A few simple tips can save you time and reduce frustration in heavy traffic and construction zones, whether during your daily commute or a summer vacation drive across Michigan.
Here’s a big one: Use the “zipper merge” method, even if it upsets other drivers.
The quickest, most efficient way to merge for a construction zone probably isn’t what you think it is. The “zipper merge,” in which vehicles run in parallel until one lane physically narrows, is better for traffic flow than when vehicles form a single line early.
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Yes, that means the driver you cursed for “cheating” by driving by you in the empty lane after you politely merged to the through-lane a half-mile before the construction zone was helping traffic flow more than you. Sorry, just the truth.
An increasing number of states, including Michigan, encourage drivers to use the zipper merge. Some even created flashing signs showing how and where to merge.
“It’s important to merge smoothly not to make sudden lane changes,” Michigan State University associate professor of urban and regional planning Teresa Qu said in 2018.
The Michigan State Police Department has long endorsed it, too: “When approaching a construction zone in which a lane is reduced, remember to use the zipper merge. To keep traffic moving, drivers should use both lanes, with drivers taking turns alternating into the open lane.”
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: ‘Zipper merge’ will upset other Michigan drivers. Here’s why you should still do it.
Reporting by Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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