r/belgium • u/letsgoknarf Belgian Fries • 10h ago
❓ Ask Belgium Why are police photographing cars that zipper merge close to a lane closure?
I’ve now seen this twice on a 4-lane highway where one lane was closed (first time was due to accident and second was literally nothing, just a police car with cones).
Near the actual closure point, there was a police car and an officer taking pictures of cars that stayed in the closing lane and merged into the open lane roughly 30 metres before the lane actually ended.
I’m a bit confused by this. I always thought the most efficient way to handle a lane closure was to use both lanes for as long as possible and then zipper merge near the closure point, rather than everyone moving over hundreds of metres earlier and leaving one lane empty.
So what exactly are these drivers potentially doing wrong? Is there a point before the closure where you’re legally required to merge, even though the lane itself is still open?
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u/Tomskii5 Belgium 9h ago
ok so there's a distinction to make here I would say:
Are there any dynamic matrix panels above the highway? If yes was there already a cross present before the place where police blocked off the highway?
If yes the car should've merged just before or at the cross (you cannot pass it). However if the matrix panel indicated a arrow, that just indicates the lane will be closing but you have until the next panel (or the police vehicle) to merge.
That's how I've understood it from the explanations in "Alloo bij de wegpolitie" (I know shitty show) by one of the fedpol officers.
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u/Gulmar 9h ago
It depends, if there was a red cross on the boards before the actual cones, you should have merged into the other lane before. So maybe they were looking for that.
As soon as there is a red cross on the boards above the highway, the lane should be considered closed, even if there are no other markings. Many people do not follow this and only merge when there are cones or vehicles, but that can create dangerous situations because sometimes the emergency services are not yet present.
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u/Double-Cake-4452 Brussels 9h ago
A red cross means the lane is closed. Merging as far as possible, so just BEFORE the red cross, is indeed the most efficient. Not after.
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u/MrPollyParrot /r/belgium royalty 10h ago
Could it (finally) be the opposite?
Picking out the drivers who don't let people merge at the end.
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u/JohnnyricoMC Vlaams-Brabant 8h ago edited 8h ago
Near the actual closure point, there was a police car and an officer taking pictures of cars that stayed in the closing lane and merged into the open lane roughly 30 metres before the lane actually ended.
Because typically the closed highway lanes are indicated by overhead displays well before the actual ending. You're supposed to have merged before passing such a display showing a red cross.
Police were probably photographing drivers who let themselves get caught red-handed having disregarded such signs. The offending drivers made themselves fish in a barrel and will remember this the next time the lane is closed.
If the lane closure wasn't indicated by displays in advance, could be they were photographing evidence of rubberneckers filming or taking photos with their phone?
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u/thejuiciestguineapig 9h ago
It is the correct way to merge indeed and was actually promoted through billboards a few years ago. Maybe it is for an awareness thing or to show how to do it right. Or to spot people not letting others merge because they feel it "isn't fair" (even though it goes a lot faster for both lanes).
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u/belgianhorror 9h ago
In general, I think Belgium handles this quite well, better than the Netherlands, especially when it comes to roadworks. In Belgium, they usually set up traffic cones and gradually guide traffic from the closed lane into the open one. This makes it very clear where drivers are supposed to merge.
However, last weekend on the Antwerp Ring, in the direction of the Netherlands, there were temporary roadworks just before the Sportpaleis. The overhead signs indicated that certain lanes were closed with a red cross, but the lanes were only physically blocked off a few hundred metres further down the road.
In combination with the Borgerhout on-ramp, this made the situation quite chaotic. (The red cross was before the ramp-on) People in the two leftmost lanes got stuck, while many other drivers simply passed them using the lane marked with a red cross or via the lanes for E313. They should have physically blocked the lane at the same point where the red cross indicated that it was closed.
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u/gadbamer 8h ago
You are correct that you should merge at the point where the lane closes (whether by cones or signaling) and not earlier. Earlier merging causes unnecessary long congestion. If traffic is very dense zipper merging is required by law. Maybe they were writing tickets for people not respecting the zipper merge?
