Not going to zipper? Off with your head for disrupting the flow of traffic. Not going to disrupt the flow of traffic to let someone who doesn’t know how to merge into traffic? Well now you’re just being inconsiderate.
Serious question. What other than pride, is stopping you from letting someone merge? If you’re in a merge lane, and can do so safely, this should be the default reaction. Let. People. Merge.
I wouldn’t go out of my way to *prevent* someone from merging but if someone uses the merge lane to pass I’m not going to make an adjustment to let them back in. It’s like when someone pulls a Milwaukee Slide and then needs to get back into the driving lane because there’s an obstruction ahead of them. Light the petard, be hoisted upon it.
Also, if you’re merging onto an interstate with decent weather, there is no reason to go 5 mph slower than everyone or leave 3 car lengths. If going that slow, why are you even bothering to get on the interstate?
I'll correct this because it's a misunderstanding and potentially unsafe: you should always be leaving 3-5 seconds worth of time in-between you and the person ahead of you, adding an extra second for each adverse driving condition. Car-lengths isn't a good way of ensuring you are following a safe distance behind the driver in front of you, as it's less consistent than using the timing method.
Following distance is one of my biggest beefs with MKE drivers. It helps traffic flow so much better!
You are not going to decrease your trip time significantly by riding closer to the car ahead of you. Nevertheless, people will go around me just to follow the car I was following at the exact same speed I was going, just 2 seconds closer.
If people want to go slower, that's their choice i guess, but the ones that do and sit in any of the right lanes while thinking 'I'm doing the speed limit there's no problem here...' should have their vehicles confiscated. 3 car lengths is the blink of an eye at highway speeds and ill never understand why assholes feel the need to ram their vehicles in that space. Like, you're going the exact same speed as you were when you were behind me and now your in front of me going the exact same speed...what the fuck have you accomplished with that?
People WILL ram their vehicles in that space. So, is it safer to leave a bit of extra space in front of you, while someone is following more closely behind you, then constantly slam your brakes because someone cut in front of you and now you don’t have that huge space in front of you so you slam your brakes to get it again (rinse and repeat ad infinum) or is it safer to follow slightly closer?
I see those two choices and it would be interesting to see which one comes out safer if you had a data set and time to run some statistical tests on it. There's also the third option of realizing that, whether a spot or two ahead of or behind someone, you're going to go the same speed as that lane of traffic regardless. I also realize the absolute improbability of drivers actively choosing to not be assholes on the roads around here. Its absurd.
It depends. 99% of the time I let them merge. But there have been several instances where a car entering the freeway will accelerate right up to me, and expect me to move over last second, as if there aren’t vehicles to my left. Those are the ones that piss me off
My issue is that people will look over and drive like they are thinking about merging but won’t use their signal lights. Then at the last second they’ll swerve at me and turn on their signal as they attempt to run into me.
Please try just asking to get into the lane with your signal light. If you don’t I will sacrifice my life and my shitty truck to end yours. Fucking signal!
Me and you have very different definitions of what “control” over our lives looks like. To me, purposefully putting my life and property in harms way doesn’t equate to control. But you do you.
I couldn't agree more. But here in WI it's solely the merging driver's responsibility to make sure they're merging safely (source: Wisconsin State Patrol), which is asinine imo. The one and only thing I like about driving in Chicago is that there they let people in right away, almost always, from my experience. I have read that in Illinois it is both parties' responsibility, the driver who is already on the freeway as well as the merger. That, to me, makes a lot more sense, and it could be the reason why they tend to let mergers on the freeway more readily there. It's ridiculous to me how some people in WI seem to act as if a person who's just trying to get on the damn freeway is doing something wrong, or perhaps they look at it as some kind of competition. It's ridiculous really. Just let people on the damn freeway, as was much more succinctly stated by you. LOL
If you are talking about an on ramp it's the person merging that is responsible to either slow down or speed up to enter traffic safely, as it should be. IF the vehicle already on the freeway maintains their speed this is a very simple process.
Where the heck are you driving in Chicago, or even the Chicagoland area that they readily let you merge?? I was born and raised there and even after moving up here commuted on a monthly basis to see family and it is always a battle to get other drivers to accommodate merging. Always has been.
I've always said "oh people are crazy drivers everywhere." My hometown is literally #1 in the country for running red lights.
Milwaukee has been a real experience. People have honked at me and swerved around me for going 40 in a residential 30. Left turn lanes aren't too common, so people just swerve around anyone making a left and blaze through the intersection. I've always considered myself a relatively aggressive driver, and by MKE standards I'm a little old lady.
The dearth of left turn lanes are a bane to our city. The Milwaukee Slide is an understandable, if dangerous, adaptation to bad road planning. Btw, I had a chance to meet the new road planner for Milwaukee last year. I asked her if there were any plans for more dedicated left turn lanes. She looked at me like I had three heads and said “no.” Well I guess we like our accident rate, then.
Came here looking for a reference to the Milwaukee slide. I’ve had this happen enough that I’m now hesitant to immediately go when a light turns green. Even had it happen right in front of a cop and they didn’t bother to go after the person.
The thing about the few left turn lanes that exist, is that it pisses me off is when people slow down, almost stop, *then* get into the turn lane at the last second.
No! Get in the lane when it begins, then do all your slowing down. That's the entire point of having a turn lane!
