I will admit, I can be impatient. I hate going to the DMV, waiting thirty extra minutes for my doctor, and standing at the end of a Friday night Shake Shack line. You’d be smart to assume that this is why I wait until the last possible minute to merge into the exit lane, and you’d be partly right.
If that drives you nuts, you’re in good company. At the beginning of the month, New York Times’ City Room blog published a screed deriding line-cutters. Alice Dubois, the writer, basically called me scum.
The line-cutter is the most enraging species of self-entitled driver, with those using the breakdown lane representing an even more despicable subspecies. These impatient hooligans seem to be convinced that lines are for chumps, that they are too important to be inconvenienced by basic concepts of fairness like “waiting your turn.” I resent people who think nothing of avoiding irritation for themselves by making it worse for others. Their behavior demonstrates a sense of entitlement and egotism that makes my blood boil.
Many of the City Room readers agreed with Alice, but one of them linked to a study I’ve been looking for over the last few months. This study shows that “the [zipper] method speeds traffic by 20 percent and slashes the length of traffic back-ups by 35 percent.” This, my friends, is why I cut the line. I do hate waiting, but waiting actually makes things worse. It’s also why this comment from a reader makes me nuts.
This same applies for those lovely subway riders who seem to think that the train will pull away before they are able to run over the mass of poor suckers trying to get off.
I hate those guys too, but we are not the same! While I don’t have any studies to reference (except Jason’s subway rules), it’s clear that this gums up the works. In fact, henceforth this is my motto — “Try not to gum up the works.” This seems like a good rule to live by, even if your virtuous actions may occasionally frustrate onlookers.
Now, if you told me that the zipper method caused a greater delay to those not waiting to exit, I don’t think I’d stop cutting the line when I want to get onto the Brooklyn Bridge from the FDR. That line is just plain ridiculous.
10/18/10 10:24 AM
A REACTION TO YOUR POST AND THE RELATED STUDY IN THREE POINT FIVE PARTS:
By stating that you cut the line because waiting 'makes things worse', you really mean 'it makes things worse FOR ME'. If you can honestly tell me that the reason you cut the line is not for your own self-interest, but for altruism to help the entire line, I'll eat my hat.
To this point, a thought experiment. Since you are aware of these facts re zipper lines, and believe them , wouldn't it benefit the line greater to use your knowledge by waiting in the lineup, and letting as many people as you can cut in front of you? That, my friend, is altruism. I'll see you and your generous soul on the highway.
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As well, I call bullshit on that study, but whatever. What they call the zipper method may be effective if everyone is orderly except for the line cutters. However, after seeing the 'zipper' method in full effect in Senegal, Egypt, China and Vietnam amongst others, it is incredibly ineffective when EVERYONE does it.
So, the moral is, when everyone acts properly and you cheat the system there is a perceived benenfit to YOU because you move 500% faster, but only slow the line down by a fraction. However, each cutter slows the line by a fraction, which adds up. In short, that 20% efficiency you talk about is extreme efficiency for the cheaters, which is balanced by a noticable decrease in efficiency for the non-cheaters. Hardly fair, if I do say so myself.
What you call the zipper method is more like a highway version of the 'prisoner's dilemma'. You are justifying your bad behaviour at the expense of your fellow drivers and benefiting greatly. However, if everyone followed the same flawed logic as you and this study, it would be to everyone's detriment.
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Ex-post-facto justification of why you cut in line is depressing and sad. Stop cutting in line and wait your turn. It's not cool.
Sorry, but line cutters of all shades get me riled up. Especially when they use clearly flawed studies to attempt to justify it. Lies, damn lies, and statistics, and all that jazz...
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I still love you Matty.
RC
10/20/10 3:39 PM
Robbie, I still love you too.
And I fully admit, it's a dick move to cut the line in most circumstances. I should be more patient; I agree with you there. But, here is my primary point.
Sometimes, when people use the zipper method, it does improve traffic overall. People line up when there isn't even a solid line yet, well before the exit. As a result, I oftentimes miss the end of the line. As long as that has happened, I think it's better to continue to the merge point rather than stop in the middle of the lane and try to squeeze in. This is where the study rings true.
Also, I am not trying to be completely altruistic. When I want everyone's traffic time to go down, that includes me. I want to do what's best for the system. If the best thing for the system means waiting 15 minutes to exit every time, I'll just go a different way.
10/20/10 4:05 PM
Hey Capn Design!
It's Alice DuBois, the author of that Complaint Box piece on The Times. My friend told me about this post and because I am so passionate about the subject of vehicular justice, I just wanted to pipe up to tell you some bad news: I don't think that study you found justifies cutting in the scenario I was complaining about.
The study describes a situation where two lanes have to merge down into one lane because one lane is ending. In that case, it's inefficient for drivers to get in line early and not use the full length of the lane that will eventually end.
But in the situation I described, cars are lining up in an exit lane and the other lanes are through lanes -- they aren't going to end. When a driver stops in a through lane so that s/he can nudge into the exit lane, that driver is not only cutting in front of people who waited, s/he is also blocking the cars that are NOT exiting and want to keep driving full speed along the through lane.
So I guess I can't do anything to keep you from cutting, but I don't think science is on your side here!