4 ms·

As a driver in the Twin Cities area, I can back the stereotype that Minnesotans don't know how to zipper. It speaks so truly of the Minnesota condition. People

by pwenzel 12y ago

As a driver in the Twin Cities area, I can back the stereotype that Minnesotans don't know how to zipper. It speaks so truly of the Minnesota condition. People begin often merge far too early, and get offended when folks like myself "budge" at the front of the line. Learn to zipper, darn it! Edit: This TPT parody, How to Talk Minnesotan, shows how to drive in Minnesota (scrub to 11:58): http://video.tpt.org/video/2365042610/ http://video.tpt.org/video/2365042610/ If you ever lived in rural Minnesota, you know this is completely dead on.

smacktoward 12y ago
Since the big obstacle to zippering is people's perception that it's rude (since you appear to be "pushing to the front of the line," as it were), one could argue that this is a case of Minnesota Nice hurting more than it helps :-D
- ChikkaChiChi 12y ago
  "Minnesota Nice" tends to be an in-joke according to many of the people I've asked about it here. :)
ChikkaChiChi 12y ago
Generally I've found that most drivers in the Twin Cities have not acclimated to "city driving" the way many of us from other areas learned. People here drive as if they are exempt from the responsibility of piloting a 2 ton death roller skate and what it could possibly do to others while they text their friends.
jerf 12y ago
People think they are being nice. Education can work very quickly and efficiently on such people by showing them they aren't being nice after all. I live in the US in a "nice driver" area with a number of traffic circles. On a fairly routine basis I come up to a traffic circle and stop because there is someone in it coming towards me, but then they try to "helpfully" stop and wave me in, slowing down themselves, everyone behind them, and even slowing me down as now I'm confused and less likely to move. Or I get stuck behind such a person in the circle and have to stop gracelessly as they unexpectedly stop in the middle. (This being a traffic circle it's not that dangerous due to lack of speed, plus over time I've learned to predict who is going to do this based on the car body language...) I haven't yet witnessed this causing an accident but it's just a matter of time, it snarls things up that badly. They think they're being friendly. If someone would explain that "friendly" is using the traffic circles as designed, they'd probably do the right thing in the future, but so far I haven't discovered the hand gestures that properly express that.
- jrs235 12y ago
  Someone died today because someone didnt know how to merge (the on ramp is to get up to speed) and probably because someone thought they'd be 'nice' and slowed down. My guess is both vehicles at the merge point slowed drastically and everyone on the interstate were too close to each other for the speed and volume of traffic. Sad. http://www.wxow.com/story/26101450/2014/07/24/breaking-part-of-i-90-closed-due-to-an-accident http://www.wxow.com/story/26101450/2014/07/24/breaking-part-... Edit: or perhaps we should fault inattentive driving on the truck driver. Still sad.
  - jrs235 12y ago
    It sucks because the speed limit through there should probably be 40 not 55 when traffic is heavy. The problem then is people on the interstate still tailgate and/or don't leave adequate room to allow zipper merging. Edit: to clarify, the slower speed should be that low only now during construction and lane closure.
- obsurveyor 12y ago
  If it's a "traffic circle", you may be the one messing it up because entering traffic can have right of way. In a roundabout, it's the opposite. Terminology is important here because they are two different things.
  - jerf 12y ago
    Roundabout, then. Terminology will probably cease to be important as "traffic circles" as you describe them are dying if not dead.
tedsanders 12y ago
If you are offending people, you're likely performing the zipper merge incorrectly. The point of the zipper merge is maximize efficiency and safety by matching the speeds of the two lanes. The wrong way to zipper merge is to drive past the other lane and merge at the end. The correct way to zipper merge is to drive at the speed of the nearby lane and merge at the end. When you zipper merge correctly, almost no one gets upset.

by pwenzel 12y ago

smacktoward 12y ago

Since the big obstacle to zippering is people's perception that it's rude (since you appear to be "pushing to the front of the line," as it were), one could argue that this is a case of Minnesota Nice hurting more than it helps :-D

ChikkaChiChi 12y ago
"Minnesota Nice" tends to be an in-joke according to many of the people I've asked about it here. :)

ChikkaChiChi 12y ago

Generally I've found that most drivers in the Twin Cities have not acclimated to "city driving" the way many of us from other areas learned. People here drive as if they are exempt from the responsibility of piloting a 2 ton death roller skate and what it could possibly do to others while they text their friends.

jerf 12y ago

People think they are being nice. Education can work very quickly and efficiently on such people by showing them they aren't being nice after all. I live in the US in a "nice driver" area with a number of traffic circles. On a fairly routine basis I come up to a traffic circle and stop because there is someone in it coming towards me, but then they try to "helpfully" stop and wave me in, slowing down themselves, everyone behind them, and even slowing me down as now I'm confused and less likely to move. Or I get stuck behind such a person in the circle and have to stop gracelessly as they unexpectedly stop in the middle. (This being a traffic circle it's not that dangerous due to lack of speed, plus over time I've learned to predict who is going to do this based on the car body language...) I haven't yet witnessed this causing an accident but it's just a matter of time, it snarls things up that badly. They think they're being friendly. If someone would explain that "friendly" is using the traffic circles as designed, they'd probably do the right thing in the future, but so far I haven't discovered the hand gestures that properly express that.

jrs235 12y ago
Someone died today because someone didnt know how to merge (the on ramp is to get up to speed) and probably because someone thought they'd be 'nice' and slowed down. My guess is both vehicles at the merge point slowed drastically and everyone on the interstate were too close to each other for the speed and volume of traffic. Sad. http://www.wxow.com/story/26101450/2014/07/24/breaking-part-of-i-90-closed-due-to-an-accident http://www.wxow.com/story/26101450/2014/07/24/breaking-part-... Edit: or perhaps we should fault inattentive driving on the truck driver. Still sad.
- jrs235 12y ago
  It sucks because the speed limit through there should probably be 40 not 55 when traffic is heavy. The problem then is people on the interstate still tailgate and/or don't leave adequate room to allow zipper merging. Edit: to clarify, the slower speed should be that low only now during construction and lane closure.
obsurveyor 12y ago
If it's a "traffic circle", you may be the one messing it up because entering traffic can have right of way. In a roundabout, it's the opposite. Terminology is important here because they are two different things.
- jerf 12y ago
  Roundabout, then. Terminology will probably cease to be important as "traffic circles" as you describe them are dying if not dead.

tedsanders 12y ago

If you are offending people, you're likely performing the zipper merge incorrectly. The point of the zipper merge is maximize efficiency and safety by matching the speeds of the two lanes. The wrong way to zipper merge is to drive past the other lane and merge at the end. The correct way to zipper merge is to drive at the speed of the nearby lane and merge at the end. When you zipper merge correctly, almost no one gets upset.