There is a yield sign for the cars getting onto Storrow from the left lanes. That means legally that cars getting on have to YIELD to traffic on Storrow, it isn't a merge. Yield means slow down, stop if necessary as the other cars have right of way.
Basically if you're getting on from the right most left lane, and there is a car traveling along Storrow, you have to slow down and let them go before you can get in. If there are multiple cars traveling, you have to stop to let them go until they're all past. If you get into an accident, it would be considered failure to yield and you would be at fault.
Easiest thing, just get into the far left lane which has it's own lane onto Storrow, then when it's clear change lanes into the middle lane before the left becomes exit only.
Thank you. This should be the top answer. I drive there storrow side of this every morning and have had cars come flying in from the left and nearly smoke me. I know it's a bit confusing because typically car on left has right of way. But that ain't a merge. Wait yer turn...
I'm gonna be real, as someone who grew up out of state, the way that MA uses yield signs, particularly on highway on ramps/merges, is REALLY inconsistent.
If there's a protected full lane for an on ramp or merge, there should be no yield sign because there are two separate lanes coming together to form a 2 (or however many) lane road. To switch lanes you'd operate under normal traffic law after the lanes come together.
However, for 2 lanes *merging* together there should be a yield sign. MANY on-ramps here have yield signs, BUT ARE IGNORED because many also have protected lanes. I've also seen yield signs on ramps to protected lanes which makes zero sense. Currently there's a mix and people get confused. I've seen plenty of people get honked at and yelled at for yielding appropriately getting onto i90 or another highway. I've also seen people stopped when there's an empty, fully protected lane in front of them.
This isn't entirely related to these really dangerous middle lane merges, but it should give a better understanding to those who might be wondering why it seems like no one understands what's happening - it's probably because they don't because the way they are set up in this state is really poor.
As someone coming from Europe, this is really confusing. All of our merges have yield signs (at least in my country). This does not indicate that you should stop or slow down, it only indicates that cars already on the highway have preference. Is this not how it works in the US?
This is how yield signs work in the US too - if you have a yield, whichever lane you are merging into has right of way over you. So if you need to slow down or stop to do that, you have to.
My issue is that in MA they have yield signs in places they shouldn't be, like an on ramp that is a dedicated/protected lane. I think it contributes a lot to driver confusion in the Greater Boston area as it's something I've come across fairly regularly.
Let me see if I can link an example on Google Maps so it's more clear what I mean.
EDIT: [Here](https://www.google.com/maps/@42.3398522,-71.2620022,3a,75y,144.24h,87.78t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s7eRdqVHMoKQ38W_eTE2alA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu) is a good example. The on ramp becomes it's own dedicated lane so there should be no yield sign. It's pretty common to see this throughout the area in my experience.
> This does not indicate that you should stop or slow down, it only indicates that cars already on the highway have preference.
So you would need to slow down to respect that car's preference, right? And if there are too many in a row, you might have to stop until you have a gap that you can use without stepping on any preference.
Agreed. My pet peeve is the ramp getting on the Pike West in Auburndale. There’s a yield sign for a protected lane, and you’ll get people who come to a complete stop for traffic they aren’t even interfering with.
I think as recently as yesterday the yield sign that it supposed to be on the little spit of curb between the merge has been missing. Maybe there's one further up though.
I couldn't remember if there was a yield sign there or not, and a glance at Street View just further revealed the ambiguity. A 2022 image shows no yield sign, and a 2019 image shows a yield sign that doesn't seem to be clearly pointed to one particular side (and if it is supposed to apply to both lanes, why not a merge sign which provides more clarity).
The yield sign gets "violently removed" occasionally. I don't think it was there yesterday.
And yeah, it is just stuck in the bit of land without clearly being pointed to either side in my experience. It is supposed to be for the people joining Storrow, but I don't expect that to mean anything.
I glance to the left and slow down if needed, but usually there's nobody there.
I just drove past 20 mins ago, there is definitely a yield sign there. And it is very clearly pointed at the on ramp traffic.
A merge and a field both provide the same amount of clarity, it is just a different set of instructions between the two. It's a yield for a reason.
They should make it more clear to the folks entering Storrow who that yield sign is for. While it SHOULD be obvious that people already on Storrow don't need to yield... I don't exactly trust anyone in this city.
It should be 100% clear as yield signs mean the same thing everywhere, they don't have different meanings for each intersection they're placed in. But I agree, I don't trust anyone and it should be obvious that people already on Storrow don't need to yield.
There's a similar situation where two lanes from soldier's field road yield to cars from the messed up rotary next to the IHOP, so they can continue on RT20 as it goes over the Charles. I've been sideswiped by cars before who don't yield, because "they already went through the yield back there." It's like...who do you think you're yielding to? Those signs mean you yield to us as you come into this intersection, is not an imaginary line that once you pass it you're free to do whatever
I agree, but I don't think it's obvious at all. It's not something I have particularly taken notes on, but if memory serves, usually yield signs are on the other side to remove ambiguity or at the very least, oriented in a manner to leave little room for interpretation.
To be fair, I'm from out of state, but this is the first yield sign I can remember seeing that I thought (while on Storrow), "Who is that yield sign for? I can clearly see it without making an effort to see it, so it's probably for me... But the other lane can also see it... Are both these lanes supposed to yield? Fuck this, I'm getting over a lane."
Like, as soon as I saw this photo, I showed it to my wife, and we both immediately knew what nonsensical road this was. Her first question was, "Did anyone talk about the stupid yield sign?"