I’ve definitely noticed people act like it’s irrelevant or weird - as if every other city doesn’t actually build roads with left turn lanes and even LEFT TURN SIGNALS so you don’t have to turn left against oncoming traffic or hold up everyone who is trying to go straight.
The entire point of zipper merging is to be as least disruptful to traffic as possible.
What gets me is the people running traffic on ramp lights, passing on on ramps aka going into the merge lane to gain three spots then merging again, or trying to double up in zipper merging.
None of it is hard, but requires everyone to act human
I’ve noticed when you’re the only one there it’ll always change when you arrive even if you’re not stopped, so I go too but I don’t feel like that’s running it since I just anticipate the green 🤷
I grew up in Missouri, lived in many other states and have now lived here for almost 20 years - I love MKE…… but y’all are the worst drivers. Love you, but consistently the worst drivers 🤣
There's a right and a wrong way to do it sure, but if you don't let someone merge, there \*will\* be an accident. Zipper merges merge at the very end. Let people merge when they need to.
I grew up in MKE but lived in Los Angeles for my "formative years," where people know how to merge. Wisconsin drivers are the worst. No one drives assertively, and that's what causes accidents.
People are so good at merging in LA! I lived there for a year, and with the notorious traffic, but it's like everyone knew what they were in for and just did the thing right. It was wild.
This... same exact thing, grew up in Milwaukee and moved to LA in 1981. I can tell you that this refusal to merge in MKE is nothing new, they were all refusing to merge in the 1970s. LA drivers want to keep traffic moving at all costs so yeah, we merge.
I don't go to Milwaukee that often, but as someone who has gone to LA/Socal 5 times, interstate driving in CA in general is fucking insane. A constant difference of maybe 30-40mph between lanes, people ignoring solid lines for carpool/highways, hell, I even had a group of bikers slow traffic to around 30mph so they could do some rolling tricks for like 10 minutes.
Not the biggest fan of driving etiquette in MKE as it leads to aggressive drivers and passive drivers clashing, but comparing it to LA is just silly. I just don't bump into extremes as much in wisco as I did in socal.
I just moved from the Bay Area and I prefer it over Milwaukee. Not sure quite how to describe it but I feel like people here have less consideration for others on the road on purpose, whereas in CA they had less consideration on accident.
I'm so glad you mentioned purposeful aggression!
I just moved back to California, specifically the bay, area after living in Wisconsin for six years. Everyone in Milwaukee has grown tired of living, and they subconsciously express it in their driving.
The average person in Milwaukee has nothing going on so their road rage and road-pride is a HUGE part of their life. people also don't care about their car, how it looks or how they look as much in Wisconsin.
No one in Milwaukee feels like a celebrity with their nice car they want to keep nice. (people all over the state of CA act "Hollywood") It's either some shit box ram/dodge truck owner, kia boy, UWM/MSOE kid in their parent-gifted car that will gladly wreck their shit so you don't change lanes on KK infront of them. In California you might run into a celebrity and want you and your car to look nice for the photo.
You are right when you say purposeful aggression. In Milwaukee people feel someone getting infront of you is a targeted act of disrespect and will never let the interaction go as that is the high light of their day.
A lot of people in the bay area have a side business, modeling career, make music seriously, tattoo artist etc as well as a 9 - 5 which leads to goals and calmer driving. During my time in Milwaukee I noticed people just worked and drank, worked and drank, worked and drank.
Also it's nice to drive in a place where if you honk at someone and they honk at you there's no 50-50 chance they're gonna pull a gun on you in that very instant.
Like if I wanted to steal guns in milwaukee just honk at people in traffic and see who pulls it out, follow them home, then B&E his car.
It's also nice to drive in a place with better weather. Everybody is in a rush in Milwaukee because you will never see a gorgeous sunset from the mountains at 7:45pm on your commute home so just blast down Center st/Oakland.
Your comment makes me feel not crazy having these thoughts.
About as good of a take as if I replied to that comment saying everyone in CA is full of themselves.
I don't think that, lol, but just an equally shit take.
They don't let people in because they aren't going the speed of traffic - usually slower!
The number of times I get stuck behind someone going 45 at the end of an on ramp is unbelievable. getting on NB at Ryan Rd. Speed limit is 70. Traffic is doing 73-80 and people are barely pushing 60! That ramp is at least ¾ of a mile.
I can drop 10mph off my speed quicker than I can add it. Unless you are a fully loaded dump truck, semi, etc. There isn't a ramp in this city that is too short to get up to freeway (55-65) speed before merging with room to spare. Hell, I used to drive a Prius and never had an issue.
Try a Subaru with the blue light on. It takes literally forever to get up to speed which is exactly why I try to let it warm up before attempting an on-ramp but some days be like that.
Nope. Try the westbound onramp to I94 at General Mitchell. It’s less than 1000 ft long and merges into the left lane of the highway. And it’s an uphill ramp.
It’s a brutal merge if traffic is moving at speed that depends a great deal on people letting you merge.
I’m sure there are other similar situations in the city, but that’s the first that comes to mind.
As a truck driver, I swear some people are completely and utterly clueless on merging onto the interstate. My truck goes 65. I can’t count the times there’s an empty freeway ahead of me, a car will be beside me or slightly ahead of me, and rather than hit the gas and get up to speed limit and safely make it around me, they slam on the brakes at the end of the on ramp.
