Both signs have now been removed, but some days I wonder if we need them back. Photo / Ian Cooper
Both signs have now been removed, but some days I wonder if we need them back. Photo / Ian Cooper
OPINION
As someone who frequently travels from Napier to Hastings in rush-hour traffic, I’m just going to say it. I hate the morning and afternoon commute between cities.
Cyclone Gabrielle wiped out two connecting bridges between Napier and Hastings, leaving Hawke’s Bay’s twin cities with only two out of their four connecting bridges. Now all that traffic that once had four options is condensed down to two.
Before the cyclone, I had never thought too much about how much Napier and Hastings through traffic used the Brookfields Bridge and Redcliffe Bridge/Waiohiki Bridge.
Now, with all the time I spend waiting in traffic, I have had a lot of time to think about where the excessive traffic has come from and why it’s so bad.
With all traffic now taking either the Hawke’s Bay expressway or going through the Awatoto/Clive road, it has felt almost as if the population of Napier and Hastings doubled overnight.
What used to take me 15 minutes on a good day now takes me just under an hour, if I leave at the right time, which sometimes isn’t the right time.
There is nothing like sitting in a queue of traffic for over an hour and then realise traffic is moving so slowly because people aren’t merging properly, or someone is blocking up the roundabout because they were too impatient to let a few cars go past before joining.
Now that the “merge like a zip and not Velcro” sign has been taken down, I think it’s a good time to remind people, when it comes to merging, the familiar saying “merge like a zip” very much still applies.
What is worse, though, is that almost everyone I have spoken with has a differing view on how to merge and when to start merging into the main flow of traffic.
The best way to merge really is like a zip — where a vehicle from the left lane goes and then a vehicle from the right lane goes, and so on.
When people merge correctly they get the benefit of a smoother journey, a safer journey, and an earlier arrival.
Waka Kotahi road safety senior manager Fabian Marsh explained merging like a zip isn’t about letting someone get in front of you, it’s about enjoying the collective results of better traffic flow.
When people merge correctly they get the benefit of a smoother journey, a safer journey, and an earlier arrival at their destination.
More importantly, it means there is much safer merging taking place, which reduces the chances of a crash if people merge incorrectly or too early and further delays on the network.
If people do merge too early, there’s likely to be a breakdown in traffic flow and inefficient traffic flow, due to differences in speed.
Waka Kotahi shared these merging tips:
“As you merge, let one vehicle from the other lane go first, and then go.”
Merging like a zip: Some may do it well but when others don’t, it slows down everything. Photo / Supplied
Using on-ramps and off-ramps when entering and leaving a motorway
