should have their license revoked immediately 
/rant
/rant
people who stop while merging onto interstate
- Thread starter QChawks
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Step One: License revoked.
Step Two: Firing squad.
Step Two: Firing squad.
Not saying you are wrong. But, what is your technique if you know you are going to have a tough merge? For reference, I think a tough merge was about 5 years ago southbound 35 merging onto 80 east. It was a very short strip you had to merge but now it has been lengthened. There is another spot in the Iowa City area involving 80 and 218, and another near Davenport again involving 80. I tend to go slow, maybe 45 mph until about 1/2 through the ramp while looking back over my left shoulder to see what the traffic situation is. If people are in the right lane I then time the gap moving toward me and gun it to hit the merge. I have seen others gun it and will just merge come hell or high water. People generally let those people in, I am just too risk averse thinking someone might be looking at their phone, radio station, what have you when I am making the move...should have their license revoked immediately
/rant
Probably biggest pet peeve of mine. How do you not understand how on ramps work??
Which is worse:
1. Stopping on the on ramp?
2. Left lane lounger?
3. The guy who passes you, moves back in front of you, then slows down forcing you to pass him, and then he does it again and again... so you end up passing each other several times?
I vote for the third.
Had that Moran do it several times on my drive up 61 to Iowa City last week.
1. Stopping on the on ramp?
2. Left lane lounger?
3. The guy who passes you, moves back in front of you, then slows down forcing you to pass him, and then he does it again and again... so you end up passing each other several times?
I vote for the third.
Had that Moran do it several times on my drive up 61 to Iowa City last week.
I have often wondered about #3. Someone on a long trip looking for a source of entertainment? Someone who doesn't use cruise control? someone who refuses to give the car extra gas when going up an incline and they have a shitty engine?
I don’t know the laws in your state but in mine merging vehicles must yield to vehicles already established on the freeway.
It’s annoying that merging vehicles don’t accelerate to merge in the gaps but they must yield.
It’s also annoying that stand on vehicles don’t merge left to allow vehicles to smoothly enter the freeway. But keep in mind, not all states are Iowa...some states move more traffic and freeways can be congested. There are things called metering lights that force everyone on the on-ramp to stop.
It’s annoying that merging vehicles don’t accelerate to merge in the gaps but they must yield.
It’s also annoying that stand on vehicles don’t merge left to allow vehicles to smoothly enter the freeway. But keep in mind, not all states are Iowa...some states move more traffic and freeways can be congested. There are things called metering lights that force everyone on the on-ramp to stop.
4. When you're in the left lane passing a car, but the guy behind you thinks you're not doing it fast enough, so he tries to get around you, only to slam on the breaks because yeah, there's a slower-driving car in the right lane.
5. That car on the ramp who expects you to yield so he can get on when there are clearly cars to your left and there's no place to go.
I don't necessarily object to #1 if there's heavy traffic.
That's usually the case, but don't tell the merging cars that. Too many of them seem to think it's on the car already on the highway to yield.
The sooner everyone realizes we are all just trying to reach our destination...but I’m just in a bigger hurry than everyone else...the better off we will all be.
Pretty much every pet peeve of mine that causes my anger issues to pop up have to do with driving, and most of those on the interstate.
1. People not knowing how to merge onto the interstate
2. Cruising in the left hand lane at or below the speed limit
3. Not passing troopers who are driving 5mph below the speed limit
4. Flying up in LH lane, then cutting me off to get on exit ramp
5. Trucks passing another truck at 60 while going up a hill
1. People not knowing how to merge onto the interstate
2. Cruising in the left hand lane at or below the speed limit
3. Not passing troopers who are driving 5mph below the speed limit
4. Flying up in LH lane, then cutting me off to get on exit ramp
5. Trucks passing another truck at 60 while going up a hill
should have their license revoked immediately
/rant
Please avoid the round about at jersey ridge and veterans parkway. I am convinced 80% of the population has no idea how those work. Last week I saw cars at all four sides of intersection stopped. My God its not a 4 way stop
5. My favorite remains a few years back when I was on 80 driving east towards Iowa City. Traffic was backed up for quite a ways, and I was assuming there'd been an accident ahead. Got to the top of a hill and I could see a few miles away that one semi was slowly passing another semi, causing the back up. One of the more frustrating things I've ever seen on a highway.