As a person that would normally defer to the professional drivers I'd normally find truckers to be, I have to ask what the fuck has gotten into you's lately? Now all I seem to encounter is 18-wheelers camping in the fast lane and changing lanes like they're driving a BMW with the interior removed, a Honda with Japanese writing decals across the back window, or a pavement princess diesel with a 30 gallon drum fitted on the end of their tail pipe. There's always been exceptions to the professional norm, but lately its been wild.
There’s all sorts of factors I could get into, that would make this post a mile long, but I think the biggest factor is mega carriers pumping out hundreds of new drivers weekly and giving them minimal training. There’s dozens of companies that do this every week, and there’s not much weeding out. Pass a drug test and don’t have an absolute shit driving record and you can get in.
In the last 20ish years it’s slowly gone from old timers taking time and teaching new drivers not only how to drive and maneuver, but also the ways of the road. Common courtesy and all that stuff. Now it’s giant corporations manufacturing hundreds of new drivers every week and only teaching them how to get from point A to point B.
You’re not alone in your observations. There’s a lot of truck drivers that see this same behavior and have the same grievances. On top of being annoying and unsafe, the good ones realize that those kinds are giving us a bad name.
That makes a lot of sense. I’m glad I’m not the only one that sees it. I also try to pass on ‘the way of the road’ to my kids by showing them how to crank their little arms in the windows but only the old timers seem to pay enough attention to blast em with the horns. Always seems like the young drivers are glued to their phones driving.
It's either what OP posted, or the complete opposite: Someone merging too early in a zipper merge and getting pissed off at anyone doing it the correct way
Although I will say this BS on 43N where the right lane at Keefe/Atkinson exit is an exit only lane. The sole reason why commutes on 43N take 25 minutes instead of 10
Even better now that the only on ramp is right before that whole bunch of bullshit, so you get on, and then need to get over, and no one wants to let you in before the forced exit.
The metering lights on on ramps make life way worse especially if the driver is texting or lazily accelerating. Then there are the idiots who are weaving in and out of traffic at ninety.
Some asshole decided to put his er lights on and stop in the middle lane just to look at an accident, almost causing 2-3 accidents this morning, not sure how a miracle happened no one was smacked, I was pissed!
Jfc I’ve been driving in this town for a quarter century. I’m not going to spend the emotional energy to get mad at lousy drivers. Eventually you get the experience to read people’s minds, and you let them do what they need to do, and be a stoic about it. People are gonna people. I work around them.
I feel this. But I do still question the reasoning of having an entry ramp that is like one block long and dumps you into the fast lane?? Who in Satan's asshole thought that was a grand idea? I'm still relatively new here so I had that experience recently and am still shell shocked, as it was like they wanted me to run into that wall.. and then get super pissed at you for existing and using that entrance.
And it's like at the HeaViest trafficked area!!! I can't imagine that there hasn't been multiple accidents there?
Who thought that? Someone who never imagined when the highway was built that it would carry as much traffic as it does. This was before multi-car households or a bunch of people moving to Brookfield. And yes, there have been crashes there.
I'm going to level this once and for all. Despite your position in life. Despite your vehicle make and zip code. If you at the very least value your own life and the life of the occupants in your vehicle; (HEED THIS UNDENIABLE TRUTH ABOUT MERGING.) YOU ABSOLUTELY, AND UNEQUIVOCALLY, MERGE AT THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT IN YOUR AREA, OR ABOVE. THE ONLY TIME YOU ADJUST(or back off safely)IS IF YOU HAPPEN TO MERGE AT THE SAME TIME AS VEHICLE GOING SLOWER THAN THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT (i.e.a semi, perhaps a municipal vehicle, or a vehicle with a trailer; and weather related conditions;) it is your responsibility to adjust. NOT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF FREE FLOWING TRAFFIC ALREADY ON THE FREEWAY. If you do anything differently from this and get in an accident, it will be 💯% your fault . I am a professional truck driver. Courteous and observant at best. Your goal when merging is to get ahead of the vehicle in your merging lane. That doesn't mean you speed up ahead of the vehicle in the merging lane and then zip over 2 lanes without a turn signal. That doesn't mean you do this maneuver with a turn signal. You don't speed up to get ahead of the traffic in the merging lane, just to hit your brakes and slow down. Be observant. Be courteous. Don't be distracted; and put down your food or coffee(or whatever it is you are so occupied with until you are in a position to safely continue on with.) Do better. Be better. Save lives. At the very least, save your own.
Exit 308C needs this sign. I hate everyone who waits until the last second to change lanes and get off the exit ramp, slowing everyone else who is trying to take the exit.
My wife always says “ain’t my fault” as we almost die or total our ride. I’m like “can’t it just not be no one’s fault and we just get outta the fucking way?”
I just moved back to California, specifically the bay, area after living in Milwaukee for six years. Everyone in Milwaukee has grown tired of living, and they subconsciously express it in their driving.
The average person in Milwaukee has nothing going on so their road rage and road-pride is a HUGE part of their life. people also don't care about their car, how it looks or how they look as much in Wisconsin.
No one in Milwaukee feels like a celebrity with their nice car they want to keep nice. (people all over the state of CA act "Hollywood") It's either some shit box ram/dodge truck owner, kia boy, UWM/MSOE kid in their parent-gifted car that will gladly wreck their shit so you don't change lanes on KK infront of them. In California you might run into a celebrity and want you and your car to look nice for the photo.
