Editor:
(On Nov. 29) we were hit with a snowstorm, and our first responders were clearly overtaxed. I spent six hours on Highway 99 South for a drive that normally takes 10 minutes. I understand that we need to wait for everything to be safe before traffic can move when there is an accident, but the abhorrent behavior of some Delta drivers sickens me. There were people blocking first responders, others were blocking Richmond drivers from getting home by obstructing their exit, and many jumped the line which escalated an already terrible situation. Yesterday's traffic fiasco was avoidable.
We should all understand how to properly zipper merge. Every single day on my commute to work I see people who are doing it wrong, people who are merging too soon and making the line longer, and many driving in the bus lane and merging after the zipper. Yesterday was an example of this to a gross extreme.
Some of our roads are poorly designed, while others have been subject to political interference or NIMBYism. Northbound 99 before the Massey Tunnel is an example, where six lanes compress into 1 which forces too much merging.
It would be helpful if the Optimist wrote an article on proper merging techniques with tips on winter driving, because we need a refresher.
Barbara Schumaker
