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“Proper signage” is important. A “merge” sign or pictogram placed on a busy highway a kilometre or two before a construction site triggers instant and unnecessary anxiety. Merge now? Not if there’s a tractor trailer beside you. Merge in 100 metres? Three hundred meters? All those drivers trying to figure out when and where to merge will come to different conclusions at different times. With zipper merging, there are no variables: at the actual merge point, all drivers have to take specific action at a specific time to get through the bottleneck.

Traffic merges more efficiently – and more fairly – with proper signage. Jurisdictions trying to educate drivers about zipper merging post signs reading “Merge Here” at the actual point of lane reduction. Many also have signs that spell things out in plain language for those uncertain of the concept: “Fill Both Lanes Until Merge.” The state of Michigan, which has done extensive research into zipper merging – which they call the Dynamic Late Lane Merge System – has even more specific signs at the chokepoint: “Merge Here”/”Take Your Turn.”

In Canada, road signage falls under the jurisdiction of provincial transportation departments. When individual municipalities deploy signage, it has to conform to provincial standards. Interestingly, though, there is no mention of zipper merging in the Ontario Traffic Manual, the road-sign “bible” of the Ministry of Transportation. When Greater Sudbury adopted the concept of zipper merging, they promoted it through a public awareness campaign. With the upcoming busy highway reconstruction season, both within Ottawa (three letters: LRT), and on multi-lane provincial highways, proper signage that explicitly tell drivers what’s expected of them is not only safer, it’s been proven to ease congestion.