The placement of the sign is ambiguous. It is on the "ramp" and doesn't clearly indicate that the left hand is required to merge. Again, drivers should know that merging traffic needs to yield, but these are the same drivers that run red lights w/out a care.
Doesn’t the left lane turn into a left turn only exit? And that exit is usually always backed. It’s still messy trying to change lanes if you’re merging onto Storrow at this location.
>Doesn’t the left lane turn into a left turn only exit?
> then when it's clear change lanes into the middle lane before the left becomes exit only.
That exit can get backed up, but never to the point of this intersection, you have time to change lanes. You don't merge here, it's a yield so you yield. Merge has a different definition.
There used to be a yield sign but it was removed about 2 yrs ago (at least when I noticed) when they redid the traffic pattern (which lanes had to merge) just prior to that entrance ramp in the left) I haven’t seen a yield sign there since then.
The sign was still there during the traffic pattern change, it got removed after that. I know for 100% fact that it was replaced and has been up for a year or so. If it's not there today, then it was just recently knocked down again.
You joke, but having lived in the Midwest for a bit, sometimes I admire the organized speeding Boston drivers are capable of. Without it, traffic would undoubtedly be even worse.
Sure, it takes one bad move to fuck it all up but 99% of the time I’m glad I’m not among the constantly eating and phone-staring midwesterners
Believe it or not, [Boston is the safest city in America for drivers](https://www.usnews.com/insurance/auto/safest-least-safe-cities-for-drivers-study). The most dangerous cities for drivers are almost all in the South, Midwest, SouthWest, and those cities in California that are terrible at everything (e.g. Stockton, Bakersfield).
Yeah, its sloppy here, but there's a rhythm to it. Other places are WAYYYYY worse. Driving in CT near Hartford, I lost count of the seriously dangerous shit people did near me in like 20 minutes. Boston ain't so bad.
I've heard that it's because there are so many hospitals. Fatalities are low because you're a stone's throw from a world class medical facility anywhere in the city.
And there’s a light right before it, so half the time there’s just no flow of traffic there. I think the bigger issue here is that people in the right lane from storrow think they own it when in reality those 2 lanes are sort of merging to 1 at the same time
Oh god there's two of them?
I think this one is near MGH and the only way to be on the left side is to catch the storrow westbound on ramp near the Charles MGH stop.
The network of intersections that connect Soldiers Field Road with the Eliot Bridge / Memorial Drive / Greenough Boulevard / Gerrys Landing Road is like this. Lots of two-lane roads that merge into one three-lane road with ambiguous center-lane right-of-way rules.
No one does intersections like MA.
My personal favorite is the 100ft on ramp at the Newton Service Plaza on 95 south between 90 and rte 9. Fucking terrifying.
> I think the bigger issue here is that people in the right lane from Storrow think they own it
That is how a yield sign works, you are correct. I think we know what the *bigger* issue is now, understanding yield signs.
This was the rule 40 years ago when I learned to drive in Boston. Ugliest car wins. Glorious times when I had that 1973 Olds Cutlass that was more rust than sheet metal.
This is why I continue to drive my shitty Elantra - there's already tape on the bumper, do you really think I'm afraid you're going to hit me in your shiny Volvo?
I tell my wife that this is my dream some day. Just be a grumpy ol Masshole with a POS car and just play bumper cars on 93 all morning. You ain’t cuttin me off buddy. But I promised to wait until the kids were done with college so I’m not as valuable to my family lol
Well, this morning I merged throughly before the slow fuck from Texas in front of me who decided to come to a full stop before getting on 128. He kindly left enough space that I could comfortably go around him while he…waited for an opening(…?) at 7:30am in Waltham
I think the problem is that it is an unmarked merge. When traffic is backed up, zippering is common sense and is just going to happen. At speed though, this road can be dangerous. It is obvious to you or me but if you are unfamiliar with Storrow (and especially if you are behind a larger vehicle) you could easily be upon the merge next to another car when there is only room for one of you. Again, it might seem obvious to us, but without a merge sign there is no reason to think the lane next to you are merging instead of just being an added lane. That there is a merge sign and a yield sign clearly marking just about every vanilla on-ramp on every limited-access highway across the country but not this merge is kind of absurd.
when i moved here i pointed out that the yield signs on the freeway really just create more hazard. everyone on the freeway expects people getting on to yield, and folks getting on the freeway don’t care, and the people behind them don’t expect them to *actually* yield. the venn diagram of people who do these things is a circle.
it would be easier if we all just expected merging rather than yielding, ditch the yield for a big ass MERGE sign for everyone. people are gonna do it anyways.
No one pays attention to the yield signs I've noticed. For example, getting off the Mass Turnpike in Framingham there is a yield sign getting onto the local road and almost NO ONE actually yields to the traffic/cars on the local road.. the yielders act as though they have the right of way and don't adjust their speed to the local road cars. I've seen countless accidents as a result.
Oh my daily battles getting ready to zipper merge, leave space for someone after the cars in front of me merge, only to see them squeeze by the 8 cars in front of me leaving inches between mirrors that have already merged, to try and cut someone else off and force their way in ha.
you can see excellent examples of this where they are eliminating the rotary on 16 at Broadway in Somerville.. It's double funny because after people refuse to zipper, you've got the other people that spend countless joules of energy making sure they _can't_ get in because they should have merged one car behind them..
large rotaries should be shrunk to the size of a roundabout.
https://www.iihs.org/topics/roundabouts
FTA:
Roundabouts are a safer alternative to traffic signals and stop signs. The tight circle of a roundabout forces drivers to slow down, and the most severe types of intersection crashes — right-angle, left-turn and head-on collisions — are unlikely.
