[Turias]

So there I am, sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the highway, when I notice that an awful lot of people seem to be getting off and on at each exit rather quickly. Once someone gets close enough to the off-ramp, they gun it until they reach the intersection.

After paying a little more attention, it became apparent that a lot of people who were getting off of the highway next to me were getting right back on at the very next entrance.

In essence, these people are bypassing most of the traffic by continually exiting and entering the highway. The ramps themselves aren't congested, so the only times they have to slow down are between each on-ramp and off-ramp.

Now really, is this legal? Either way, it annoys the hell out of me. I swear, 4 out of 5 cars that get off on the exit I take to go home get right back onto the highway. Has anyone else noticed this in their neck of the woods?

[budster101]

Originally posted by Turias:
So there I am, sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the highway, when I notice that an awful lot of people seem to be getting off and on at each exit rather quickly. Once someone gets close enough to the off-ramp, they gun it until they reach the intersection.

After paying a little more attention, it became apparent that a lot of people who were getting off of the highway next to me were getting right back on at the very next entrance.

In essence, these people are bypassing most of the traffic by continually exiting and entering the highway. The ramps themselves aren't congested, so the only times they have to slow down are between each on-ramp and off-ramp.

Now really, is this legal? Either way, it annoys the hell out of me. I swear, 4 out of 5 cars that get off on the exit I take to go home get right back onto the highway. Has anyone else noticed this in their neck of the woods?

Not illegal, but if you go into a driveway of a business and exit the other side to avoid a red light, this is illegal.

[nredman]

Originally posted by Turias:
So there I am, sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the highway, when I notice that an awful lot of people seem to be getting off and on at each exit rather quickly. Once someone gets close enough to the off-ramp, they gun it until they reach the intersection.

After paying a little more attention, it became apparent that a lot of people who were getting off of the highway next to me were getting right back on at the very next entrance.

In essence, these people are bypassing most of the traffic by continually exiting and entering the highway. The ramps themselves aren't congested, so the only times they have to slow down are between each on-ramp and off-ramp.

Now really, is this legal? Either way, it annoys the hell out of me. I swear, 4 out of 5 cars that get off on the exit I take to go home get right back onto the highway. Has anyone else noticed this in their neck of the woods?

where at? 494,694,94, 35W, 35W, 169, 100?

[Turias]

Originally posted by nredman:
where at? 494,694,94, 35W, 35W, 169, 100?

It happens all the way along 62 heading east, until it connects with 35W. The worst is the Lyndale exit right before the 35W merge. Everyone gets off on Lyndale, completely bypassing the long line of cars waiting to get onto 35W.

[nredman]

Originally posted by Turias:
It happens all the way along 62 heading east, until it connects with 35W. The worst is the Lyndale exit right before the 35W merge. Everyone gets off on Lyndale, completely bypassing the long line of cars waiting to get onto 35W.

when i lived in the cities i always hated when 3 lanes would merge 2 lanes and people know they need to merge to the 2 lanes but they would try to squeeze in at the last minute, or would fly by trying to get around you. besides that everyone has to go 15-20 mph faster then the speed limit

[awaspaas]

What's the problem? It's another open route that doesn't happen to be congested, and overall it means faster throughput on the freeway.

As for merging at the last minute, that's what you're supposed to do. Merging early wastes that open lane that could be holding more traffic! Many fluid-dynamics studies have shown that the most effective merging happens when traffic lines up in both lanes, and takes turns at the single merge point. You'll notice that in more and more construction areas, they're using this merging philosophy, where traffic stays in both lanes until the merge point, at which a sign says "MERGE NOW / TAKE TURNS"

I read a paper on it at one time by some civil engineering research group; I'm sure a bit of googling would turn it up.

[nredman]

Originally posted by awaspaas:
What's the problem? It's another open route that doesn't happen to be congested, and overall it means faster throughput on the freeway.

As for merging at the last minute, that's what you're supposed to do. Merging early wastes that open lane that could be holding more traffic! Many fluid-dynamics studies have shown that the most effective merging happens when traffic lines up in both lanes, and takes turns at the single merge point. You'll notice that in more and more construction areas, they're using this merging philosophy, where traffic stays in both lanes until the merge point, at which a sign says "MERGE NOW / TAKE TURNS"

I read a paper on it at one time by some civil engineering research group; I'm sure a bit of googling would turn it up.

interesting - i still think it slows down traffic when a-holes try to merge at the last second and cut people off, then that person has to slow down, slowing down everyone behind them.

[awaspaas]

Found it - the study was by MnDOT

http://www.dot.state.mn.us/newsrels/04/08/31merge.html

http://www.dot.state.mn.us/hottopics...tternstudy.pdf

[awaspaas]

It's faster if you think of overall throughput, especially so if everybody fills up the ending lane and take turns at the end.

Originally posted by nredman:
interesting - i still think it slows down traffic when a-holes try to merge at the last second and cut people off, then that person has to slow down, slowing down everyone behind them.

[awaspaas]

I'll give you an example: Ayd Mill road onto 35E southbound. Often 35E south is slow at rush hour, but when Ayd Mill Road enters, it forms its own new lane which becomes an "exit only" onto Hwy 5, I believe. Most people would like to merge onto 35E as soon as it becomes an option, but this slows the traffic WAY down clear back onto the on-ramp (which is dangerous since it's a nearly-blind sharp turn), while the exit-only lane remains largely free. The correct way is to remain in the new lane until it is nearly ended, at which time you merge into the 35E lane. In high-traffic situations, both lanes will be filled up to the merge point (increasing the overall capacity of the freeway at that point) and traffic should take turns (this is what traffic does naturally if, say, a merge is forced on you with little notice). Traffic on 35E is not slowed down any further by this, since the same total number of merging cars remains the same (they would either be slowed down right at the entrance, or slowed down where the lane ends, it doesn't matter to that traffic).

The same thing happens a few miles south, where oncoming traffic becomes the third right-hand lane over the big new bridge. Traffic thinks it needs to merge immediately, and that entire new lane over the bridge that cost us a whole year of traffic to make, is essentially wasted.

If traffic is light, use the entire length of the lane to adjust your speed to match the existing lane, and then nobody will even give you trouble for merging!

One of those instances where Minnesota-nice (I better merge early so I don't offend those people already waiting) comes at the expense of traffic flow, especially to avoid backups on the on-ramp.

[Turias]

Well, back to the non-merging-taking-the-exits-when-you-shouldn't example... while it may improve overall efficiency to do that, it screws all of us who wait our turn in line since people basically continually cut in front of us, slowing us down. It's definitely my biggest driving pet peeve...

[awaspaas]

Originally posted by Turias:
Well, back to the non-merging-taking-the-exits-when-you-shouldn't example... while it may improve overall efficiency to do that, it screws all of us who wait our turn in line since people basically continually cut in front of us, slowing us down. It's definitely my biggest driving pet peeve...

I don't see how it slows you down. Either they merge in right when you see them, or they merge in a half-mile down the road. Either way, there's still the same number of cars in front of you, especially if you consider the bulk of the traffic and not just one individual car you see.