05/10/2026
Do you queue early, or use the empty lane right up to the cones?
Few things divide British drivers quite like a lane closure. One lane backs up for half a mile while the other sits almost empty, and anyone who drives down it gets treated as a queue jumper.
The Highway Code is actually on their side. Rule 134 recommends merging in turn when traffic is moving very slowly, such as when approaching roadworks. That means using both lanes and taking turns at the point where they meet.
Done properly, it keeps the queue roughly half as long, so it is far less likely to back up across junctions and roundabouts further down the road.
The trouble is that it only works if everyone commits to it. Drivers who pull in halfway down cause the stop and start shunting that makes the open lane look like cheating, and the fear of being refused at the cones keeps plenty of people sat in line.
To muddy it further, Rule 288 on roadworks tells drivers to get into the correct lane in good time and not to switch lanes to overtake queuing traffic. That's the line the early mergers tend to quote back.
So which are you: an early merger, or the one at the cones?