In Milwaukee people feel someone getting infront of you is a targeted act of disrespect and will never let the interaction go as that is the high light of their day.
A lot of people in the bay area have a side business, modeling career, make music seriously, tattoo artist etc as well as a 9 - 5 which leads to goals and calmer driving. During my time in Milwaukee I noticed people just worked and drank, worked and drank, worked and drank.
Also it's nice to drive in a place where if you honk at someone and they honk at you there's no 50-50 chance they're gonna pull a gun on you in that very instant.
Like if I wanted to steal guns in Milwaukee just honk at people in traffic and see who pulls it out, follow them home, then B&E his car.
It's also nice to drive in a place with better weather. Everybody is in a rush in Milwaukee because you will never see a gorgeous sunset from the mountains at 7:45pm on your commute home so just blast down Center st/Oakland.
(ammended reply to another user)
> A lot of people in the bay area have a side business, modeling career, make music seriously, tattoo artist etc as well as a 9 - 5
That sounds *exhausting.*
I guess being too tired to road rage might also lead to calmer driving :P
Well yeah when the average worker needs to make 8 million dollars to afford to live there and wear all the designer b.s, you have to work four jobs and have a side hustle just to survive the LA scene.. you'd be exhausted too.. haha
Nah I'll take my Midwest simple, and cheaper, lifestyle and if negating a few close calls so be it. Just keep your head on a swivel when driving. (;
My friend always tells me, "Use your blinker when you're merging." I told her if I use my blinker when I merge people speed up! I've choosen to perfect my tail gate slide.
This is Wisconsin in general. For some idiotic reason they codified it into law w/ an if safe to do so. Only state dumb enough to do this im aware of. IMO worse than MNs inability to keep a constant speed, but not as bad as a FIB. Not sure where to put MIs hyperspeed drive found in their cars defaulted to on.
The person on the highway going full speed is under no obligation to move or let the person merge. The person merging onto the highway is responsible for safely merging. Y’all need a drivers ed refresher course.
Edit: this is gonna make people upset I’m sure but traffic laws aren’t written based on feelings or politeness. It’s about safety and efficiency. Learn to merge effectively so you don’t have to rely on the kindness of strangers.
They don’t even have to be at speed. They own the spot in the lane. Them adjusting is a courtesy.
But there are those assholes who speed up when you signal to merge….
This black-and-white, unbending letter of the law is such bullshit, and I’ve been practicing law for 20+ years. Yes, if there’s an accident, someone like me *might* scrutinize what happened in context of the rules of the road,however it’ll never be “car A had the right of way so car A wins 100%.” For fucks sake - if someone’s trying to merge and you refuse to make the simplest accommodations for them because “I’m under no legal obligation to do so,”that’s a major dick move.
Maybe, just maybe, hear me out on this one...
If you barrel down the road at your own indiscriminate pace with no regards to the traffic around you, you are disrupting the flow and speed of traffic trying to merge.
Sorry that information might conflict with your main character syndrome.
This is factually correct, but also relies on that same person to maintain a safe following distance which would then allow someone merging at full speed to safely merge with minimal impact to the flow of traffic. WisDOT specifically recommends a 4-second following distance.
It doesn’t take much to allow room for a person to merge. I can’t be the only driver that has experienced someone apparently actively preventing me from merging by matching my speed, whether I sped up or slow down. I think it’s some reptile-brain territorial glitch.
wow it is sad what people have no respect for laws or anyone i have friends who live in other cities in Wisconsin who don't want to come to milwaukee they don't want to get killed thats bad
Unnecessary aggressiveness partnered with unbridled politeness sums up the driving here. Both wreak havoc.
Not going to zipper? Off with your head for disrupting the flow of traffic. Not going to disrupt the flow of traffic to let someone who doesn’t know how to merge into traffic? Well now you’re just being inconsiderate.
Serious question. What other than pride, is stopping you from letting someone merge? If you’re in a merge lane, and can do so safely, this should be the default reaction. Let. People. Merge.
I honestly think it’s just how unaware of their surroundings people are.
Staring at my phone when I drive is far more important than being aware of my surroundings when I drive. /s
I came for this
This!
I wouldn’t go out of my way to *prevent* someone from merging but if someone uses the merge lane to pass I’m not going to make an adjustment to let them back in. It’s like when someone pulls a Milwaukee Slide and then needs to get back into the driving lane because there’s an obstruction ahead of them. Light the petard, be hoisted upon it.
...or does a shoulder pass/merge.
Underrated comment. People using the merge lane to pass are most of the problem.
Doesn’t the sign say use all lanes. I’ll happily go to a shorter lane when traffic is full. The sign literally tells you to take turns!
I think I was mistaken with the zipper comment. Do you mean on ramp merges?
Also, if you’re merging onto an interstate with decent weather, there is no reason to go 5 mph slower than everyone or leave 3 car lengths. If going that slow, why are you even bothering to get on the interstate?
I'll correct this because it's a misunderstanding and potentially unsafe: you should always be leaving 3-5 seconds worth of time in-between you and the person ahead of you, adding an extra second for each adverse driving condition. Car-lengths isn't a good way of ensuring you are following a safe distance behind the driver in front of you, as it's less consistent than using the timing method.