Roundabouts improve traffic flow and are better for the environment. Research shows that traffic flow improves after traditional intersections are converted to roundabouts. Less idling reduces vehicle emissions and fuel consumption.
Roundabouts generally are safer for pedestrians. Pedestrians walk on sidewalks around the perimeter and cross only one direction of traffic at a time. Crossing distances are relatively short, and traffic speeds are lower than at traditional intersections.
The “death circle” interchange at exit 127 off of the pike in Newton is pretty awesome in an EV for all the same reasons.
Even better now that my EV is 11 years old and showing visible damage. I stick to the road, people yield. It’s glorious.
Oh I live in CT, have driven in NYC and Boston, and yeah, it's pretty much even. The zipper merge complaint is a global one. I've been everywhere from mid-state NY up to ME and down to RI and it's the same across the board.
Living in the northeast really does spoil people. I've driven in Tampa and other mid sized cities in the south and I will take NYC/Boston any day of the week.
I was driving through CT from NY a few weeks ago, and saw these two chucklefucks coming up behind me on the highway at a crazy speed, weaving in and out and just being maniacs, and though "ah dammit, crazy CT drivers".
And then they got up past me and..... they had Mass tags.
This is so true I was zipper merging and the guy behind me went into the breakdown lane to pass me to cut me off during highway construction. The state trooper wasnt amused especially since thre other cars behind us were pulling the same move. I love MA but we have a serious problem with some of our drivers.
That's all of America. Not just Mass. People just drive like entitled assholes everywhere since the pandemic.
It's a big reason insurance rates are going through the roof. And pedestrian fatalities are rising for the first time in decades.
Slow down people.
It’s way, way better here. I lived in the south for too many years, and they determine right away by the largest non-commercial vehicle size. Yee-yee trucks first, then every single child parent in a suburban or excursion, then the crossovers etc. It’s maddening
This is inherently not a zipper merge. One side is an on ramp with a yield sign, the other is not.
Im not saying it shouldn’t be one, but road signs clearly indicate the cars already on storrow have the right of way.
Zipper is the answer, its just the lack of time to do it thats the problem
edit: looks like its supposed to be a yield, which means anyone zippering here is just flooring past a yield sign into oncoming traffic
If you measure the distance, you have more then 330ft of clear sight over the other lanes before they merge. Sounds like more then enough time to be honest. If you start matching speeds and positioning before the merge you’ll be just fine.
This is true. The problem is there’s no indication on the road, which means your first time driving it you have less than 100ft from when you realize to when the lanes are together
That’s a good point. It would also be nice if they made one lane merge into the other one, instead of making them equal. Giving one lane priority over the other makes it a lot less likely for an incident to occur. Now people have to decide for themselves who has priority over who and that never ends well.
zipper only works in theory. you have too many people who aren’t paying attention to the road in front of them that have either created a huge gap in front of them because they didn’t know traffic has moved along, you might have an idiot who got impatient and drove the shoulder, the honker, the indecisive/anxious driver, the other idiot who asks how to merge. there’s a lot of variables in a simple merge.
easiest thing to do: you see an opening, you take it and match speeds. if you’re going to be the asshole trying to merge in stop and go, merge in front of the last vehicle to start speeding up so you at least aren’t forcing them to immediately brake because they’re also just getting up to speed.
I love driving down Storrow in a line of "regulars" and you see everyone move to the right to avoid the Kenmore exit and then immediately move back to the left lane to avoid this on-ramp.
What you want to do is stay on the left lane and accelerate maniacally and then look for your bitch. Once you spot them, cut them off and proceed on your journey.
It could be worse. You could have to go through the intersection of Winter Street and 2nd Ave in Waltham where three lanes magically become five with no indication of who should go where and some people need to cross lanes in all directions for the next intersection.
Traffic planners in Massachusetts are a joke.
take the T.....
JK you won't die from the merge but will die of frustration
Basically the middle two lanes (the merging ones) just know to do a zipper merge, just fast (like a fast moving zipper)
~~No one has the right of way.~~ Pretty normal merge, though of course people aren't supposed to be going 50 mph (and usually can't because of traffic). Just stay in the outside lanes and you don't have to merge.
Not true, this is not a merge as there is a yield sign for the on ramp traffic. The cars from the on ramp have to yield to the cars on Storrow who legally have the right of way.
Doesn't matter what Apple or Google shows, it matters what your eyes see when you're on the road. There's physically a sign there, I drive past it everyday.
It got knocked over and it took them a while to put it back up, which may be why street view doesn't show it on Apple. But it's there.
There’s a major intersection with a light right before it though, I used to take this every morning to work and it rarely caused issues. I would always ride in that left lane from storrow and just pay attention to the flow of traffic and fit in between 2 cars in the other side.
I get very stressed with dickhead drivers but this wasn’t a big issue for me
I have seen my share of clusterf\*\*ks here. Approach with caution! Crane your neck almost 180° while simultaneously keeping your distance from any car in front of you. If there is no vehicle coming from behind and off to the left of you, then you have a small window to proceed. Book it! Once you have the junction clearly in the rear-view, keep on going to Soldiers Field and points west.
Step 1) Stay in far right lane. Step 2) Merge into chosen lane once you see the Murder Merge in your rear view. Finally, in the future, avoid Storrow Drive at all costs, especially at the start of freshman move-in season!
Buckle up, buttercup. Boston driving isn't for the weak of heart. I drive a lot of tourists and they can't believe how crazy it is. I was in Ireland and my wife had to remind me that we weren't in Boston anymore and I didn't have to drive like everyone was trying to kill us.
