At last, vindication.
While researching totally other topics, I found this piece in Sunday’s New York Times magazine addressing at length the question of whether it’s OK to zoom to the front of the vacant lane when a merge looms, and the other lanes are full of drivers patiently waiting their turn.
Remember the piece I did last month, “A contrarian look at lane-merging”? It hit a nerve, with most people firmly on the side of those who wait patiently in line. You’ll note I didn’t say I do this. I don’t want people shooting me the finger, or maybe bullets. I just said it would be more efficient if people just did alternate merging.
The scientists who study that sort of thing — and amazingly, there are many — appear to conclude that if the world were full of perfectly behaved drivers, it would be more efficient if everyone used all the lanes possible, but left enough space in front so the mergers could merge without anyone having to stop.
This will happen, of course, about the time that all our kids do their homework with no nagging, bluebirds sing in the meadows all day and everyone learns the proper use of it’s versus its.