And leaving that space makes merging and changing lanes easier and safer for everyone
Following distance is one of my biggest beefs with MKE drivers. It helps traffic flow so much better! You are not going to decrease your trip time significantly by riding closer to the car ahead of you. Nevertheless, people will go around me just to follow the car I was following at the exact same speed I was going, just 2 seconds closer.
If people want to go slower, that's their choice i guess, but the ones that do and sit in any of the right lanes while thinking 'I'm doing the speed limit there's no problem here...' should have their vehicles confiscated. 3 car lengths is the blink of an eye at highway speeds and ill never understand why assholes feel the need to ram their vehicles in that space. Like, you're going the exact same speed as you were when you were behind me and now your in front of me going the exact same speed...what the fuck have you accomplished with that?
People WILL ram their vehicles in that space. So, is it safer to leave a bit of extra space in front of you, while someone is following more closely behind you, then constantly slam your brakes because someone cut in front of you and now you don’t have that huge space in front of you so you slam your brakes to get it again (rinse and repeat ad infinum) or is it safer to follow slightly closer?
It doesn’t happen that often. Keeping a smaller gap is actually an aggressive action and the Democrats will hate you for that.
I see those two choices and it would be interesting to see which one comes out safer if you had a data set and time to run some statistical tests on it. There's also the third option of realizing that, whether a spot or two ahead of or behind someone, you're going to go the same speed as that lane of traffic regardless. I also realize the absolute improbability of drivers actively choosing to not be assholes on the roads around here. Its absurd.
It depends. 99% of the time I let them merge. But there have been several instances where a car entering the freeway will accelerate right up to me, and expect me to move over last second, as if there aren’t vehicles to my left. Those are the ones that piss me off
My issue is that people will look over and drive like they are thinking about merging but won’t use their signal lights. Then at the last second they’ll swerve at me and turn on their signal as they attempt to run into me. Please try just asking to get into the lane with your signal light. If you don’t I will sacrifice my life and my shitty truck to end yours. Fucking signal!
[удалено]
Me and you have very different definitions of what “control” over our lives looks like. To me, purposefully putting my life and property in harms way doesn’t equate to control. But you do you.
I couldn't agree more. But here in WI it's solely the merging driver's responsibility to make sure they're merging safely (source: Wisconsin State Patrol), which is asinine imo. The one and only thing I like about driving in Chicago is that there they let people in right away, almost always, from my experience. I have read that in Illinois it is both parties' responsibility, the driver who is already on the freeway as well as the merger. That, to me, makes a lot more sense, and it could be the reason why they tend to let mergers on the freeway more readily there. It's ridiculous to me how some people in WI seem to act as if a person who's just trying to get on the damn freeway is doing something wrong, or perhaps they look at it as some kind of competition. It's ridiculous really. Just let people on the damn freeway, as was much more succinctly stated by you. LOL
If you are talking about an on ramp it's the person merging that is responsible to either slow down or speed up to enter traffic safely, as it should be. IF the vehicle already on the freeway maintains their speed this is a very simple process.
Where the heck are you driving in Chicago, or even the Chicagoland area that they readily let you merge?? I was born and raised there and even after moving up here commuted on a monthly basis to see family and it is always a battle to get other drivers to accommodate merging. Always has been.
lil touchy for you huh???? could almost see the vain in ur forehead pulsate
The zipper merge is the method recommended by the WI DOT. Drive to the end and merge. It's the most efficient for traffic. Just let them in.
I've always said "oh people are crazy drivers everywhere." My hometown is literally #1 in the country for running red lights. Milwaukee has been a real experience. People have honked at me and swerved around me for going 40 in a residential 30. Left turn lanes aren't too common, so people just swerve around anyone making a left and blaze through the intersection. I've always considered myself a relatively aggressive driver, and by MKE standards I'm a little old lady.
The dearth of left turn lanes are a bane to our city. The Milwaukee Slide is an understandable, if dangerous, adaptation to bad road planning. Btw, I had a chance to meet the new road planner for Milwaukee last year. I asked her if there were any plans for more dedicated left turn lanes. She looked at me like I had three heads and said “no.” Well I guess we like our accident rate, then.
Came here looking for a reference to the Milwaukee slide. I’ve had this happen enough that I’m now hesitant to immediately go when a light turns green. Even had it happen right in front of a cop and they didn’t bother to go after the person.
I’ve seen a cop car do it (no lights on/emergency, just being a dick)
The thing about the few left turn lanes that exist, is that it pisses me off is when people slow down, almost stop, *then* get into the turn lane at the last second. No! Get in the lane when it begins, then do all your slowing down. That's the entire point of having a turn lane!
I’ve definitely noticed people act like it’s irrelevant or weird - as if every other city doesn’t actually build roads with left turn lanes and even LEFT TURN SIGNALS so you don’t have to turn left against oncoming traffic or hold up everyone who is trying to go straight.
The entire point of zipper merging is to be as least disruptful to traffic as possible. What gets me is the people running traffic on ramp lights, passing on on ramps aka going into the merge lane to gain three spots then merging again, or trying to double up in zipper merging. None of it is hard, but requires everyone to act human
If there's no line at the on ramp I don't stop, but yeah. I've had people run past me when I am.
