Proposed ‘zipper-merge’ could speed traffic flow
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/04/2015 (3993 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
ST. Boniface Coun. Matt Allard plans to introduce a low-cost solution to the city’s construction-season traffic woes at today’s council meeting.
The first-term councillor’s hope is to get the city using “zipper-merges.”
It is an idea other cities have embraced. It combines a change in driver culture, along with traffic signs to encourage motorists to use both lanes of traffic until reaching a merge area. Then, in a “zipper” fashion, they alternate into the open lane.
“It encourages an orderly exchange, where people take turns at the end,” Allard said Tuesday.
The idea first came to him through someone on Twitter, who suggested it as a way to ease traffic during construction season. Saskatoon and the State of Minnesota already have these sort of merges in use.
The motion to be introduced today calls for the public works department to provide a report on the feasibility of promoting “zipper-merge” culture in Winnipeg. It will likely be referred to the public works committee.
Zipper merges made their debut in Saskatoon in 2013, where the city partnered with police to introduce a pilot program to educate motorists, along with new signage posted in certain construction zones.
It was initially met with mixed results, as several media outlets reported motorists had trouble grasping the concept in its introduction, and it caused more traffic delays than usual.
However, Allard says with the proper education and communication, Winnipeggers who embrace the zipper-merge will reap the benefits, citing evidence from the Saskatoon public works department, which says it eventually resulted in a 40 per cent reduction in delays at traffic bottlenecks.
“There are decreases in the lineups. I am sure you have seen sections where the traffic lineup is so long that it is impacting the intersection,” he said. “It is about the city taking a position on this and encouraging drivers to use it.”
kristin.annable@freepress.mb.ca