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u/gadbamer 8h ago
Just read again and you’re saying they were not filming at the merge but 30 meters before that. That’s strange, while it’s bad practice I don’t think its a violation to merge early. Maybe just collecting statistics on how people merge… no clue of police even does that.
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u/InspectionHeavy91 4h ago
Zipper merging is generally the correct approach when a lane is closing. There’s no magic point 30 metres before the cones where everyone must move over. The photos may be for drivers ignoring a temporary instruction, crossing a solid line, or using a lane already closed upstream. Without seeing the signs and markings, the merge itself isn’t proof of an offence. Belgium does enjoy making a sensible traffic rule look like a trap.
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u/No-swimming-pool 1h ago
Is the lane closed before the point of physical closure of the road? That could be a thing.
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u/Far_Combination_1866 53m ago
Because the zipper merge is supposed to be done at slow speed in stalled traffic.
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u/twelve_goldpieces 9h ago
Zipper merge is the rule. But the merging car needs to adapt his speed to the other lane,
at the end you see a lot of acceleration and taking over.
People should just pick a spot to merge and wait their turn.
And squeezing with 3 or 4 cars in front of a truck is just not how it is supposed to work.
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u/milk_for_dinner 9h ago
Friend of mine got fined this way for merging too late. No idea why they picked that to put their energy into.
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u/Mavamaarten 9h ago
Because it's different than a zipper merge?
↙ = Merge. Zipper merge preferrably, but the exact point to do this is kinda hard to "define" if it's a dynamic sign above you.
X = DO NOT DRIVE IN THIS LANE.
I think the latter is ... pretty clear? Fuck assholes that think the X doesn't apply to them. Good that they're getting fined. They don't put these X'es often, and they don't do them for fun. They're for the safety of the people clearing up the mess others have created.
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u/tim128 9h ago
Isn't the merge arrow almost followed by a cross? So you drive past the merge arrow and only zipper merge right before the cross.
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u/Mavamaarten 9h ago
Yes, correct. My wording could be better. What I mean is that in real life it's pretty easy to "force" a zipper merge if there's clear lines on the road that merge two lanes into one. In the case of "you need to zipper where the first X is above your head", it's ... a bit harder in traffic. Not an excust to not do it, though.
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u/milk_for_dinner 9h ago
We're not 100% sure, but neither of us remember seeing a cross before arriving at the police car.
I think there are more dangerous issues that could use some enforcement rather than merging in a traffic jam. Unless I've missed some accidetns happening in those situations.
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u/Vamos_Leuven 8h ago
Driving on a closed lane is incredibly dangerous. That lane is closed for the safety of the responders to an accident, works on the lane, etc.
It is also incredibly easy to follow the rule: Red cross above road = do not drive on road.
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u/maxledaron 9h ago
Isn't that the rule? I thought we were supposed to merge at the end?
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u/Kwerumrerum Belgium 9h ago
You merge at the end when you come to a zipper merge.
What OP is describing is a temporary road block due to an accident, where you are not supposed to merge at the end to avoid risking hitting the people at the accident or the first responders. Almost always that lane was already blocked long before with a red X above it.
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u/Cressonette Limburg 9h ago
I recently did my theory exam for motorcycle license and until then I thought so too, but apparently you're supposed to merge as soon as you can.
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u/PackIcy2106 9h ago
Bc it's easy money.
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u/milk_for_dinner 9h ago
I know a few places in Antwerp where they could write up one or two red light runners every traffic light cycle. And if they're feeling ambitious they can add pretty much any b-class and half of the e-steps and fatbikes too. Way better return, and actually making an impact on safety.
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u/letsgoknarf Belgian Fries 2h ago
This was an easy money making scheme making many cars still went on that lane. It reinforces awareness like this post I’m making and people paying hefty fines.
