Driving....

In Newfoundland most people are fantastic. I don't know why we make jokes about them because we can learn a lot from them. Not just about how to have a good time or how to welcome people into their homes either. We can learn a thing or two about traffic management.

On the Trans Canada highway between Saint Johns and Gander, which I have driven on in the past and was reminded about around 2 weeks ago, whenever there are two lanes heading in the same directions and they have to cut one lane back, they cut the left lane. There is a sign painted right on the road: Merge Right. "What's so surprising about that you say? That's obvious: I mean, the driving lane is the right lane, if you need to add a lane, you add it to the left, if you have to cut that lane back you cut it from the left. So why doesn't anybody else in North America do it that way? I don't know! I mean you should be able to get on the right lane of St Johns and drive to Victoria and never have to change lanes. Can you? No! At least not after you leave Newfoundland.

It's even worst in the city of Toronto. The 401 going across the top of the city, the right lane often turns into an off ramp, and then you have no idea where you're going. I don't know if you read the book or say the movie "Bonfire of the Vanities", well that was the basic plan point, the guy goes on the off ramp, gets in the wrong part of town, runs a guy over. Well, it was a terrible book and a worst movie but it's makes a pretty good point: the right lane is sacred; don't let it go away. Now, my question is, how did it get this way? I mean the guys driving the line painting truck don't just paint these lines at random someone is telling them to do it that way. I just want to find out who that person is, why are they telling them to do this? I don't know, maybe some of you has a brother or sister who is a traffic engineer, you know a website I can go to and find this information?

I just don't get it. But I'm glad the Newfoundlanders do.

Here in the US when they need to add another lane going the same way, on our secondary highways, they add to the right. I agree I don't get it. It's easier to add to the left and take back from the left. However on our interstate highways when they add an on ramp or an off ramp they add it to the right but you have to move into it in order to be affected by it. If you stay in the driving lane all will be ok. But you're right firebird, why do they add to the right and take from the right instead of keeping it all on the left? Makes a person wonder how they do it in countries where they drive on the left side of the road.