Anyone know?

[bigrob 0]

Can anyone explain the logic behind closing down some passing lanes on state highways during public holidays? Is it meant to improve traffic flow? (seems to achieve the exact opposite if you ask me)

Edited January 7, 2009 by OLLIE
non descriptive topic title - please use a topic title that describes what the topic is

[Nobimmer 694]

OT but also noticed this on my travels. WTF are Engine Braking Restrictions for?

[bravo 35]

Engine braking restrictions refer to truckers only and are usually found on steeper grades or changes in speed limits in residential areas to stop trucks from keeping residents awake with their very loud engine air brakes. They are ment to use only the conventional brakes in these areas.

I think the closing of passing lanes is done where previously in that area, traffic has slowed to a crawl - it prevents idiots from trying to jump the queue creating a bigger holdup at the end of the passing lane as they then try to remerge with a line of pissed off motorists who patiently waited in the queue like everyone else.

[Hi-Tek 3]

I love the closure of passing lanes.

When the holiday traffic is backed up all the way up the inside lane to a crawl and some dickhead drives past everyone in the over taking lane @#$%%%$@@

Sometimes I ride both lanes at a crawl just to prevent those bastards from causing a backlog (I'm an c@#t)

Edited January 6, 2009 by Hi-Tek

[Nic325i 0]

Also meant to eliminate the frequent very dicey manoeuvres seen at the ends of passing lanes when three more cars decide they "have" to get past the truck/caravan/etc, after the point where the lanes have merged back into one.

[simke 0]

But what happens then is that people start overtaking anyway, in some cases over double yellow lines - seen this more than a few times when I was on my road trip. Quite dangerous.

[scottr 11]

Can anyone explain the logic behind closing down some passing lanes on state highways during public holidays? Is it meant to improve traffic flow? (seems to achieve the exact opposite if you ask me)

The closing of passing lanes is to allow traffic to flow properly. What happens when there's lots of traffic is that people slow down to merge at the end (as two lanes of cars try to fit into one) and after a little while it brings the whole thing to a halt, so what you end up with is two lanes of people doing stop/start 5km an hour while people merge into one.

When I first saw it after I moved to wellington I thought it was a stupid idea also, but then I released it's better to go through at 20km than be stopped in a passing lane doing stop start for half an hour while people try to merge.

[M325is 0]

A year or so back I was in the passenger seat of my car dealing to a bad migraine coming home while my partner drove, we hit a slow crawl and when a passing lane appeared there was heaps of people jumping queue while others including ourselves patiently stayed in line, my partner got pissed off so started hogging both lanes but staying in queue, we had one car try and ram us over we let him pass but he got a huge, (and I tell you it was massive), hock down the side of his passenger window, hahaha, completely disgusting but it cheered me up, the people in the offending car didn't stop so the passenger had to stare and smell hock for their journey!