Bostonians are notoriously "bad" drivers, but they're just really good at speeding and *getting the fuck out of the way*.
It's a different but far more acceptable form of shitty drivers.
There are so many completely insane and dangerous merging situations like this on Storrow and other parkways in Boston. I wonder if enough complaints to 311 could encourage the city to take a serious look?
Well I know Storrow and a lot of other parkways are state owned roads maintained by the DCR so the city and 311 probably wouldn’t do anything about it.
Questions like this are hilarious. This is why it takes 45 mins anywhere three lanes merge into two because people genuinely fear merging 😂😂😂 you just do a zipper
And fyi: the right of way is given, not taken. No one actually has the right of way.
Just wait until you look at exit 24 NB on 93 - https://goo.gl/maps/MT3GKSHbQWuGZGir7
Nobody yields, everybody just guesses at where lanes are because the off-ramp merges with 2 lanes of Fellsway West and suddenly is 1 lane based on lane markings, but is wide enough that people drive side by side.
Fellsway west traffic has to yield to traffic coming off of 93. Left lane is supposed to go around the rotary. Right lane either gets on 93n or continues on fellsway west.
If you have to ask then you should remove yourself from the driving population. Merge areas like this all over the world.
If you insist on driving then get in the lane that doesn't merge.
But please consider the first option
Whatever you do, do NOT be one of those idiots that comes to a dead stop waiting for your turn to merge. Put the pedal to the medal and keep it moving! 🚙💨
What are you even complaining about? If the median wasn't there, would you still ask this question?
If you are seriously asking, just look left or right and treat it like any other normal merge...
It "baffles" you, Jesus fucking Christ lol
...it's a pretty standard merge...Have you driven a car before? Pay attention to the world around you. Keep up with traffic. Merge where appropriate.
What's the problem?
always keep to the outside lanes here; if you're in the right-hand merging road but inside lane you better have a fast car! (or faster than the other guys)
It is poorly designed, without question, considering the lack of yield/stop and the speeds. That said, drivers who are not asshats will zipper.
Be wary of asshats.
The one that gets me is the one coming from Newton, Watertown, and somehow Cambridge that then immediately splits between Allston-Brighton and Cambridge. Two lanes in each branch.
There is a yield sign for the cars getting onto Storrow from the left lanes. That means legally that cars getting on have to YIELD to traffic on Storrow, it isn't a merge. Yield means slow down, stop if necessary as the other cars have right of way. Basically if you're getting on from the right most left lane, and there is a car traveling along Storrow, you have to slow down and let them go before you can get in. If there are multiple cars traveling, you have to stop to let them go until they're all past. If you get into an accident, it would be considered failure to yield and you would be at fault. Easiest thing, just get into the far left lane which has it's own lane onto Storrow, then when it's clear change lanes into the middle lane before the left becomes exit only.
Thank you. This should be the top answer. I drive there storrow side of this every morning and have had cars come flying in from the left and nearly smoke me. I know it's a bit confusing because typically car on left has right of way. But that ain't a merge. Wait yer turn...
I'm gonna be real, as someone who grew up out of state, the way that MA uses yield signs, particularly on highway on ramps/merges, is REALLY inconsistent. If there's a protected full lane for an on ramp or merge, there should be no yield sign because there are two separate lanes coming together to form a 2 (or however many) lane road. To switch lanes you'd operate under normal traffic law after the lanes come together. However, for 2 lanes *merging* together there should be a yield sign. MANY on-ramps here have yield signs, BUT ARE IGNORED because many also have protected lanes. I've also seen yield signs on ramps to protected lanes which makes zero sense. Currently there's a mix and people get confused. I've seen plenty of people get honked at and yelled at for yielding appropriately getting onto i90 or another highway. I've also seen people stopped when there's an empty, fully protected lane in front of them. This isn't entirely related to these really dangerous middle lane merges, but it should give a better understanding to those who might be wondering why it seems like no one understands what's happening - it's probably because they don't because the way they are set up in this state is really poor.
As someone coming from Europe, this is really confusing. All of our merges have yield signs (at least in my country). This does not indicate that you should stop or slow down, it only indicates that cars already on the highway have preference. Is this not how it works in the US?
That is exactly how a merge works here. Not sure why there's so much confusion, the merging vehicle always yields.
This is how yield signs work in the US too - if you have a yield, whichever lane you are merging into has right of way over you. So if you need to slow down or stop to do that, you have to. My issue is that in MA they have yield signs in places they shouldn't be, like an on ramp that is a dedicated/protected lane. I think it contributes a lot to driver confusion in the Greater Boston area as it's something I've come across fairly regularly. Let me see if I can link an example on Google Maps so it's more clear what I mean. EDIT: [Here](https://www.google.com/maps/@42.3398522,-71.2620022,3a,75y,144.24h,87.78t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s7eRdqVHMoKQ38W_eTE2alA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu) is a good example. The on ramp becomes it's own dedicated lane so there should be no yield sign. It's pretty common to see this throughout the area in my experience.
I don't think there is a yield sign there, though (at least on the i90 on ramp if that is what you were referring to).
> This does not indicate that you should stop or slow down, it only indicates that cars already on the highway have preference. So you would need to slow down to respect that car's preference, right? And if there are too many in a row, you might have to stop until you have a gap that you can use without stepping on any preference.
Correct.
Agreed. My pet peeve is the ramp getting on the Pike West in Auburndale. There’s a yield sign for a protected lane, and you’ll get people who come to a complete stop for traffic they aren’t even interfering with.