I would say 95% of the time you should be able to accelerate up to the proper speed to successfully merge. I also understand there are times where stopping is just unavoidable (heavy traffic with literally nowhere to enter the highway). However, it seems many are afraid to "punch it" and get their vehicle up to 65 mph quickly to give themselves more time, or on some occasions actually go beyond the speed limit briefly to allow ample room to merge.
I believe for most stoppers, it's either A) fear factor B) confidence in their driving
80 East from Newton to Iowa City is probably the worst place in Iowa for that. I get on 80 in Newton, every single time I've driven to IA City, I've had it happen multiple times. And it wouldn't be so bad, but they choose a steep hill to do that on, and they pull around about 1/3 of the way up the hill. Then they both slow down enough that it takes 3 more hills to complete the pass.
And what makes it worse is the flow of traffic on that stretch is moving at around 78 mph. 78 down to 60 three or four times for a mile or two each time over 80 miles brings out the worst in people.
I would say 95% of the time you should be able to accelerate up to the proper speed to successfully merge. I also understand there are times where stopping is just unavoidable (heavy traffic with literally nowhere to enter the highway). However, it seems many are afraid to "punch it" and get their vehicle up to 65 mph quickly to give themselves more time, or on some occasions actually go beyond the speed limit briefly to allow ample room to merge.
I believe for most stoppers, it's either A) fear factor B) confidence in their driving
You realize this chart will irritate the exact same people who have issues with the zipper method of merging at construction, right?
Ever driven in MSP area? Shortest and worst on ramps ever devised by man.
Yep, I have been trapped behind two semis doing this for 40-50 miles. One goes ahead just a little on the uphill, other reverses the trend on the downhill.
until the recent bridge construction, we had an on ramp on I295 as you leave NJ for PA that had a stop sign instead of a yield sign...AND PEOPLE ACTUALLY CAME TO A FULL STOP!!!!
It's the ramp with the red dot...
It's the ramp with the red dot...
Truth, but at this point I just find the roundabouts here hilarious. You can see the terror on some of the people's faces.
I'm currently teaching this topic to my son. We have an on ramp we use daily that was poorly designed. It's basically a circular ramp that is blind to oncoming traffic until the moment you are to merge. There are usually a lot of truckers in the right lane because there is an exit a quarter mile past the ramp. It is good for a fatal crash or two every year. I'm teaching him to slow down through the circle to let the cars in front of him get some space, then accelerate aggressively so he can be at a speed to safely merge or slow down if he has to. Don't want to get on the highway going 40 when the truck coming at you can't see you and they are doing 80.
I hate the interchange from 35W to 494. Whoever designed that cloverleaf and stuck in that area needs to be shot. A particular peeve is heading east on 494 and there is an exit ramp, what, a 1/4 mile before the exit to 35W? Freaking insane.
should have their license revoked immediately
/rant
My older parents don't "stop" but they do start slowing down.
I always tell them:
Step One: Get up to freeway speed; MATCH the speed of the cars you want to merge with
Step Two: Fall in between cars, right behind someone's bumper if you need to. Cars that are behind you must yield (that is the law- you yield to the vehicles in front of you). YOU yield to the cars in front and alongside you when merging. You do NOT yield to those coming from behind, which is why you need to match their speed so they don't have to slam on their brakes to "let you in".
As soon as you start slowing down, your ability to merge onto the freeway disappears. You have to get to 65-70 mph or whatever the speed limit is if you want "on".