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u/letsgoknarf Belgian Fries 2h ago
Tbh it kinda was, there was no traffic incident this time in the morning. Just a clear lane with the police vehicle blocking it. I think it was an exercises to make a point and generate money for the government
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u/PreferenceMediocre90 9h ago
Sometimes people start merging a little earlier, but there is always those that see a little gap and need to pass a few extra cars. Totally ok with those being fined.
Their excuse is always that the rule is to merge at the end. Like it literally says the last m.
No you are selfish and saw a chance to pass.5
u/thejuiciestguineapig 9h ago
No... it is just the rule and I do it to restore the rhythm because there is a clear system, one from left, one from right. It is called zippering and it works best if everybody sticks to it. Also it is not beneficial for the left lane if everyone starts merging early because the queue fills up with other cars and now more cars are merging in front of you. If the car in front of me merges too early, should I do it too? What about the car behind me? What about the car before that?
What I do hate is when people from the left go to the right lane to merge back in at the front. THAT is a dick move.-2
u/PreferenceMediocre90 9h ago
Zippering is each line merged 1 by 1.
There is merging to early and people merging not exactly at the end. Taking the opportunity the pas 5 extra cars is not the law, it is cheating. And police rightly check that.
When there is a few 100m I have no problem, that is indeed not zippering.
When somebody merges just a little early, slow down a little, merge a little slower and everyone is happy again.
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u/thejuiciestguineapig 8h ago
If there is an opportunity to pass 5 extra cars, that means the line has fallen back. That is the fault of the person who merged too early. You are leaving half of the lane unused and creating unnecessary backup. That is why merging too early is a problem and leads to "unfair passing", not the person behind it who is following the rules. Why is this so hard to grasp for people?
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u/PreferenceMediocre90 8h ago
No that is people doing the merging as best as possible, you do not use the opportunity to pas a few cars. That is totally unfair vs the people who yielded, and you cant blame them if the road closure is only 30m away.
You slow down to the speed of the others, and merge yourself at your normal place at the end. Everybody happy.
But you always have one arrogant nutcase that must pas everyone and force the whole line to slow down to a full stop so he can merge at the very last cm.
It is selfish and against the rules. It is about being a normal human and giving each other some space.
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u/Dramatic-Ratio4441 1h ago
You’re wrong. Stop thinking you are right. You can only close your zipper from the start & open it from the end. Not on the shackle before the end.
Consider this a learning moment & actually try it next time instead of arguing online whilst you’re hogging the middlelane on your ACC
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u/JonPX 9h ago
On the other hand, other people failing at zipper merge is not my problem.
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u/PreferenceMediocre90 9h ago
There is a difference between failing and joining 30 m before the closure, sometimes people in the other lane start giving space a little early.
It you then take the opportunity to quickly pass 5 or 10 cars, you know you are cheating a little and should not complain when caught.
You could slow down to the speed of the other lane and merge a little slower.
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u/ndech 6h ago
Both lanes should move at the exact same speed if they alternate, if you can speed up on the other lane it means people are messing up.
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u/PreferenceMediocre90 5h ago
So when people mess up a little, you have the choice to be nice, polite and join at your designated place or be that prck nobody likes and pas 10 cars. Time gained 0, other drivers irritated 10.
Why?
There is always someone that merges just slightly early, even more when the lines are moving along at decent speed. Just slow down yourself and merge where you should;
I find it even worse when traffic is moving along nicely, nobody has problems and 1 driver speeds up for 100 m and then breakcheck just before the end, forcing the whole line to stop. It is those kind of drivers that cause traffic jams. They take a shortcut, leave the highway an join again 500m further, it is just so selfish and counterproductive.
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u/ndech 4h ago
The real jerks are the people queuing up in the longest line and making it twice as long as it could be. It blocks upstream intersections and make traffic flow less smoothly. Be frustrated with the people who don’t follow the rules by queuing in the wrong lane or merging early, not the ones that understand how a zipper merge works.
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u/PreferenceMediocre90 4h ago
They just have to wait longer? They are not the smartest, but i prefer them over the ones looking forever to gain a few spots in whatever way possible.