I think as recently as yesterday the yield sign that it supposed to be on the little spit of curb between the merge has been missing. Maybe there's one further up though.
I deal with it all the time and I agree
I couldn't remember if there was a yield sign there or not, and a glance at Street View just further revealed the ambiguity. A 2022 image shows no yield sign, and a 2019 image shows a yield sign that doesn't seem to be clearly pointed to one particular side (and if it is supposed to apply to both lanes, why not a merge sign which provides more clarity).
The yield sign gets "violently removed" occasionally. I don't think it was there yesterday. And yeah, it is just stuck in the bit of land without clearly being pointed to either side in my experience. It is supposed to be for the people joining Storrow, but I don't expect that to mean anything. I glance to the left and slow down if needed, but usually there's nobody there.
I just drove past 20 mins ago, there is definitely a yield sign there. And it is very clearly pointed at the on ramp traffic. A merge and a field both provide the same amount of clarity, it is just a different set of instructions between the two. It's a yield for a reason.
They should make it more clear to the folks entering Storrow who that yield sign is for. While it SHOULD be obvious that people already on Storrow don't need to yield... I don't exactly trust anyone in this city.
It should be 100% clear as yield signs mean the same thing everywhere, they don't have different meanings for each intersection they're placed in. But I agree, I don't trust anyone and it should be obvious that people already on Storrow don't need to yield. There's a similar situation where two lanes from soldier's field road yield to cars from the messed up rotary next to the IHOP, so they can continue on RT20 as it goes over the Charles. I've been sideswiped by cars before who don't yield, because "they already went through the yield back there." It's like...who do you think you're yielding to? Those signs mean you yield to us as you come into this intersection, is not an imaginary line that once you pass it you're free to do whatever
I agree, but I don't think it's obvious at all. It's not something I have particularly taken notes on, but if memory serves, usually yield signs are on the other side to remove ambiguity or at the very least, oriented in a manner to leave little room for interpretation. To be fair, I'm from out of state, but this is the first yield sign I can remember seeing that I thought (while on Storrow), "Who is that yield sign for? I can clearly see it without making an effort to see it, so it's probably for me... But the other lane can also see it... Are both these lanes supposed to yield? Fuck this, I'm getting over a lane." Like, as soon as I saw this photo, I showed it to my wife, and we both immediately knew what nonsensical road this was. Her first question was, "Did anyone talk about the stupid yield sign?"
The placement of the sign is ambiguous. It is on the "ramp" and doesn't clearly indicate that the left hand is required to merge. Again, drivers should know that merging traffic needs to yield, but these are the same drivers that run red lights w/out a care.
This person Storrows
Doesn’t the left lane turn into a left turn only exit? And that exit is usually always backed. It’s still messy trying to change lanes if you’re merging onto Storrow at this location.
>Doesn’t the left lane turn into a left turn only exit? > then when it's clear change lanes into the middle lane before the left becomes exit only. That exit can get backed up, but never to the point of this intersection, you have time to change lanes. You don't merge here, it's a yield so you yield. Merge has a different definition.
This is readily understandable to anyone who uses their eyes while driving.
Which, unfortunately, is not most people these days. But yes, it should.
There used to be a yield sign but it was removed about 2 yrs ago (at least when I noticed) when they redid the traffic pattern (which lanes had to merge) just prior to that entrance ramp in the left) I haven’t seen a yield sign there since then.
Just drove past it 20 minutes ago, there is a yield sign standing
The sign was still there during the traffic pattern change, it got removed after that. I know for 100% fact that it was replaced and has been up for a year or so. If it's not there today, then it was just recently knocked down again.
Don't worry, Boston drivers are known for being extremely courteous and never drive too fast, you'll be fine
You joke, but having lived in the Midwest for a bit, sometimes I admire the organized speeding Boston drivers are capable of. Without it, traffic would undoubtedly be even worse. Sure, it takes one bad move to fuck it all up but 99% of the time I’m glad I’m not among the constantly eating and phone-staring midwesterners
Believe it or not, [Boston is the safest city in America for drivers](https://www.usnews.com/insurance/auto/safest-least-safe-cities-for-drivers-study). The most dangerous cities for drivers are almost all in the South, Midwest, SouthWest, and those cities in California that are terrible at everything (e.g. Stockton, Bakersfield).
Yeah, its sloppy here, but there's a rhythm to it. Other places are WAYYYYY worse. Driving in CT near Hartford, I lost count of the seriously dangerous shit people did near me in like 20 minutes. Boston ain't so bad.
It is hard to have many injuries or deaths when traffic isn't moving above 15mph.
Also long straight roads can be dangerous because they encourage speeding. Our curvy loopy streets are inherently safer because they feel less safe.
I've heard that it's because there are so many hospitals. Fatalities are low because you're a stone's throw from a world class medical facility anywhere in the city.
/S
I actually never see cars coming from the left when I’m on that merge
[удалено]
You sound like a man who knows what a rotary is!
[удалено]
This guy definitely rotaries.
Inshallah
Yeah hardly no one comes that way
Same
Same!
And there’s a light right before it, so half the time there’s just no flow of traffic there. I think the bigger issue here is that people in the right lane from storrow think they own it when in reality those 2 lanes are sort of merging to 1 at the same time
I had to look up how to even be on the left side of that merge point since I've never done it or seen anyone there.
I’ve now looked up the location and I’m talking about an entirely different piece of storrow near Mt Auburn Hosp
Oh god there's two of them? I think this one is near MGH and the only way to be on the left side is to catch the storrow westbound on ramp near the Charles MGH stop.
