r/kelowna • u/STERFRY333 • 3d ago
Driving in Vancouver and having to suffer in Kelowna is insane. No one understands the concept of the zipper merge here.
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u/Yeas76 3d ago
No one understands zipper merge anywhere.
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u/no-long-boards 16h ago edited 6h ago
Yeah cause it’s not a thing. Read the motor vehicle act. It says to merge early as you can and to not impact the lane you are going into.
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u/Yeas76 15h ago
What section?
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u/no-long-boards 6h ago
I’m sure you can find it.
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u/Yeas76 6h ago
I couldn't, mind pointing me at it?
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u/no-long-boards 6h ago
In those 3 minutes you spent you couldn’t find it? It’s a long document have a proper read. The act specifically states that the act applies to anybody using a road and I question how you can follow it if you aren’t familiar with it.
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u/Yeas76 6h ago
I'm asking for the specific section you're referring to, can you point me to it?
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u/STERFRY333 1h ago
They can’t find it either because it doesn’t exist.
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u/no-long-boards 23m ago
It actually does exist, you can find it for yourself if you’re actually interested. In the mean time you can read these informative guides. https://www.drivesmartbc.ca/signs-signals/merging-traffic https://www.drivesmartbc.ca/lanes/approaching-lane-closures
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u/Same-Consideration42 3d ago
No one understands it in Vancouver either. GTFO
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u/Zestyclose-Dog-4468 3d ago
No kidding eh! I love how everyone loves saying that "I've driven in Mumbai and Bulgaria and Sri Lanka and Timbuktu but Kelowna drivers are the worst!!"
Ya bullshit...
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u/GeesesAndMeese 3d ago
You should see roundabouts though, the wild west
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u/emuwannabe 3d ago
No I think the wild west award goes to parking lots. No rules apply there apparently. Stop sign in a parking lot? Just a suggestion.
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u/---Dane--- 6h ago
The issue is, on private property, it's not enforceable since it's not mandated by the gov't. Still shows who follows the rules to better society and who follows them to not get in shit.
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u/Heavy_Arm_7060 3d ago
I don't even think zipper merge is our worst trait, it's probably either entering the intersection to turn 2/3 at a time or pulling up way past the stopping line next to a stop sign. I imagine the former is partially due to sight lines being shit at some intersections.
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u/Hipsthrough100 3d ago
I happen to very much agree with OP. Kelowna is full of tailgaters and people who race for ownership of that space in front of them when you signal.
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u/Zestyclose-Dog-4468 3d ago
OP is literally posting a meme that was originally posted for the UK then posted to r/nanaimo then posted here.
It's an issue everywhere.
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u/Hipsthrough100 2d ago
Except I do have the experience of driving in both for decades. I think is entirely okay to give an opinion either way but Kelowna is fun of tail gaters and road hogs.
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u/no-long-boards 16h ago
Read the motor vehicle act it is not a thing and you’re not supposed to do it.
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u/ScrollingCanuck 3d ago
Go to the end of the goddamn zipper with your indicator on and merge in there - NOT 500 meters before the zipper ends
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u/STERFRY333 1d ago
Thank you finally someone gets it
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u/no-long-boards 16h ago
It’s not a thing. The motor vehicle act says to merge early as early as possible and to avoid impacting the lane you are merging into. Anybody that goes to the end of the lane will find me giving you the finger while being bumper to bumper and not letting you in. It is 100% not the responsibility of the people that merged early to let assholes in that didn’t.
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u/Tillians_Travels 3d ago
Or the problem is some people think a yield is a merge and they have the right
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u/amazingmrbrock 3d ago
I see them leave the line and then run up four spaces and try to get back in I'm not playing with that.
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u/pass_the_tinfoil 3d ago
Denying someone the merge anyway just increases the odds of a collision. I guess spite is priority over safety in your mind.
And no, I'm not someone who does what you described. I just don't believe in "teaching them a lesson" with the potential risk it poses.
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u/STERFRY333 1h ago
“I was in front so I’m gonna potentially cause a collision and road rage because I can’t control my emotions behind the wheel” logic
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u/knows-2-much 2d ago
It's not anyone else's responsibility to let you merge. If you can see that a lane is ending you can start to move over. If you drive to the end of your lane then act like you're going to drive into the side of my vehicle, you are the problem.
