Why you need to change the way you merge, even if it gets awkward

Winnipeg city councillor Matt Allard admits zipper merging can get awkward — but he still thinks you should give it a try.

Many drivers balk at doing a 'late merge' near construction sites, even though traffic experts say the move eases congestion. Drivers often wait politely in a lane of backed-up traffic, instead of driving ahead to what's known as the 'choke point.'

"Right now what happens is, you'll have that one guy or gal who's in the right lane, and that person is perceived as a cheater, somebody who's cut the line," Allard said.

"What can happen is the person at the merge doesn't want to let you in, so that's when things get awkward and can feel a little dangerous."

Don't think of it as cheating, think of it as reducing congestion

Now or Never host Ify Chiwetelu took a drive with Allard, and he told her that it's high time to change our traffic culture.

"If you look at it from a traffic management perspective [...] that 'cheater' is perhaps using the road the way we should be using it - in the zipper merge way."

Allard has been lobbying to make zippering the norm. He pushed for a pilot test which found zipper merging yielded minimal benefit. He's not giving up. He believes if people get on board, zippering can significantly reduce commuting times.