In article 11ZAe.27745$4o.25614@fed1read06, SteveB says...

They see the open lane, at least for a ways, and think, "Gee, here is a
place to get a few car lengths ahead of the commoners. I'll just drive like
90 to get there and then swerve in to the moving lane. ALL COMMONERS MAKE
WAY FOR THE KING!"

The funny thing is, merges like that work best when all the lanes
are used up to the last moment. And when the lane that stays,
realizes the merge has to happen at the last minute and leaves
a gap for the incoming cars. At this point you see a zipper
effect - basically the follow distance simply decreases by one
car length. As long as it was more than two to start with,
it works fine.

The most obvious example of this difference is when you have
construction sites with merges, that have been in effect for
a long time, and the commuters on the road know about it.

Traffic can flow unimpeded at, say, 40 mph because everyone
knows about the effect. But put some weekend drivers on the
road who are unfamiliar with the layout, and it jams up tight.

Jim


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