Driver - Right Or Wrong?

[Riedquat]

Demonstrably wrong. A single file of traffic can always handle moving at a speed greater than zero. If braking leads to cars up the road coming to a halt then this clearly means that less traffic is getting to the constraint than can get through it.

The wave is something happening further back though, not at the point of constraint. Two lanes stop / starting can still carry more traffic than a single flowing lane. I'm also not remotely persuaded that merging in turn will do anything to stop that stop / starting further back.

[rxe]

I don't think I am missing the point.

Just watch a line of cars take off when the lights turn green. Loads of big gaps, because each driver can only start to move once (after) the driver in front starts to move. With 2 into one, two cars can move at the same time and merge with a smaller gap. I see it happening all the time and it works.

There's also no answer to the question of whether you join a queue as soon as you see one, rather than keep driving. For me, this is the biggest argument in favour of using all the lanes by default. No one is queue barging, intentionally or otherwise.

[Riedquat]

When cars move off from lights the gap generally seems to be simply re-establishing a safe separation, to merge you'll need to increase the gap. A merge is an additional overhead and are ideally avoided for best traffic flow. I think this is why in busy motorways with closely spaced junctions additional collector / distributor carriageways are added instead of simply extra lanes (the M60 has some examples). You could argue though that motorway flows and traffic light flows act differently.

Fair point about the no queue barging intentionally or otherwise. I'm still not convinced that eliminating that increases overall throughput but it may well do; I suppose that boils down to "everyone doing the same thing" whichever way it happens.

[libspero]

I don't think I am missing the point.

Just watch a line of cars take off when the lights turn green. Loads of big gaps, because each driver can only start to move once (after) the driver in front starts to move. With 2 into one, two cars can move at the same time and merge with a smaller gap. I see it happening all the time and it works.

There's also no answer to the question of whether you join a queue as soon as you see one, rather than keep driving. For me, this is the biggest argument in favour of using all the lanes by default. No one is queue barging, intentionally or otherwise.

I don't think it matter especially, the following guidance would resolve the issue:

Upon encountering a queue a driver in the non-queueing lane should pace a counterpart in the queueing lane.

People in the queueing lane are encouraged to move into the non-queueing lane and similarly pace the car next to them.

All cars should then merge at the blockage.

Nobody should deliberately queue jump and all drivers should be considerate to their fellow road users at all time.

Job done. Everybody is positively rewarded for using both lanes. Nobody is inconvenienced by the behavior of other road users. Win-Win for all involved.

[Bloo Loo]

I don't think it matter especially, the following guidance would resolve the issue:

Upon encountering a queue a driver in the non-queueing lane should pace a counterpart in the queueing lane.

People in the queueing lane are encouraged to move into the non-queueing lane and similarly pace the car next to them.

All cars should then merge at the blockage.

Nobody should deliberately queue jump and all drivers should be considerate to their fellow road users at all time.

Job done. Everybody is positively rewarded for using both lanes. Nobody is inconvenienced by the behavior of other road users. Win-Win for all involved.

but all that requires good, patient drivers, and it only takes one stressed mum on the phone with a screaming sprog in the back taking all her attention to pull it all down....or Mr Cloth cap not even knowing where he is.....we've all seen them. The British hate queue jumpers.