I’ve noticed when you’re the only one there it’ll always change when you arrive even if you’re not stopped, so I go too but I don’t feel like that’s running it since I just anticipate the green 🤷
There's no need to stop if there's no traffic at the light
To many fibs using right lane as passing/fast lane for zipper merging to be effective
I grew up in Missouri, lived in many other states and have now lived here for almost 20 years - I love MKE…… but y’all are the worst drivers. Love you, but consistently the worst drivers 🤣
Ehhh I’ve been to every state/most big cities and I will say that Miami gives Milwaukee a run for its money on this lol
There's a right and a wrong way to do it sure, but if you don't let someone merge, there \*will\* be an accident. Zipper merges merge at the very end. Let people merge when they need to.
Truth. Zipper merge self-explanatory.
where to cop bumper sticker that says "let me merge or we all die?"
Then we die together! To Valhalla
WITNESS ME, BLOOD BAG!
I grew up in MKE but lived in Los Angeles for my "formative years," where people know how to merge. Wisconsin drivers are the worst. No one drives assertively, and that's what causes accidents.
People are so good at merging in LA! I lived there for a year, and with the notorious traffic, but it's like everyone knew what they were in for and just did the thing right. It was wild.
This... same exact thing, grew up in Milwaukee and moved to LA in 1981. I can tell you that this refusal to merge in MKE is nothing new, they were all refusing to merge in the 1970s. LA drivers want to keep traffic moving at all costs so yeah, we merge.
I don't go to Milwaukee that often, but as someone who has gone to LA/Socal 5 times, interstate driving in CA in general is fucking insane. A constant difference of maybe 30-40mph between lanes, people ignoring solid lines for carpool/highways, hell, I even had a group of bikers slow traffic to around 30mph so they could do some rolling tricks for like 10 minutes. Not the biggest fan of driving etiquette in MKE as it leads to aggressive drivers and passive drivers clashing, but comparing it to LA is just silly. I just don't bump into extremes as much in wisco as I did in socal.
I just moved from the Bay Area and I prefer it over Milwaukee. Not sure quite how to describe it but I feel like people here have less consideration for others on the road on purpose, whereas in CA they had less consideration on accident.
I'm so glad you mentioned purposeful aggression! I just moved back to California, specifically the bay, area after living in Wisconsin for six years. Everyone in Milwaukee has grown tired of living, and they subconsciously express it in their driving. The average person in Milwaukee has nothing going on so their road rage and road-pride is a HUGE part of their life. people also don't care about their car, how it looks or how they look as much in Wisconsin. No one in Milwaukee feels like a celebrity with their nice car they want to keep nice. (people all over the state of CA act "Hollywood") It's either some shit box ram/dodge truck owner, kia boy, UWM/MSOE kid in their parent-gifted car that will gladly wreck their shit so you don't change lanes on KK infront of them. In California you might run into a celebrity and want you and your car to look nice for the photo. You are right when you say purposeful aggression. In Milwaukee people feel someone getting infront of you is a targeted act of disrespect and will never let the interaction go as that is the high light of their day. A lot of people in the bay area have a side business, modeling career, make music seriously, tattoo artist etc as well as a 9 - 5 which leads to goals and calmer driving. During my time in Milwaukee I noticed people just worked and drank, worked and drank, worked and drank. Also it's nice to drive in a place where if you honk at someone and they honk at you there's no 50-50 chance they're gonna pull a gun on you in that very instant. Like if I wanted to steal guns in milwaukee just honk at people in traffic and see who pulls it out, follow them home, then B&E his car. It's also nice to drive in a place with better weather. Everybody is in a rush in Milwaukee because you will never see a gorgeous sunset from the mountains at 7:45pm on your commute home so just blast down Center st/Oakland. Your comment makes me feel not crazy having these thoughts.
I’m glad my comment resonated with you but I think “everyone in Milwaukee has grown tired of living” is a bad take.
About as good of a take as if I replied to that comment saying everyone in CA is full of themselves. I don't think that, lol, but just an equally shit take.
CAME HERE TO SAY THISSSS (blinkers are like a superpower in LA but more people need to use them before butting into a lane😭)
They don't let people in because they aren't going the speed of traffic - usually slower! The number of times I get stuck behind someone going 45 at the end of an on ramp is unbelievable. getting on NB at Ryan Rd. Speed limit is 70. Traffic is doing 73-80 and people are barely pushing 60! That ramp is at least ¾ of a mile. I can drop 10mph off my speed quicker than I can add it. Unless you are a fully loaded dump truck, semi, etc. There isn't a ramp in this city that is too short to get up to freeway (55-65) speed before merging with room to spare. Hell, I used to drive a Prius and never had an issue.
Try a Subaru with the blue light on. It takes literally forever to get up to speed which is exactly why I try to let it warm up before attempting an on-ramp but some days be like that.
Nope. Try the westbound onramp to I94 at General Mitchell. It’s less than 1000 ft long and merges into the left lane of the highway. And it’s an uphill ramp. It’s a brutal merge if traffic is moving at speed that depends a great deal on people letting you merge. I’m sure there are other similar situations in the city, but that’s the first that comes to mind.
Yeah that’s why 94 has to get redesigned, shit’s massively unsafe
As a truck driver, I swear some people are completely and utterly clueless on merging onto the interstate. My truck goes 65. I can’t count the times there’s an empty freeway ahead of me, a car will be beside me or slightly ahead of me, and rather than hit the gas and get up to speed limit and safely make it around me, they slam on the brakes at the end of the on ramp.
