I will concede that there are situations where zipper merging makes sense, writes Stephen Quinn. At the north end of the Lions Gate Bridge, for instance, where it is beautifully and artfully executed with, in some cases, four lanes merging gracefully into one like some fantastic piece of German machinery.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
Stephen Quinn is the host of On the Coast on CBC Radio One, 690 AM and 88.1 FM in Vancouver.
It's a perennial topic of conversation among auto commuters and it has once again reared its ugly, counterintuitive head: the zipper merge.
Earlier this month, the Alberta Motor Association declared that those drivers who race toward the source of a bottleneck only to force their way into the open lane at the last minute are not only in the right, they actually help the flow of traffic.
This discovery is, of course, nothing new. In many jurisdictions, zipper merging is the law.
Steve Wallace, who owns a Vancouver Island driving school, has been urging drivers for years to use the zipper merge technique. He suggested in a 2015 opinion piece that, rather than boiling over with rage when a driver races past in the right lane to get as close to the obstacle as possible, we should be courteous, allow the driver in and perhaps thank them for doing the right thing. The theory goes that if drivers filled both lanes of traffic rather than lining up in a single lane, no one would be able to zoom past. It is, according to those who subscribe to that theory, the most efficient use of available road space. I understand the logic – it makes perfect sense. The question is: Why can't I bring myself to do it?
You see, I'm that guy who moves to the back of the long line when I see the obstacle ahead. Do I curse the drivers who race past on my right? Yes, I do. Do I sometimes hug the bumper of the car in front of me to prevent those drivers from getting ahead of me. Yes. I'm not proud of it. But it just feels unfair.
My justification has always been that in all but a few cases the obstacle ahead is clearly visible and, since I am not able to travel through solid matter, I must move over – and the sooner the better because it reduces the chances of encountering a bumper-hugging, cursing anti-zipperite such as myself.
This happens to me often on the eastern end of the Georgia Viaduct. After 6 p.m., cars are allowed to park in the curb lane on Prior Street. By 6:15 or 6:20, you can be sure there will be a few of them. So I stay in the left lane. And judging from the long line of traffic, I'm not alone.
And there they go – one, two, now five cars passing on the right with those dupes up ahead actually letting them in.
Here's the thing: I don't believe the drivers who are speeding past are doing it to facilitate the smooth flow of traffic or to use as much available road space as possible. I think they're selfish, bad people who put their own needs and desires ahead of all else. I have no evidence to support this but I'm pretty sure it's true – I mean, just look at that guy. Look at his car.
I will concede that there are situations where zipper merging makes sense. At the north end of the Lions Gate Bridge, for instance, where it is beautifully and artfully executed with, in some cases, four lanes merging gracefully into one like some fantastic piece of German machinery.
I'm sure it's done in a similarly organized fashion on other bridge approaches in the Lower Mainland, but I haven't encountered it first hand.
Construction zones are another instance where it makes sense, especially given the City of Vancouver's love of surprise, short-notice signage. I once turned right into some unexpected road work and was thwarted by a bumper-hugging pickup driver while everyone else was dutifully zipper merging. He actually rolled down his window and pointed at me, saying, "You! You wait!" I've never forgotten it.
But on a road where cars are parked predictably every day? It somehow seems to make less sense.
All the same, I gave it a try this week. On the first two passes the light volume of traffic allowed me to merge seamlessly into the clear lane. In another case I became that guy who passed the long line of cars on my left and then waited for someone to let me in. I enduring the disapproving sneers of other drivers before someone finally made the space. I offered a courtesy wave but I still felt sullied by the experience. It felt wrong. It felt un-Canadian.
Like everything else on the roads, facilitating the smooth flow of traffic requires buy-in from all drivers. If this is going to work, we all have to sign on.
While occasional studies and columns on the topic burble up, what we need is a widespread education campaign. Perhaps we could begin with a graphic demonstration of how it's done superimposed over the omnipresent "Road Narrows" signage.
Maybe a bumper sticker to identify those who subscribe to the idea of the zipper merge.
Until that happens, I'll stick with the original plan of waiting in line.
Oh look, there goes another one.