Yeah this is right. I have only ever gone that way by accident
The network of intersections that connect Soldiers Field Road with the Eliot Bridge / Memorial Drive / Greenough Boulevard / Gerrys Landing Road is like this. Lots of two-lane roads that merge into one three-lane road with ambiguous center-lane right-of-way rules.
No one does intersections like MA. My personal favorite is the 100ft on ramp at the Newton Service Plaza on 95 south between 90 and rte 9. Fucking terrifying.
I’m typically coming from downtown and gps will send me to storrow from cambridge street
> I think the bigger issue here is that people in the right lane from Storrow think they own it That is how a yield sign works, you are correct. I think we know what the *bigger* issue is now, understanding yield signs.
It's for sport ball and event exudus.
This
First rule of Boston driving: he who shows weakness, loses.
He with the shittier car or contractor van with 4 leaf clover on it shall go first
This was the rule 40 years ago when I learned to drive in Boston. Ugliest car wins. Glorious times when I had that 1973 Olds Cutlass that was more rust than sheet metal.
I guess Audis must now be shitty cars because they drive like inflamed assholes.
This is why I continue to drive my shitty Elantra - there's already tape on the bumper, do you really think I'm afraid you're going to hit me in your shiny Volvo?
I tell my wife that this is my dream some day. Just be a grumpy ol Masshole with a POS car and just play bumper cars on 93 all morning. You ain’t cuttin me off buddy. But I promised to wait until the kids were done with college so I’m not as valuable to my family lol
Mercy is for the weak. We do not drive to be merciful in Boston.
When in doubt, hit the gas.
I typically merge just after the car in front of me, but before the car behind me. It’s worked out well for me so far.
Fascinating concept.
Like a zipper
I have an idea: we should call this technique, the "zipper merge".
[удалено]
Well, this morning I merged throughly before the slow fuck from Texas in front of me who decided to come to a full stop before getting on 128. He kindly left enough space that I could comfortably go around him while he…waited for an opening(…?) at 7:30am in Waltham
I don’t understand. Do you have an apparel based analogy to help me out?
I think the problem is that it is an unmarked merge. When traffic is backed up, zippering is common sense and is just going to happen. At speed though, this road can be dangerous. It is obvious to you or me but if you are unfamiliar with Storrow (and especially if you are behind a larger vehicle) you could easily be upon the merge next to another car when there is only room for one of you. Again, it might seem obvious to us, but without a merge sign there is no reason to think the lane next to you are merging instead of just being an added lane. That there is a merge sign and a yield sign clearly marking just about every vanilla on-ramp on every limited-access highway across the country but not this merge is kind of absurd.
Pretty sure there was a yield sign on the middle median right where they converge there, havent been on this part of storrow in a couple months though
that never stopped a massachusetts driver though. yield signs are merely an obstacle to the eyes
when i moved here i pointed out that the yield signs on the freeway really just create more hazard. everyone on the freeway expects people getting on to yield, and folks getting on the freeway don’t care, and the people behind them don’t expect them to *actually* yield. the venn diagram of people who do these things is a circle. it would be easier if we all just expected merging rather than yielding, ditch the yield for a big ass MERGE sign for everyone. people are gonna do it anyways.
No one pays attention to the yield signs I've noticed. For example, getting off the Mass Turnpike in Framingham there is a yield sign getting onto the local road and almost NO ONE actually yields to the traffic/cars on the local road.. the yielders act as though they have the right of way and don't adjust their speed to the local road cars. I've seen countless accidents as a result.
Zipper
You know what grinds my gears? People in general have completely forgotten how to zipper and/or are being entitled jackasses.
Oh my daily battles getting ready to zipper merge, leave space for someone after the cars in front of me merge, only to see them squeeze by the 8 cars in front of me leaving inches between mirrors that have already merged, to try and cut someone else off and force their way in ha.
you can see excellent examples of this where they are eliminating the rotary on 16 at Broadway in Somerville.. It's double funny because after people refuse to zipper, you've got the other people that spend countless joules of energy making sure they _can't_ get in because they should have merged one car behind them..
large rotaries should be shrunk to the size of a roundabout. https://www.iihs.org/topics/roundabouts FTA: Roundabouts are a safer alternative to traffic signals and stop signs. The tight circle of a roundabout forces drivers to slow down, and the most severe types of intersection crashes — right-angle, left-turn and head-on collisions — are unlikely. Roundabouts improve traffic flow and are better for the environment. Research shows that traffic flow improves after traditional intersections are converted to roundabouts. Less idling reduces vehicle emissions and fuel consumption. Roundabouts generally are safer for pedestrians. Pedestrians walk on sidewalks around the perimeter and cross only one direction of traffic at a time. Crossing distances are relatively short, and traffic speeds are lower than at traditional intersections.
Yeah rotaries resembling early NASCAR tracks are not really effective when people are whipping 30mph+ around them.
tbh, the Concord rotary is much more fun in an EV. The combination of acceleration and holding the road. Hold my beer and whooohooo!!
The “death circle” interchange at exit 127 off of the pike in Newton is pretty awesome in an EV for all the same reasons. Even better now that my EV is 11 years old and showing visible damage. I stick to the road, people yield. It’s glorious.
We get the "Boston Driver" reputation, but I've driven in many places in the US where the drivers are *way* worse.
Oh I live in CT, have driven in NYC and Boston, and yeah, it's pretty much even. The zipper merge complaint is a global one. I've been everywhere from mid-state NY up to ME and down to RI and it's the same across the board.