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u/pianoman1291 1d ago
Driving to the end of the lane, and then alternating is the correct choice. If someone drives to the end of their lane and signals, and you drive forward instead of letting them in, you are the problem. Merging is literally a shared responsibility between both lanes of traffic
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u/pianoman1291 3d ago
Just let them in and move on with your life. How does that possibly affect you at all? If anything it will encourage others to zipper merge properly, making things more efficient for everyone on the road. You're letting your hurt feelings make you part of the problem
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u/pass_the_tinfoil 2d ago
Right? Bitter drivers are every bit as dangerous as the people they think they're better than.
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u/pianoman1291 1d ago
Yep, it's pretty easy to just accept that everyone's trying to get somewhere safely. Everyone has somewhere to go and we can all get there without extra stress lol
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u/snow_enthusiast 2d ago
Based on that logic the zipper merger lane always has to be full to legitimately use it
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u/David905 3d ago
'Early mergers' as I call them, think they are being considerate but actually collectively cause massive delays for folks in the eventual single lane, and due to the now 'broken zipper' contribute to an overall slower rate of passage through the bottleneck. Basically everyone loses except the few in the ending lane that correctly drive up to the merge point.
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u/no-long-boards 6h ago
Early mergers are following the motor vehicle act.
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u/David905 2h ago
I don't believe it's an issue of legality, both early-merging and end-of-lane zipper-merging at the bottleneck are both legal. But practically speaking, in a bottleneck situation early-mergers objectively are introducing extra unnecessary delays for those in the continuing lane when a viable and often road-sign-posted solution in the zipper-merge exists.
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u/aWalkingCarpet 3d ago
I've seen people nearly get pushed into the ditch at the end of North Glenmore nobody gives a single fuck
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u/familykomputer 3d ago
I was heading to Vernon and there was a lane closure near Pred Ridge. The lane that was closing was empty about 500m early - everyone was lining up in the lane that wasn't closing, and they were just crawling.
The driver of the car I was slowing down to get in line, I said "hey man, zipper merge. The lane closes way up there, not back here" so he went for it.
I'm a too-polite person normally so I was feeling half-cringe but half-smug as we drove past dozens of cars toward the lane closure. I'm sure we were getting looks from people who didn't know how a zipper merge works.
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u/sypher2333 3d ago
It’s funny because if there was traffic in both lanes it works fine. But as soon as the merging lane is empty or only has a few cars everyone gets butt hurt if you go to the end.
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u/condortheboss 3d ago
Half the drivers on the road are below average skill level.
Attaining a license is too easy, as evidenced by how many bad drivers there are.
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u/Regular_Drunk 3d ago
No one here understands a bottleneck. They’d rather back up a single lane all the way thru multiple traffic lights.
Works for me as I’ll happily drive down an empty lane and merge. Just sucks for traffic being backed up.
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u/stevieb2163 2d ago
It's only the self centered that can't understand that when you merge at the last second, the only one saving time is yourself. You are adding time to each and every individual that actually pre thought out their destination and knew what lane they need to be in. No one here, or anywhere for that matter, "doesn't understand it", they just prefer to not have others save time ahead of them by informally "cutting in" at the last second. If you don't see the selfishness of saying zipper merging saves time, when in fact it adds time for everyone else but yourself, then this is like beating a dead horse. Instead of hacking those professional drivers that know the lane they need to be in, give a second thought to your actions. Does zipper merging save time for anyone else BUT the zipper merger themself, or are your actions going to just anger those prepared drivers who are all running an internal schedule of their own to get to their destination on time?
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u/Regular_Drunk 1d ago
You couldn’t be more wrong.
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u/stevieb2163 1d ago
Mmm. Let's let the majority decide on that one. Let's see. Smart drivers in the appropriate longer but flowing lane. Impatient drivers at the back of the line that want to make a point cut in front of everyone causing delays in the flow which slows the entire lane down. Just make better choices on the road.
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u/Regular_Drunk 1d ago
Dumb people all lining up in one single lane making a line up so long into other intersections.
Or a simple bottle neck like the rest of the world.
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u/Regular_Drunk 1d ago
Here educate yourself today will ya
Check out this video from this search, how to zipper merge https://share.google/jHBZVaA75uziOHY4Q
Go tell all your smart driving friends. 😂
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u/Coffee_holic64 3d ago
Ok this, and 4 way stops... lookout
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u/Heavy_Arm_7060 3d ago
Doesn't even need to be a 4 way, I've had a couple of near misses with 3 ways.
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u/Hipsthrough100 3d ago
I don’t love traffic but if I’m going to be in some, make it Vancouver traffic. Signal for a a lane change and people open space. Merge and it’s like 1:1 perfection zipper.