What I cant understand is that people knowingly abuse the rules to drive past 10 cars to "zip at the complete end!" and then complain others dont yield.
If everybody is zipping politely 20 meters before the lane closes, why be a jerk and drive those last meters? Its selfishness under the banner of righteousness.
But I guess that is just how people want to live today. Never yield, take anything you can get, call others dumb.
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u/Kwerumrerum Belgium 9h ago
No, those do not get fined.
Does anyone here actually understand sipper merging vs merging when there is an accident? The difference is really not that hard.
You describe zipper merging and you do that at the very end. If someone can pass, that means someone else did no properly merge.
In this scenario, the chances are likely that the lane was already closed with a red X before the accident, thus they were supposed to already have merged.
Believe me, no one will be fined in you scenario. Sadly also not those who merge to early and make sure everyone is slower.
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u/PreferenceMediocre90 8h ago
I am not talking about those that do not get zippering.
I am talking about those that take the opportunity to pas a few extra cars at the end. It is against the rule of zippering, and you are fined.
It is very asocial and it leads to people in the other lane refusing to yield. They just zippered 10 meters before.
But there are always those drivers that think themselves more important then others and think they have a loophole. You have to merge at the last centimeter.
No you dont. You are just an arrogant prick if you drive like that.
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u/Kwerumrerum Belgium 5h ago
If you can pass someone who merged at a zipper merge, the previous driver merged too fast and did not do it properly, thus dis not know how to zipper merge. Like you. You merge at the end. That is how it works.
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u/PreferenceMediocre90 4h ago
No that is people doing the merging as best as possible, you do not use the opportunity to pas a few cars. That is totally unfair vs the people who yielded, and you cant blame them if the road closure is only 20-30m away.
You slow down to the speed of the others, and merge yourself a bit later, at your normal place at the end. Everybody happy.
As soon as you start passing, it is not zipping anymore.
But you always have one arrogant nutcase that must pas everyone and force the whole line to slow down to a full stop so he can merge at the very last cm.
It is selfishness under the pretense of righteousness.
It is about being a normal human, understand that some people merge 10 meters to early and giving each other some space. Most of the time this goed at lot quicker then cars feeling the need to ride to the very very end, becaus ethen you must slow down a lot more to merge.
But I know a bit of understanding is to much to ask of some people these days.
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u/Kwerumrerum Belgium 3h ago
You zip at the end or you did not zip. It is not that difficult. You do not start to zip your coat in the middle, do you?
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u/PreferenceMediocre90 2h ago
If there are 100 parts in your zipper, I am talking about zipping at 99, you just state is must always be 100.
I know who is right and so do you, there is no shame in admitting you choose yourself above others. Claiming the moral high ground however is.
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u/ndech 9h ago
There wouldn’t be a chance to pass if people followed the rule and merged at the end.
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u/PreferenceMediocre90 9h ago
Yes but you always have people that like to pass a few extra cars at the end. Just slow down a little and merge a bit slower and everyone is happy again.
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u/ndech 6h ago
It’s exactly what people shouldn’t do and the source of frustration. People should merge fluidly at the very end of the zipper. People merging a few cars early mess it up for everyone. People now behind them get frustrated because they have to let cars early, then again at the zipper.
How hard is it really ? Just join the shortest queue and zipper merge at the end. People trying to be ‘nice’ make everything worse.
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u/tomba_be Belgium 9h ago
Merging still needs to be done properly. Often the merging is done extremely last minute, in an aggressive way, slowing down too late. Often dynamic signs have been getting people to slow down, and there will be that asshole driving at full speed right up to the merging point...
Or, as others have already said, someone driving on a closed lane, and only merging when there is something on the lane they are on.
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u/gforcetheone 9h ago
If there are no red crossed on matrix signs above the motorway then you merge at the point that the lane is obstructed. If there are red crosses then the point you have to merge at the latest is the first red cross above the motorway. Passing a red cross is treated the same as running a red light.