe the idiots who drive like their ass is on fire slowed up it might work also clear signage stating merge in turn when safe to do.
What a misleading, and incorrect, article. The article states that, “What the sign is actually telling you to do is to continue driving in the lane until you’ve almost reached the merge point, then slowly ‘zip merge’ into the clear lane, where it’s safe and clear to do so.”
If you follow the link to the Highway Code it states that this sign means “Temporary lane closure (the number and position of arrows and red bars may be varied according to lanes open and closed)” – there is nothing about ‘zip merge’, although I do agree it would be a good idea. If the instructions are not there, how do drivers know what to do?
There is a dual carriageway that narrows down to one lane south of Halifax. There are nice signs that say “use both lanes” and further on “merge in turn 200 yards” and finally “merge in turn now” – clear and easy to understand!
If that is true, then 70% of drivers should have their licenses taken away and made to take another test. That is a disgraceful situation.
Wouldn’t that do wonders for traffic congestion? 😉
Is that not why they created the Merge in Turn signage?
The sign above states lanes closed a certain distance away. As you get closer to the closure, the natural instinct is to find a space at some distance before you get to the cones. The problem arises when some individuals (in this case in lanes 3 and 4) do not regulate their speed (as rule 134 states, merging to be done only at very low speeds) but instead charge up to the closure at speeds far higher than the other lanes, then expect to slot right in. Likewise when some choose to leave the lane they’re in to get into the closing lane to get 2 cars in front.
Courteous driving is a two way street (pardon the pun) and in this instance requires both parties to not drive like dafties.
The “experts” tell us that zip merging speeds up the flow of traffic through the bottleneck. How? you still have to get the same number of vehicles through the constriction, if people pull in as soon as they see the sign, all it does is make the queue longer, but because it doesn’t have to slow down at the constriction to let the other drivers in from the outside lane, it keeps moving faster. Either way, you can’t shove more traffic through a constriction quicker by queuing differently.
This is not what has been proved by proper studies. You know, carried out by people with actual relevant qualifications.
Which is why it is the law in Germany, Netherlands and the US; and should be here. You are wrong.
I live in the real world, I passed my car test in 1966, & my HGV1 in 1985 & have driven well in excess of 1,000,000 miles in that time, so I’ve seen most things there are to see on the roads. You can only get a certain number of vehicles through a pinch point, irrespective of where they’re coming from. I prefer to believe my own eyes rather than some “survey” carried out by a 20 year old ex “uni” student with an “ology” in origami still sporting bum fluff on his chin who in reality hasn’t got a clue.
I think that the meaning of that sign needs to be changed because when all the drivers travel all the way to the end of the blocked off lanes and then push in, it means that there is a huge queue of waiting traffic in the other lanes that just doesn’t move because the gaps just fill up with the “outside travelling” cars. It’s incredibly unfair and frustrating and causes accidents because people don’t want to let the pushers in, in !
I have seen big lorries blocking the blocked off lanes further back so that the free lanes get the chance to move forward.
Nope. If all drivers used the space correctly, then no one would be “pushing in”. They’d just MERGE IN TURN.
What you describe seeing where lorries block the lanes, is condemned by the police. They are making the traffic worse and causing everyone including you to be late as a result.
In my experience (40+ years driving large vehicles) Jenny’s reading of the situation is correct. If you have ever been stationery in an “open” lane because of merging traffic ahead then a large vehicle pulls over to prevent others overtaking the queue, your lane then starts to move freely. Problem is that drivers adjacent the lorry do not understand what is happening, move forward into the space vacated by the larger vehicle which then has difficulty merging back in! The sign illustrated is only information not instruction. For safety sake there should next be a “Merge in turn” sign, and in the instance of 4 lanes to 2, then vehicles should be filtered from 4 to 3 to 2. Appreciate this involves more signage and cones but suggesting that 4 and 3 should drive up to the blockage then merge creates a dangerous bottleneck.
OK… 1) The sign says two lanes ahead are blocked a half-mile ahead. 2) No ‘zip-merging’ is mentioned – design a sign that shows this. They exist, as I’ve seen them used. 3) In these circumstances get into the inside, open lanes as quickly, safely and courteously as possible. 4) I am simply fed up with aggressive drivers, largely in big SUVs, who just drive AT me at the end of the queue and expect me to evaporate. You had plenty of time to merge safely earlier – per point 3 above. To me, this sort of driving is just a dangerous, aggressive overtaking manoeuvre that is frowned on anywhere else on our roads.
The signage is the problem.
Zip merge should show two vertical curved (towards each other) arrows with the head of one next to the curved shaft of the other. Road painting of permanent ‘merge in turn’ should be like this too. The current style tends to place the outer-lane user psychologically in the wrong
Personally it is best to get into the other two lanes on the left before the 800 yards are up as waiting until the “zip” as you say ticks drivers off who have already occupied the last two lanes plus I think its curtious to move over as soon as, as waiting until the road merges causes tail backs.