Merging into one lane (roadworks/motorway)...

Why does everyone get angry when I drive past everyone and join right where the 'merge' happens, people que for miles and miles, and I just pull out into lane 3 and speed past often at the NSL past cars in a que...

Why can't drivers be more confident and not sheep? Really irritating, and especially with bus lanes that no-one likes using, what's wrong with people?

Why does everyone get angry when I drive past everyone and join right where the 'merge' happens,

people que for miles and miles, and I just pull out into lane 3 and speed past often at the NSL past cars in a que...

Why can't drivers be more confident and not sheep? Really irritating, and especially with bus lanes that no-one likes using, what's wrong with people?

Because the traffic flows much better if you plan ahead and move into the lane that is staying open when you're moving at the same speed as that lane and there's an appropriate space. There's no need to go too early, but if you leave it right to the end and there isn't a space you have to stop and so someone more or less has to stop to let you in. That brings the whole lane to a standstill rather than letting it flow smoothly, if slowly - stop start is far worse than continuous, slow movement. It's not exactly unreasonable for people to get angry with you for disrupting the flow of traffic just so you can skip the queue, is it?

Drivers are encouraged to leave until they are forced to merge so that backups are not as long and a 'zipping' effect can take place. The throughput stays the same but it causes smaller holdups and is generally a lot safer because you don't have one lane completely backed up and the second lane clear except for the cars still doing 60/70 (the danger comes when a driver gets bored of waiting, pulls out without looking properly and gets smashed into by a car doing 60/70)

Only when all the traffic is moving at the same, slow pace. If you're doing 70 in lane 2 and it's closing half a mile ahead and lane 1 is doing 50, it's much better to start slowing, find an appropriate gap and merge early, without needing to brake, than to do 70 right up to the lane closure and slam on your brakes because there isn't a space. Merge in turn works fine with two queues moving at similar speeds, but if you get some tit doing 80 to the merge point past a queue doing 20 they will disrupt the flow of traffic and reduce the throughput. I understand the point that it would reduce the physical length of the queue if people were using both lanes and that's fine, but if that's not happening anyone in the relatively clear lane should limit their speed so they can merge smoothly. It's the sudden speed changes that slow things down most of all.

Well yes. If everyone was doing what they should be doing, then differing speeds wouldn't be a problem because the right lane would have traffic and so people wouldn't be able to speed...there would be cars in the way. Everyone would be doing similar speeds and merging at the intended merge point wouldn't be a problem.

Aye. But merging late is not always the correct thing to do (despite what many people say), and when it is appropriate you can do it well or you can do it badly. Given the approach the OP describes in his post he does it badly and that's why other drivers get angry.