> The slowness is the result of people trying to merge into the highway, not "bad drivers".
I stand by my point on "bad drivers". It's a well-studied phenomenon[0] and it's not a matter of opinion.
I stand by my point on "bad drivers". It's a well-studied phenomenon[0] and it's not a matter of opinion.
According to a 2005 report for the Federal Highway Administration, the leading cause of congestion is bottlenecked infrastructure.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_congestion#Causes
I used to drive 405 North into Bellevue, WA. In the space of 3 miles, 3 highways merged into 405 North. There was always a traffic jam, every morning. It started at roughly the same spot every morning. It cleared up at roughly the same spot every morning. That was slow traffic caused by the infrastructure.
If the drivers staying in the far right lane didn't do that mindlessly (their exit is not next or soon, why are they there?) or if they actually kept space open ahead of them for the cars they can see are about to merge, these problems would largely evaporate.
I'm paraphrasing poorly but, "do things slowly so that they go smoothly. Things done smoothly go fast."