The City of Moncton is encouraging motorists to always use the zipper merge in construction zones.
“The zipper merge is all about using both lanes that are full capacity up to the merge point. This is where cars from each lane take turns and go into the through lane. It kind of forms a zipper, hence the name the zipper merge,” Engineering Director René Lagacé explained to Moncton City Council this week.
He added that there are a lot of advantages to using the zipper merge, including preventing or limiting backups, which will help to avoid blocking intersections or driveways.
“Using the zipper merge is actually proven to get more cars through a construction zone than a single line. It’s actually more efficient. Imagine you’re stuck at a red light, and there’s a few cars in front of you, and the light turns green, and the first cars realize it’s a green light, so they’ll move, and then the second car behind sees the first car move, and then they’ll move. So it’s a process. It’s called a reaction time. In a zipper merge, that reaction time is reduced because you have two lanes of traffic simultaneously moving at the same time,” Lagacé says.
He says cars merge into these natural gaps that occur through reaction time, and it’s more efficient.
Lagacé also noted that in some communities in the United States, there are laws in place, and those not following a zipper merge style could be fined.
He also pointed out that the zipper merge is not new; it was invented in Europe decades ago, but more communities have begun using it.
“It’s interesting to see some of the images and some of the promotions which differ, but it’s all the same message,” Lagacé says.
Moncton has begun trying to get the message out on social media, on billboards and on signs in construction zones.
“It’s a lot about getting the message out. The more people who do it, the more it works, and the more efficiently we’ll get through the working zones. I wish everyone a great construction season with a lot of zipper merges, and a reminder to everyone to be safe and be respectful,” Lagacé adds.