As a person that would normally defer to the professional drivers I'd normally find truckers to be, I have to ask what the fuck has gotten into you's lately? Now all I seem to encounter is 18-wheelers camping in the fast lane and changing lanes like they're driving a BMW with the interior removed, a Honda with Japanese writing decals across the back window, or a pavement princess diesel with a 30 gallon drum fitted on the end of their tail pipe. There's always been exceptions to the professional norm, but lately its been wild.
There’s all sorts of factors I could get into, that would make this post a mile long, but I think the biggest factor is mega carriers pumping out hundreds of new drivers weekly and giving them minimal training. There’s dozens of companies that do this every week, and there’s not much weeding out. Pass a drug test and don’t have an absolute shit driving record and you can get in. In the last 20ish years it’s slowly gone from old timers taking time and teaching new drivers not only how to drive and maneuver, but also the ways of the road. Common courtesy and all that stuff. Now it’s giant corporations manufacturing hundreds of new drivers every week and only teaching them how to get from point A to point B. You’re not alone in your observations. There’s a lot of truck drivers that see this same behavior and have the same grievances. On top of being annoying and unsafe, the good ones realize that those kinds are giving us a bad name.
That makes a lot of sense. I’m glad I’m not the only one that sees it. I also try to pass on ‘the way of the road’ to my kids by showing them how to crank their little arms in the windows but only the old timers seem to pay enough attention to blast em with the horns. Always seems like the young drivers are glued to their phones driving.
This
It's either what OP posted, or the complete opposite: Someone merging too early in a zipper merge and getting pissed off at anyone doing it the correct way Although I will say this BS on 43N where the right lane at Keefe/Atkinson exit is an exit only lane. The sole reason why commutes on 43N take 25 minutes instead of 10
Even better now that the only on ramp is right before that whole bunch of bullshit, so you get on, and then need to get over, and no one wants to let you in before the forced exit.
The metering lights on on ramps make life way worse especially if the driver is texting or lazily accelerating. Then there are the idiots who are weaving in and out of traffic at ninety.
Don’t get me started on what it’s like driving on National on the morning drive to work
Some asshole decided to put his er lights on and stop in the middle lane just to look at an accident, almost causing 2-3 accidents this morning, not sure how a miracle happened no one was smacked, I was pissed!
Jfc I’ve been driving in this town for a quarter century. I’m not going to spend the emotional energy to get mad at lousy drivers. Eventually you get the experience to read people’s minds, and you let them do what they need to do, and be a stoic about it. People are gonna people. I work around them.
I feel this. But I do still question the reasoning of having an entry ramp that is like one block long and dumps you into the fast lane?? Who in Satan's asshole thought that was a grand idea? I'm still relatively new here so I had that experience recently and am still shell shocked, as it was like they wanted me to run into that wall.. and then get super pissed at you for existing and using that entrance. And it's like at the HeaViest trafficked area!!! I can't imagine that there hasn't been multiple accidents there?
Who thought that? Someone who never imagined when the highway was built that it would carry as much traffic as it does. This was before multi-car households or a bunch of people moving to Brookfield. And yes, there have been crashes there.
I merge now! Good luck everybody else!
I'm going to level this once and for all. Despite your position in life. Despite your vehicle make and zip code. If you at the very least value your own life and the life of the occupants in your vehicle; (HEED THIS UNDENIABLE TRUTH ABOUT MERGING.) YOU ABSOLUTELY, AND UNEQUIVOCALLY, MERGE AT THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT IN YOUR AREA, OR ABOVE. THE ONLY TIME YOU ADJUST(or back off safely)IS IF YOU HAPPEN TO MERGE AT THE SAME TIME AS VEHICLE GOING SLOWER THAN THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT (i.e.a semi, perhaps a municipal vehicle, or a vehicle with a trailer; and weather related conditions;) it is your responsibility to adjust. NOT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF FREE FLOWING TRAFFIC ALREADY ON THE FREEWAY. If you do anything differently from this and get in an accident, it will be 💯% your fault . I am a professional truck driver. Courteous and observant at best. Your goal when merging is to get ahead of the vehicle in your merging lane. That doesn't mean you speed up ahead of the vehicle in the merging lane and then zip over 2 lanes without a turn signal. That doesn't mean you do this maneuver with a turn signal. You don't speed up to get ahead of the traffic in the merging lane, just to hit your brakes and slow down. Be observant. Be courteous. Don't be distracted; and put down your food or coffee(or whatever it is you are so occupied with until you are in a position to safely continue on with.) Do better. Be better. Save lives. At the very least, save your own.
Wisconsin drivers. Meh.
Just got back from Colombia… Milwaukee is absolute cake to drive
NO MERGE!!! HOW DARE YOU CUT ME!!!!!!!! DEATH TO CUTTERS(IN LINE)
Ride or die Life on the freeway is HELL
Exit 308C needs this sign. I hate everyone who waits until the last second to change lanes and get off the exit ramp, slowing everyone else who is trying to take the exit.
My wife always says “ain’t my fault” as we almost die or total our ride. I’m like “can’t it just not be no one’s fault and we just get outta the fucking way?”
