To zipper or not to zipper? (You should probably zipper)
According to over 1,300 comments from a July 30th WFAA Facebook post asking about the MOST annoying habit of DFW drivers we have compiled a list of the top 10 most mentioned. There might be nothing in DFW that gets us as fired up as traffic: The slow drivers, the fast drivers, the endless construction cones, the bumper-to-bumper backups on I-35, I-75, LBJ and the Tollways.
No. 10: Not doing the zipper!
I thought this might be a combination of complaints: Drivers who employ the “zipper” merging technique, and those who don’t, with both sides thinking the others deserve to get their license revoked. I was only half wrong.
Nearly every mention of the infamous zipper method were complaints about other drivers NOT using it. If you’re not familiar with the terminology, the zipper method mostly applies to when two lanes of traffic become one, usually if there’s construction or a wreck ahead. To “zipper” means to drive as far as you can in the lane that’s ending before merging.
You’ve probably seen this a hundred times. You spot the “left lane ends in 500 feet” construction sign on I-30 in Arlington, so you flip your blinker and merge right like a fine upstanding citizen. But our Facebook commenters are here to say that you…are…WRONG. Don’t switch lanes like a pushover. Punch it full throttle across that open pavement and dip into the next lane at the last minute. But actually, they’re kind of right, and they’ve only got the State of Texas to back them up.
The Texas Department of Transportation has introduced the zipper merge along I-35 and other highways as a way to “save time, increase safety and lessen road rage.” Merging into the open lane too soon, as courteous as it might seem, “creates a long backup…and leaves the other lane empty,” according to TxDot.
Other state agencies across the country also recommend the zipper. The Minnesota Department of Transportation produced this instructional video back in 2011, showing how – and why – it works. Resist the urge to merge early!
© 2018 WFAA
Published on 2018-08-07 15:24:44
