I have a new pet hate with certain drivers! ;-)

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › I have a new pet hate with certain drivers! ;-)

Mark

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#154344 24-Oct-2014 19:22

It's a long weekend and everyone and their dog is heading up north, so SH1 towards Warkworth was a bit evil today! (bit annoying since I live in Mangawhai and just want to go home).

Before Auckland there are a few places with a passing lane ... not much passing going on on the last passing lane between Warkworth, just a long queue .. but why do some people feel they must straddle both lanes to block people from the right hand lane ?

I don't get it, the passing lane is 1km long, why have a 2km queue when you can have a 1km queue by filling both lanes and then doing a nice orderly merge like a zip at the end ?

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#1161675 24-Oct-2014 19:27

We don't have that hassle here, they close the passing lanes at holiday time. Actually makes things flow better.

coffeebaron

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#1161677 24-Oct-2014 19:29

Re merging slows the flow

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Batman

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#1161692 24-Oct-2014 19:37

Welcome to the rest of the world

Inphinity

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#1161694 24-Oct-2014 19:40

Because 99% of drivers can't merge to save their lives, literally.

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#1161735 24-Oct-2014 20:40

It's called the constantino effect

Coil

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#1161740 24-Oct-2014 20:45

Merging delays traffic. You know that right. The people that straddle it are smart.
There will be the same amount of traffic at the end of the day/

Mark

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#1161774 24-Oct-2014 22:20

TimA: Merging delays traffic. You know that right. The people that straddle it are smart.
There will be the same amount of traffic at the end of the day/

Hmm, I must have missed that rule in the road code that you must straddle both lanes to prevent people overtaking!

Merging only delays traffic when people don't do it properly .. which for NZ drivers is most of the time, might explain why you think it delays traffic ;-)

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Stu

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#1161787 24-Oct-2014 22:26

joker97: It's called the constantino effect

You mean concertina effect, right? Just checking we're on the same page!

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Keep calm, and carry on posting.

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scuwp

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#1161812 24-Oct-2014 22:37

Yep. Proven fact that lanes get a higher throughput if they stay just 1 lane. Quite often passing lanes are coned off in some places around the country on busy weekends. Just chill out and take your place in the cue. Everyone will get to their destination faster.

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#1161819 24-Oct-2014 22:53

BigHammer:
joker97: It's called the constantino effect

You mean concertina effect, right? Just checking we're on the same page!

LOL i kept googling it and came up empty - no wonder i had it spelt wrong this whole time

now to stop blushing ...

thanks ;)

raytaylor

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#1166247 1-Nov-2014 03:06

coffeebaron: Re merging slows the flow

The only traffic jams we have in Hawkes Bay is 5pm on the taradale expressway there is a 2km queue between 5pm and 5.20pm on the approach to the taradale exit - people slowing down before they get onto the offramp before they exit causes a queue behind them that drops to 30 or less.

In the queue span there is a merging lane from Pakowhai road that merges into the queue. I sit in the middle over the centre line and notice alot of other drivers do too to prevent people trying to pass other cars that have been patiently waiting in the queue and then slowing the flow further trying to merge exactly as you say

Edit: You can have two lanes of cars, but its still going to take everyone the same amount of time to get through the bottleneck point, so its best not to encourage those that would try to be cheeky and jump the queue upsetting those that have been patiently waiting.

The first thing you learn in your defensive driving course is you avoid angering or upsetting other drivers at every opportunity. A simple mistake like cutting someone off, stealing their spot in the queue etc can change their mood and cause them to become impatient and have an accident later.

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Jase2985

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#1166260 1-Nov-2014 07:02

but then if you are straddling the lane arent you making the total distance of the queue longer by doing that, hence making more of a problem for those not taking that exit?

we have a problem in Auckland where people are queued for ramp signals and they insist of leaving a 10m gap between them and the car infront all they are doing is causing the end of the queue to be further back potentially causing issues at other intersections

ckc

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#1166390 1-Nov-2014 11:47

raytaylor:
coffeebaron: Re merging slows the flow

The only traffic jams we have in Hawkes Bay is 5pm on the taradale expressway there is a 2km queue between 5pm and 5.20pm on the approach to the taradale exit - people slowing down before they get onto the offramp before they exit causes a queue behind them that drops to 30 or less.

In the queue span there is a merging lane from Pakowhai road that merges into the queue. I sit in the middle over the centre line and notice alot of other drivers do too to prevent people trying to pass other cars that have been patiently waiting in the queue and then slowing the flow further trying to merge exactly as you say

Edit: You can have two lanes of cars, but its still going to take everyone the same amount of time to get through the bottleneck point, so its best not to encourage those that would try to be cheeky and jump the queue upsetting those that have been patiently waiting.

The first thing you learn in your defensive driving course is you avoid angering or upsetting other drivers at every opportunity. A simple mistake like cutting someone off, stealing their spot in the queue etc can change their mood and cause them to become impatient and have an accident later.

So you remember the bit about driver psychology but you forget the bit where you're supposed to actually drive defensively and obey the road code? In other words, stay in your lane.

How do you think lane straddling is going to make other drivers react? Seriously, you are not the police. If you learned anything from the DDC it should have been to drive passively and defensively. In other words, you should be expecting that kind of behaviour and stay out of the way, not get in the way, put yourself and other drivers at risk and piss everyone off.

You can't fail the DDC, but seeing people who've done it who clearly haven't learned much makes me think there should be an option to fail.

bluedisk

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#1166420 1-Nov-2014 12:42

I don't get it, the passing lane is 1km long, why have a 2km queue when you can have a 1km queue by filling both lanes and then doing a nice orderly merge like a zip at the end ?

Because you are supposed to stay in the left hand lane unless overtaking. In this case there is nowhere to overtake to, they just end up pushing into the front of the queue. Even a blind man can see this is just queue jumping, a practice we abhor anywhere else.
Here in the Wellington area north of Waikanae, they have done away with the overtaking lane. It just gets drivers grumpy when they have been waiting patiently in the left lane, and they see others passing them, effectively extending their own waiting time. People just need to be patient and take their time in the queue.

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Jase2985

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#1166427 1-Nov-2014 13:22

but there is 2 lanes, a queue in both lanes, its not queue jumping, its using the road as it was intended. and pushing to the front of the queue? really if the lane is there use it, if you choose not to dont complain.

"sorry you cant use the right lane because i dont want you to be able to merge/get in front of me"?

the keep left unless passing is irrelevant in that situation.

yes people need to be patient but if the road is there your suggesting that don't use it? its a bit draconian isn't it?

at the end of the day there is still the same amount of cars on the road, isnt it better they take up a small piece of road by using 2 lanes than take up more by using one and potentially impede traffic else where?

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