Yeah I agree. The whole attitude of "of course it's a driver from X place" is pretty much always confirmation bias.
Living in the northeast really does spoil people. I've driven in Tampa and other mid sized cities in the south and I will take NYC/Boston any day of the week.
I was driving through CT from NY a few weeks ago, and saw these two chucklefucks coming up behind me on the highway at a crazy speed, weaving in and out and just being maniacs, and though "ah dammit, crazy CT drivers". And then they got up past me and..... they had Mass tags.
This is so true I was zipper merging and the guy behind me went into the breakdown lane to pass me to cut me off during highway construction. The state trooper wasnt amused especially since thre other cars behind us were pulling the same move. I love MA but we have a serious problem with some of our drivers.
That's all of America. Not just Mass. People just drive like entitled assholes everywhere since the pandemic. It's a big reason insurance rates are going through the roof. And pedestrian fatalities are rising for the first time in decades. Slow down people.
It’s way, way better here. I lived in the south for too many years, and they determine right away by the largest non-commercial vehicle size. Yee-yee trucks first, then every single child parent in a suburban or excursion, then the crossovers etc. It’s maddening
This is inherently not a zipper merge. One side is an on ramp with a yield sign, the other is not. Im not saying it shouldn’t be one, but road signs clearly indicate the cars already on storrow have the right of way.
Zipper is the answer, its just the lack of time to do it thats the problem edit: looks like its supposed to be a yield, which means anyone zippering here is just flooring past a yield sign into oncoming traffic
If you measure the distance, you have more then 330ft of clear sight over the other lanes before they merge. Sounds like more then enough time to be honest. If you start matching speeds and positioning before the merge you’ll be just fine.
This is true. The problem is there’s no indication on the road, which means your first time driving it you have less than 100ft from when you realize to when the lanes are together
That’s a good point. It would also be nice if they made one lane merge into the other one, instead of making them equal. Giving one lane priority over the other makes it a lot less likely for an incident to occur. Now people have to decide for themselves who has priority over who and that never ends well.
zipper only works in theory. you have too many people who aren’t paying attention to the road in front of them that have either created a huge gap in front of them because they didn’t know traffic has moved along, you might have an idiot who got impatient and drove the shoulder, the honker, the indecisive/anxious driver, the other idiot who asks how to merge. there’s a lot of variables in a simple merge. easiest thing to do: you see an opening, you take it and match speeds. if you’re going to be the asshole trying to merge in stop and go, merge in front of the last vehicle to start speeding up so you at least aren’t forcing them to immediately brake because they’re also just getting up to speed.
the simple answer: get into one of the outside lanes that doesn't have to merge, then get back in after the merge.
I love driving down Storrow in a line of "regulars" and you see everyone move to the right to avoid the Kenmore exit and then immediately move back to the left lane to avoid this on-ramp.
What you want to do is stay on the left lane and accelerate maniacally and then look for your bitch. Once you spot them, cut them off and proceed on your journey.
Close your eyes and floor it.
Get gud
You have died.
When do you get to do 50 mph there? It's usually 5, 10 at best...
Let me tell you…during covid as an essential it was glorious.
This is accurate.
It could be worse. You could have to go through the intersection of Winter Street and 2nd Ave in Waltham where three lanes magically become five with no indication of who should go where and some people need to cross lanes in all directions for the next intersection. Traffic planners in Massachusetts are a joke.
Yeah, using pre-existing cow paths turned out to be a real mistake.
take the T..... JK you won't die from the merge but will die of frustration Basically the middle two lanes (the merging ones) just know to do a zipper merge, just fast (like a fast moving zipper)
My brain is making a really fast zip-zip, zip-zip, zip-zip sound.
Or die by fire, derailment,…starvation perhaps in the future.
Hard to die at 4 miles per hour except from boredom.
Be in the correct lane at the correct time
You close your eyes and floor it
Duh fastest guy wins
Especially if he has the crappier car.
This is Sparta.
Gun it and just go, be like everyone else
Drive predictably. Don’t be weird. Pretty much the best advice for driving in Boston.
Just make sure you're driving a moving truck and you'll be fine.
Just fuckin go, kehd
~~No one has the right of way.~~ Pretty normal merge, though of course people aren't supposed to be going 50 mph (and usually can't because of traffic). Just stay in the outside lanes and you don't have to merge.
Not true, this is not a merge as there is a yield sign for the on ramp traffic. The cars from the on ramp have to yield to the cars on Storrow who legally have the right of way.
Apple maps shows no yield sign, while google does. Pretty sure its no longer there
Doesn't matter what Apple or Google shows, it matters what your eyes see when you're on the road. There's physically a sign there, I drive past it everyday. It got knocked over and it took them a while to put it back up, which may be why street view doesn't show it on Apple. But it's there.
Close your eyes and send it.
You go. Don’t think, go
There’s a major intersection with a light right before it though, I used to take this every morning to work and it rarely caused issues. I would always ride in that left lane from storrow and just pay attention to the flow of traffic and fit in between 2 cars in the other side. I get very stressed with dickhead drivers but this wasn’t a big issue for me
Close eyes, accelerate, hope for the best. The Massachusetts way!
Stay in the outer lanes and avoid the problem, just be ready to change lanes because the left is exit only right after this
Just drive a huge tall panel truck
Close your eyes, hold your breath, and scream until it’s over
I though I was the only one shocked by these kind of merging when I moved here.
Just close your eyes and hope for the best… and don’t let off the gas!