I hate people who stay in the merge lane all the way to the end (and no turn signal) despite the fact I give them plenty of room to merge, then they just move over when they run out of room.
That, and imbeciles who put their registration stickers all over their license plate. If I were a policeman I would give every single one of them a ticket. Nothing says “Look how stupid I am!” than to have 6-7 stickers scattered around the plate.
That, and imbeciles who put their registration stickers all over their license plate. If I were a policeman I would give every single one of them a ticket. Nothing says “Look how stupid I am!” than to have 6-7 stickers scattered around the plate.
until the recent bridge construction, we had an on ramp on I295 as you leave NJ for PA that had a stop sign instead of a yield sign...AND PEOPLE ACTUALLY CAME TO A FULL STOP!!!!
It's the ramp with the red dot...
If you are heading from NJ to the Philly Airport, when you come across 676 (Franklin Bridge?), you have to get off the interstate then loop around on what is essentially a surface street, then get on 95 to head to the airport.
Yep. You cannot merge into high speed traffic if you're putzing along at half their speed.
Yeah, I love driving in areas like that. Freaking NYC, you can get caught going over bridges you did not need, that cost $15, then you turn around and have to go back over. FML.
Then for your own sanity, don't come to Florida.
I readily confirm that I am a senior citizen, but the left lane drivers here are almost universally old men. And they're everywhere.
My family continually scolded my Dad for being a stubborn LLD, but we did get him to admit that he did it because the white line at the left edge of the road helped him visually. (Scary thought). After his cataract surgery he did a little better, but not much. He finally turned over the keys to my Mom.
The merge thing is maddening, but highway engineers should never have built short on-ramps. Those are all too common, especially on older stretches of interstates. They know this too. When interchanges are now rebuilt or added, look at the difference in those on-ramps.
The speed up and slow down passers are useless members of society and should be followed until they exit at a rest stop and beaten unconscious. I hope I've made myself clear on that.
Same people who do not know how to use a roundabout.
This happens a lot on I-10 in NoFla, almost always heading west. Jacksonville is a major port city with huge shipping traffic, so we have a very large number of those Sea-Land container semi trucks leaving town. Trucks are supposed to stay right lane, 70MPH, and left lane only to pass. Right? HA!
It's not uncommon for them to line up in a string of 7-8 and then play truck hopscotch. I've been in a left lane line to pass and literally it will take 10-15 miles for them to f...i...n...a...l...l...y pass the lead truck and by then there are 20 cars backed up in the passing lane trying to get by.
Once I-10 intersects with I-75 and most of the trucks head north, it's okay, but until then it's a royal PITB.
..and why do people feel they have the right to break the law and drive 78? Especially in hilly areas where trucks (not by their choice) are going to be doing 55 to 60 tops.
Speed doesn't kill. Speed differentiation does. Zero sympathy for people unable to illegally speed especially when conditions do not allow it to be safely done.
I used to follow the law until a cop lit me up in Chicago and told me to speed up and quit ****ing up his traffic funnel. If they give you 10 then take it. Personally, I would prefer 80MPH strictly enforced. With technology, we should also be able to change speed limit signs and legal limits according to conditions.
LA drivers slow down to allow people to merge if you signal. They have a law and are trained well and reasonable. Most other places, a signal is a sign of weakness.
I don't know, ask all the Iowa fans hsading east on I80 at 80-85 on Saturday mornings at 7. Or at 80 at 5pm for a basketball game.
And, the problem isn't a truck doing 60. The problem is a truck doing 60 and passing another truck doing 59.5 in a hilly area in high traffic and taking 3 miles to complete the pass. Stay behind the other truck and we don't have those issues.
All states are different. Some will ticket you for not driving the flow (even if above the speed limit) in the left lane. I cannot disagree with that especially when it is posted. The officer should not have had an issue if you were driving in a right hand lane and driving the speed limit. If ticketed I would contest that ticket because he wouldn't win.
