Merge in Turn

Day 16 - 09:17, 16 January 2019

I came down to the Water today as they were setting up temporary traffic lights at the bottom of the hill. A contraflow is in place on one side of the road and I am interested to see the different approaches that drivers take when confronted by it. There appears to be two. The first approach is - as soon as you see that your lane is about to close, signal and wait to move into the remaining open lane. However, the second approach is - to see said drivers wanting to merge into your lane and drive straight on, ignoring them, speeding up where possible, just to make sure. As if by not looking in their direction, they are not there. The result is that there is a huge backlog, followed by a section of the road where there is an empty lane.

Can it really be so difficult to merge in turn? It's not as if those planning to turn right were trying to do a fast one, ignore the signs and then try to force their way into the other lane at the last minute. They were trying to do the right thing, but it seemed that their counterparts did not want to reciprocate. Are we really so caught up in our own worlds that we can't afford the few seconds it takes to show compassion for others, without it being seen as some sort of affront on our personhood?

The seasons seem to be better at it. They just get on with it. I am very aware this morning of spring beginning to merge with winter. Although less apparent by the river, the walk down the road is peppered by close-to-bloom snow drops, buds on bushes and trees, and the re-emergence of weeds in gardens. Maybe, however, their merging in turn is premature. A cold snap is forecasted to last into next week. Can nature survive its own vagaries? Only time will tell.