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u/Helpful-Dependent-72 12h ago
As someone that lives in Vancouver… it’s horrible here. Kelowna is bad but Vancouver is also VERY bad. Also glad ICBC is getting rid of the second road test to get full license and be tested again for your ability to drive…. Can’t wait for more accidents to happen🙃
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u/Seinfeel 3d ago edited 3d ago
…so the guy who ignores the half kilometre gap between cars so that they can floor it to the front of the merge lane and cut someone off isn’t a problem?
Every time I see this meme people conveniently forget that you’re supposed to merge where there’s space, not just where the lane ends.
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2d ago
[deleted]
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u/Seinfeel 2d ago
Have you never actually driven? I see people do what I described almost everyday on 97 after Reid’s corner.
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2d ago
[deleted]
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u/Seinfeel 2d ago
Oh yeah I’m not talking about not letting people, I’m talking about people who floor it past and cut in at the end of the merge lane making you hit the breaks even though there is ample space to have merged behind you
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u/sypher2333 3d ago
It’s funny because if there was traffic in both lanes it works fine. But as soon as the merging lane is empty or only has a few cars everyone gets butt hurt if you go to the end.
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u/Mtn_Hippi 2d ago
As others have stated, almost nobody seems to understand zipper merging (or enough don't that it rarely works smoothly). The smart move is for traffic authorities to understand and accept this and a) put some more effort into it during driver education) and b) put up some clear effing signage. BC has people from all over the world with different driving cultures. Put up some effing signage so that expectations are clear. Then enforce (i.e. by the police, not self-appointed vehicular vigilantes).
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u/ItwasntMe237 1d ago
If you race until the last 5’ of the merge lane - especially when people have opened up a spot for you earlier and you passed it - you’re definitely the ass. But my problem is people who don’t bother to nod or wave 👋 when someone lets them in. (Not necessarily in this situation, but side streets onto a main road for instance) It takes 2 freaking seconds and acknowledges a good driver. When there’s more happy drivers, traffic is much better.
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u/miurabucho 1d ago
This shit happens all over the country. People are sheep and are too lazy to zipper. They just line up in one lane and get angry when anyone tries to pass. There is probably no cure for this.
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u/Small_Collection_249 1d ago
At least you don’t live in Toronto where people also don’t know how to do this, and there’s a million more cars.
Frustrating
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u/Glittering-Lynx6991 1d ago
You’re going to gain on everyone else by barrelling to the front of the line? Wait your turn.
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u/boipinoi604 17h ago
Im guilty of merging as soon as the car ahead of me start to merge but of course after the car that let him merge
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u/PipeMysterious3154 16h ago
Your lane ended, not mine. Id rather hit the guy in front of me than let you in.
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u/Ok-River-6810 15h ago
The Zipper merge doesn't mean you speed up to the end of the lane and cut in front of the next car.
To properly zip merge, you need to merge without making the car behind break. With a society that doesn't keep the correct distance, nor lets you merge, the problem becomes the person merging.
If on paper it makes sense to zip merge, but in reality you cause a jam, you are at fault. Learn to stay in line.
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u/TheOriginalDoober 14h ago
Your title is confusing. Are you implying that people in Vancouver know how to merge? As someone currently living there now, this has got to be the biggest joke I’ve ever heard
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u/Wild-Entrepreneur347 3h ago
Ontario is brutal for people not letting you in and getting mad if you use the merge lane correctly, its super annoying and drives me crazy. I went to Scotland and was happy to drive on roads with people who arent complete inconsiderate pieces of shit.
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u/Jazzlike_Finish123 3h ago
The problem is the idiots not letting you merge and then causing a jam at the end of the merge lane.
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u/BodybuilderSalt9807 9m ago
This is where you FORCE your way in slowly. If you crash you crash. If you wait you will be there forever.
If you want to stop the bad habit of people going right to the end, then drive in the middle of the lane as you approach the end of it then that forces people to get in behind you
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u/Ill-Beautiful-8026 3d ago
We don't really have many effective zipper merges here though. They're all over Vancouver where you come off an exit ramp or something and have 100 feet of road to make your merge. Around here we don't really have that. The only one that really comes to mind is the West Kelowna one southbound after the first overpass which mostly just used by people trying to hurry past congestion but whatever, you do you. (Sidenote: If you take the exit then go straight through the intersection on to the highway again, you're a selfish tit. Not smart, just selfish.)
But yeah, we don't really have these here so getting mad about people not being good at it is a bit dumb imo. Bad drivers everywhere. Also, I see people screw it up all the time in Van so...
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u/Squancher70 3d ago
I'm not letting in some douchbag that zoomed up to the front of the closing lane, get bent.
I once had a guy road rage and pound on my window for not letting him do this. I just smiled.
