With the increase in construction this year, I have been hearing from a lot of frustrated drivers who are stuck in traffic.
However, the solution to the lane closure is a controversial one. The zipper merge.
A zipper merge is when drivers use both lanes of traffic until they reach the merge area, then take turns merging into the open lane.
It looks like a zipper, when done correctly. However, not everyone is on the same page.
There are drivers that feel the proper etiquette is to merge over as soon as possible, or worse, drivers who block both lanes of traffic to make sure no one passes them.
“We were starting to get calls about road rage incidents that were occurring because people were either blocking that empty lane when people were trying to get by, or people were getting mad because people we passing them and they though they were in a NASCAR race or something," Michigan State Police First Lt. Michael Shaw said.
Earlier this week, I reposted MSP on X saying "help me help you," because it's so frustrating to see people not using the zipper merge method.
Shaw reached out to me to see if we could speak further, and I jumped at the opportunity to see if troopers could do anything to help the flow of traffic, including writing tickets for those who try to block both lanes.
“We usually get pick up drivers are the ones that usually ones that are called out the most, will try to block the lanes and keep people from going by," Shaw said. “Anywhere from careless driving, depending on how much they try to block that traffic it could elevate up to reckless driving.”
Shaw tells me they have troopers in these construction zones to make sure everyone is following the law, and MDOT has placed signs in certain work zones around the state to remind drivers to use both lanes.