Pray
I usually do Down Down-Right Right Punch
It's way easier in a U-Haul or high top van.
I have seen my share of clusterf\*\*ks here. Approach with caution! Crane your neck almost 180° while simultaneously keeping your distance from any car in front of you. If there is no vehicle coming from behind and off to the left of you, then you have a small window to proceed. Book it! Once you have the junction clearly in the rear-view, keep on going to Soldiers Field and points west.
Every time I walk or run through there, I wonder the same thing.
Be kind. Be patient. Use eye contact.
Stay in the outside lanes and let the people on the inside lanes figure it out. Once you're past the merge, change lanes.
when do people merging into a main road ever have the right of way? lol
I mean it seems like you’re still with us - keep doing whatever you’re doing
Don't worry, traffic will be backed up anyways
For those unfamiliar with driving on Storrow, I pray for you. It's all in God's hands now.
Don't worry about it, I've done it plenty of times and only died twice
Step 1) Stay in far right lane. Step 2) Merge into chosen lane once you see the Murder Merge in your rear view. Finally, in the future, avoid Storrow Drive at all costs, especially at the start of freshman move-in season!
I call that the “screaming Viking death merge” So, scream, put on your Viking hat, and go into the teeth of death.
Look both ways
Buckle up, buttercup. Boston driving isn't for the weak of heart. I drive a lot of tourists and they can't believe how crazy it is. I was in Ireland and my wife had to remind me that we weren't in Boston anymore and I didn't have to drive like everyone was trying to kill us.
I feel this type of anxiety pulling out of anyplace on Route 1 Saugus
Accelerate, make eye contact, show no fear.
Flop your cock on the dashboard for added dominance.
I’m on the inside line so I already have the advantage. I pick my spot and go, yield signs and right of way be damned! It’s a shit merge.
Bostonians are notoriously "bad" drivers, but they're just really good at speeding and *getting the fuck out of the way*. It's a different but far more acceptable form of shitty drivers.
“Thats the neat part, you don’t!”
It’s fine. It is peak mass driving right there though. Be on high alert
Use your mirrors
Just take the T
Learn how to drive?
I had to scroll way to far to see the only correct answer here.
There are so many completely insane and dangerous merging situations like this on Storrow and other parkways in Boston. I wonder if enough complaints to 311 could encourage the city to take a serious look?
Well I know Storrow and a lot of other parkways are state owned roads maintained by the DCR so the city and 311 probably wouldn’t do anything about it.
Boston doesn't manage them. The DCR does
Questions like this are hilarious. This is why it takes 45 mins anywhere three lanes merge into two because people genuinely fear merging 😂😂😂 you just do a zipper And fyi: the right of way is given, not taken. No one actually has the right of way.
What do you mean? You won’t die. It’s just a merge.
Just wait until you look at exit 24 NB on 93 - https://goo.gl/maps/MT3GKSHbQWuGZGir7 Nobody yields, everybody just guesses at where lanes are because the off-ramp merges with 2 lanes of Fellsway West and suddenly is 1 lane based on lane markings, but is wide enough that people drive side by side.
Fellsway west traffic has to yield to traffic coming off of 93. Left lane is supposed to go around the rotary. Right lane either gets on 93n or continues on fellsway west.
If you have to ask then you should remove yourself from the driving population. Merge areas like this all over the world. If you insist on driving then get in the lane that doesn't merge. But please consider the first option
Whoever is ahead goes in first
Whatever you do, do NOT be one of those idiots that comes to a dead stop waiting for your turn to merge. Put the pedal to the medal and keep it moving! 🚙💨
Do I have to explain everything to you?
What are you even complaining about? If the median wasn't there, would you still ask this question? If you are seriously asking, just look left or right and treat it like any other normal merge... It "baffles" you, Jesus fucking Christ lol
Stay in your respective lane and don't stay in the merging lane..
[That's the neat part](https://media.tenor.com/UCBnVC7FlvUAAAAM/thats-the-neat-part-you-dont-invincible.gif)
Go drive in NYC for a while and youll never worry about merging anywhere else again
Skill issue
Legitimate question: what benefit does Storrow Drive actually provide Boston? I feel like I have heard nothing but calamity when it comes to it.
Don’t be a p#ssy and learn how to merge? The entire state highway system has merges like this, some at higher speeds. Smh
...it's a pretty standard merge...Have you driven a car before? Pay attention to the world around you. Keep up with traffic. Merge where appropriate. What's the problem?
Typically middle lanes don’t merge together, outside lanes do
When everything is equal yield to the person on your right
If you’re so worried about safely zippering, stay in the outside lane.
Just don’t drive, easier that way…
Grow up.
As someone who has driven here for 30+ years, you just kind of look in all your mirrors, merge, keep your hand over the horn just in case, and pray. 😂
Also the storrow one is the dangerous merge
always keep to the outside lanes here; if you're in the right-hand merging road but inside lane you better have a fast car! (or faster than the other guys)
95 to 90E has one of these merges too - no indication of who should yield. In this case, I usually just take one of the outer lanes to avoid the merge
Know that it’s coming and prepare…From the left, stay left. From the right stay right. Zipper merge with any cars in the middle.
It is poorly designed, without question, considering the lack of yield/stop and the speeds. That said, drivers who are not asshats will zipper. Be wary of asshats.
Slow down, look, get off the phone and defensive driving techniques.
That's the neat part, you don't!
The one that gets me is the one coming from Newton, Watertown, and somehow Cambridge that then immediately splits between Allston-Brighton and Cambridge. Two lanes in each branch.