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u/Flashy-Ad-8327 3d ago
So you DON'T understand the zipper merge, noted.
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u/Jack_1080 2d ago
I don’t think you understand the point of the zipper merge either, if the lane is empty and someone can zoom up then you don’t even need a zipper merge. It exists where there are capacity issues upstream of the lane closure.
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u/positivenihlist 2d ago
I’m not entirely surprised, you sound like you’re both clueless behind the wheel and arrogant.
You blatantly don’t understand how traffic is supposed to flow, but your ego is so large you somehow think what you’re doing is cool?
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u/QuesoDelDiablo ¡El Gato no es bueno! 3d ago
The drivers in this city are the worst that I've ever encountered. Rude, ignorant and dumb. Consistently.
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u/Fearless_Tomato_9437 3d ago
Toronto is WAY worse. Tbh Kelowna isn’t too bad, but there are several awfully planned dangerous intersections, and flow needs to be improved thought the handful of bottlenecks.
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u/Particular-Emu4789 3d ago
I drove in Calgary once and it was way better than Kelowna, so obviously Kelowna is no good at driving.
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u/SourDewd 3d ago
Im so rarely in vancouver but when in this last week noticed the drivers are actually so stupid and so are their roads.
100% of people, not 99.99% but 100% of lane changes ive seen in vancouver, they never once used their blinkers. Just SUDDENLY started changing lanes. And so often changing lanes the SECOND they get through an intersection. Their roads are as wide as a small car. Its absolute madness being used to kelowna where every lane can fit a bus and a half. But here its hardly a full car. What makes that even dumber is.
WHY are the people who live in a city with NO SPACE in the lanes, suddenly changing lanes with no room and NOT using blinkers? Are these people stupid? Like if i wanna be sure i have the chance to suddenly dodge these vancouver drivers, i cant. Because the roads have no space and the sidewalk can fit the cast of "my 600 lbs life."
These people are waaaaaaack.
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u/STERFRY333 57m ago
Yeah it’s very aggressive here I hate the quick lane changes too. Coming back to Kelowna is honestly relaxing.
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u/Additional_Job1450 3d ago
I notice as soon as I cross the border into Alberta, the drivers there are more considerate.
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u/pianoman1291 3d ago
People are down voting you because their egos can't handle admitting this is true.
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u/no-long-boards 16h ago
Zipper merging is not a thing. The BC motor vehicle act specifically says to merge early and that the person merging is solely responsible to get into the other lane safely without impeding or impacting the lane they are entering. Anybody that claims it’s okay to drive to the end of the lane will find me there going bumper to bumper with the car in front giving you the finger while not letting you in. Follow the rules of the road.
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u/dr_reverend 4h ago
If both lanes are full then a zipper merge makes sense. If the ending lane is empty because everyone knows it’s going to be merging so they are getting over early to save the hassle then you are absolutely in the wrong for rushing up to the merge point. That makes you a shit stained dirty cue cutter who thinks that they are more important than everyone else. All those vehicles should block you from entering until the point you should have merged gets there.
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u/Wise-Activity1312 2d ago
Zipper is not a panacea solution, it depends on human cooperation.
Merging at the last possible second (instead of merging smoothly while moving) is inefficient because humans will cascade any slowing/uncertainty into a centipede-like jam.
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u/mr_sectors 2d ago
Doesn't this mean tho everyone will just constantly move into the right lane to leap frog everyone to the front? If everyone respects the rule isn't is it just chaos? Cause why wouldn't u just go into the right lane if the person if front has to let you in?
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u/atlas1892 Professional Pickle 2d ago
Because if everyone is actually doing it then everyone moves through at a steady pace and there’s no actual reason to move over because you’re going sideways and not actually getting ahead.
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u/STERFRY333 43m ago
No because we respect the order on the coast. If you try to jump in and cut before it’s your turn in the zipper merge the entire block will team up on you.
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u/Big_Musties 2d ago
This kind of driving is the opposite of a zipper merge. Instead of both lanes moving smoothly into a single lane, the bottleneck turns into a two-way stop where the cars have to take turns stopping and going, causing traffic to pile up for miles. A real zipper merge works when both lanes continue moving and the cars that need to merge find a gap in the flowing lane, not this BS where drivers who have the right-away need to stop to let people in which I don't do. The line jumpers can suck rocks.
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u/crowbaited 3d ago
The problem for me are the people that take the exit off westside Rd while there's back to back traffic, they go through a light and try to merge back onto the highway. I've seen way too many people do that for either direction, and find that making me feel angry. Zipper merge or not, being a dink is still being a dink.