I will let you merge if you’re going the same speed as traffic. If you treat the on-ramp like a school zone, I don’t want you in front of me you nuisance.
Though to be fair, people going significantly faster than the lane next to them aren't much better. If you want to go fast, move left. Almost every day on my commute, I need to speed up to like 70 to merge, slow down to 60 to move left, then back up to 70 to move left again.
I think we should enforce a "no passing on the right" law, as well as a "no holding up traffic" law. If you're going slower than the flow of traffic, or if you get frustrated with the person in front going slower than the speed of traffic, you should get a ticket. That would probably solve both problems if enforced consistently. But instead, police enforce speed limits, which isn't really the root of the problem. I haven't really seen people lose control and cause a massive pileup, usually it's someone hitting a car they're not expecting to be there (technically their fault, but the law is poor here); it would likely be avoided if you only could expect faster traffic on the left and slower traffic on the right.
My commute involves an archaic on ramp that is three cars lengths at most and at such an angle that I can't see the merging lane with my mirrors. I get close to a stop on that thing and wait until I can see it's clear. There really is no other choice.
Fortunately, anybody using that on ramp knows, so I don't get too much guff for being cautious.
Now my exit ramp at work, on the other hand, it's more modern, so even last week I found myself getting tailgated doing eighty five with the guy behind me honking and flashing his lights because eighty five in an exit ramp that ends at a red light apparently isn't enough.
I tire of experiencing Ben Hur chariot races every day.
My person and property is more valuable than some other driver's impatience.
One time when I was driving to work, I was stopped waiting for a traffic light behind some other cars, and a guy in the opposite lane was waiting for a gap to turn onto a parking lot.
Traffic started moving, and I was about to go, but decided to stop and let the guy in first.
But from his perspective it looked for a second like I wasn't stopping. And that single hand movement that went from "fuck you" finger to "thank you" wave made my day.
Go towards the end of the zipper and put your turn signal on. I'll let you in.
Don't: go to the end of the zipper with the turn signal on and just follow the shoulder line assuming I'll let you in. You actually have to yield. If you use the shoulder because no one let you in right away and you couldn't be assed to slow down even a little I'll actively block your criminal ass.
I actually understand that one. It feels like going to the end is cheating, cutting they line. I used to do that until I learned it was bad for traffic and against design.
Probably because I've seen enough people get IN the ending lane just to zip ahead or people speed down the shoulder past where it ended.
For most of the world, that's positioned on the corner of the merging vehicle closest to the merge allower (?) vehicle, so... No.
In other words, if you're merging from behind, then you're passing on the right and giving no signal as to your intent. Both are citable offenses and will get your insurance to side with any other drivers you end up colliding with by being a dumbass. 😘