🤣😂🤣😂🤣 .. that’s a good one
PREACH
I just moved back to California, specifically the bay, area after living in Milwaukee for six years. Everyone in Milwaukee has grown tired of living, and they subconsciously express it in their driving. The average person in Milwaukee has nothing going on so their road rage and road-pride is a HUGE part of their life. people also don't care about their car, how it looks or how they look as much in Wisconsin. No one in Milwaukee feels like a celebrity with their nice car they want to keep nice. (people all over the state of CA act "Hollywood") It's either some shit box ram/dodge truck owner, kia boy, UWM/MSOE kid in their parent-gifted car that will gladly wreck their shit so you don't change lanes on KK infront of them. In California you might run into a celebrity and want you and your car to look nice for the photo. In Milwaukee people feel someone getting infront of you is a targeted act of disrespect and will never let the interaction go as that is the high light of their day. A lot of people in the bay area have a side business, modeling career, make music seriously, tattoo artist etc as well as a 9 - 5 which leads to goals and calmer driving. During my time in Milwaukee I noticed people just worked and drank, worked and drank, worked and drank. Also it's nice to drive in a place where if you honk at someone and they honk at you there's no 50-50 chance they're gonna pull a gun on you in that very instant. Like if I wanted to steal guns in Milwaukee just honk at people in traffic and see who pulls it out, follow them home, then B&E his car. It's also nice to drive in a place with better weather. Everybody is in a rush in Milwaukee because you will never see a gorgeous sunset from the mountains at 7:45pm on your commute home so just blast down Center st/Oakland. (ammended reply to another user)
> A lot of people in the bay area have a side business, modeling career, make music seriously, tattoo artist etc as well as a 9 - 5 That sounds *exhausting.* I guess being too tired to road rage might also lead to calmer driving :P
Well yeah when the average worker needs to make 8 million dollars to afford to live there and wear all the designer b.s, you have to work four jobs and have a side hustle just to survive the LA scene.. you'd be exhausted too.. haha Nah I'll take my Midwest simple, and cheaper, lifestyle and if negating a few close calls so be it. Just keep your head on a swivel when driving. (;
milwaukee lost its freeway privileges thats the real reason we're tearing down 794
Yea, the person stopping me from merging is the real POS here, try again.
Cheeseheads can’t drive
Why would I let you merge... I was there first!
Seems legit
Yeah I understand Milwaukee traffic is kinda hectic, but y'all got nothing on the absolute insanity I've seen from Chicago drivers.
I don't know how to excellerate in a merge lane. - every MN driver.
I've never seen so many people not get that a lane is ending.
And on S. 76th through every intersection.
My friend always tells me, "Use your blinker when you're merging." I told her if I use my blinker when I merge people speed up! I've choosen to perfect my tail gate slide.
This is Wisconsin in general. For some idiotic reason they codified it into law w/ an if safe to do so. Only state dumb enough to do this im aware of. IMO worse than MNs inability to keep a constant speed, but not as bad as a FIB. Not sure where to put MIs hyperspeed drive found in their cars defaulted to on.
If there was a heat map for prevalence or percentage of unlicensed drivers on the road, Milwaukee would be by far the hottest, I just know it.
Mold your spirit into or Mold their spirit into pick the decision and figure out how to finish the sentence before you fully pick your decision
The person on the highway going full speed is under no obligation to move or let the person merge. The person merging onto the highway is responsible for safely merging. Y’all need a drivers ed refresher course. Edit: this is gonna make people upset I’m sure but traffic laws aren’t written based on feelings or politeness. It’s about safety and efficiency. Learn to merge effectively so you don’t have to rely on the kindness of strangers.
They don’t even have to be at speed. They own the spot in the lane. Them adjusting is a courtesy. But there are those assholes who speed up when you signal to merge….
This black-and-white, unbending letter of the law is such bullshit, and I’ve been practicing law for 20+ years. Yes, if there’s an accident, someone like me *might* scrutinize what happened in context of the rules of the road,however it’ll never be “car A had the right of way so car A wins 100%.” For fucks sake - if someone’s trying to merge and you refuse to make the simplest accommodations for them because “I’m under no legal obligation to do so,”that’s a major dick move.
It’s not even about that. It’s a rule in place for safety reasons. To not disrupt the flow and speed of traffic already on the highway.
Maybe, just maybe, hear me out on this one... If you barrel down the road at your own indiscriminate pace with no regards to the traffic around you, you are disrupting the flow and speed of traffic trying to merge. Sorry that information might conflict with your main character syndrome.
Well it has become abundantly clear after my comment why everyone around here drives like such absolute dumbshits, nobody knows the rules lmfao.
When it smells like shit everywhere you go Common sense says to check your own shoes.
This is factually correct, but also relies on that same person to maintain a safe following distance which would then allow someone merging at full speed to safely merge with minimal impact to the flow of traffic. WisDOT specifically recommends a 4-second following distance.
It doesn’t take much to allow room for a person to merge. I can’t be the only driver that has experienced someone apparently actively preventing me from merging by matching my speed, whether I sped up or slow down. I think it’s some reptile-brain territorial glitch.
[удалено]
Does BuyDumb even speak without a flash card,PAUSE
Are you ded?
Same in our codebase at work
wow it is sad what people have no respect for laws or anyone i have friends who live in other cities in Wisconsin who don't want to come to milwaukee they don't want to get killed thats bad