DP
DaveB, it wasn’t me who blocked you, but . . . I do understand the psychology of people who do this. If they’ve been queued up in the exit lane for several minutes and here comes you, zipping right by them and merging in ahead of them “at the last minute,” they are bound to think you’re stealing a base on them (and everyone else behind them in line.)
I think you’re probably right about the zipper technique being the most effective way to merge traffic, but until everyone adopts that technique, there are gonna be long queue-ups, and as long as there are long queue-ups, there are gonna be drivers who are very pissed to see you get in line ahead of them.
Another general note on the zipper technique:
I think the zipper works best when all lanes of traffic are moving at the same relatively slow speed—maybe 25 mph or under. When traffic’s going faster than that in either lane, it increases the degree of skill required to merge. (God knows how the Blue Angels do it. Nerves of steel, I guess.)
Anyway, drivers in the right-hand eastbound lane of the Spokane Street Viaduct tend to speed, and when you add that to the already claustrophobic feel of the Viaduct, it tends to freak out the northbound mergers. So, rather than take a chance on missing the merge all together, or crashing, they get extra cautious and start to queue up. And once they do that, of course, it pretty much closes off the zipper technique as an option for everyone.
You know, DOT has actively discouraged using the zipper at this particular merge spot. Notice how they painted the double-wide “illegal to cross” line there, along with a sign that says, in effect, “If you can read this sign, you’re too late to merge. See you in Portland.”
;-)