Should happen more often. This rivals backing up for a missed exit on the freeweay in terms of being stupid.

Years ago when I was living in Southern Oregon, I would commute between Ashland and Medford. It seemed like there was always construction on I-5 that closed one of the two lanes in either direction. I learned to HATE those people with the I-have-somewhere-more-important-to-get-to-than-everyone-else complex. So one day I clogged up the lane about to be closed, traveling at the same speed as the open lane that was backing up with traffic. I was driving slow with my hazard lights on for a good couple miles with a large SUV tailgating me, honking, and flipping me off. And then I noticed the flashing blues and reds behind the SUV. I got over quick and the SUV got over in front of me. The cop pulled the SUV over and jumped out of his cruiser, pointing at me to pull over also. "Yes Sir!", I thought to myself, thinking I just got some sort of moving violation ticket. The officer spoke with me first, explaining that my behavior could spur road rage and how it's not my job or responsibility to act the way I did. Then he told me to stay put. I watched the officer give the driver of the SUV some sort of ticket; then he came back to me and told me to drive safe and have a good day.

A lovely woman once tried to do this to me going South on I-5, exiting at the Memorial Coliseum. When I didn't let her merge she got very angry and tried to bully her way in with her big SUV. Darn it, intimidation just doesn't work with me. Later she called police, filed an illegal lane change charge against me.
Gosh I enjoyed traffic court.

I think I remember the traffic guy at the Oregonian arguing that, as far as traffic flow goes, it is more efficient for cars to use both lanes available until the one actually ends, merging together alternately where it narrows down to one lane. I guess maybe it makes sense logically, since you are using the available driving area rather than leaving it empty and unutilized?

That said, the people who do it piss me off too. I didn't realize it was illegal though.

Here's another take on Black Friday and the Christmas shopping season.

As reported on one of the networks tonight, 19.3% of all retail sales take place during November and December. Well, the last two months of the year represents 16.7% of all shopping days. So, what's the big deal?

Another report mentioned that sales today totaled $27 billion, with 152 million people shopping. Well, that works out to an average of around $177 per person. So, what's the big deal?

And, so far, I still haven't heard any retailer complaining this year about the number of shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, as if fewer shopping days translate into fewer sales. But do people have fewer family and friends to buy presents for when there are fewer shopping days?

You just outed yourself as another ninny Oregon driver. Look up "zipper merge" sometime and then try to defend your "merge now now NOW" lifestyle. Just because your way gives you an unearned sense of moral superiority doesn't mean it's the best way of doing business.

"That said, the people who do it piss me off too. I didn't realize it was illegal though."

It isn't. What Hastings reported on was altogether different.

it is more efficient for cars to use both lanes available until the one actually ends, merging together alternately where it narrows down to one lane

In this case, there was no lane ending. It was just a pack of cars all vying for the right lane leading up to an exit. The ticketed drivers were stopped in the center lane of the freeway, trying to get out of that lane into the right lane. They were blocking traffic behind, which was trying to continue down the center lane.

Oh! I get it now. Should have read more carefully.

Silly. They could have taken the other exit, putting them right behind the outlet mall. But it's one of many reasons why I don't do "Black Friday".

I love this. It's about time.

They do something similar for the ferry lines in Puget Sound. If you cut in the line, WSP is called (there is usually one at each line), a HUGE ticket is issued and you get kicked out to the back of the line. That can equate to a couple of hours more waiting.

It's about time they started cracking down on this.

I was driving a truck and a refrigerated trailer full of berries 2 summers ago when some hot rod raced ahead then bully merged in front of my truck. I had to hit the breaks, with a loaded trailer, going freeway speeds.
So I followed this yahoo for 2 hours on I-84. Right outside of Boardman in Morrow County I saw my chance for revenge. A couple of truckers and I colluded to box this guy in for like 40 miles. Slowed down to about 55 too.
He was livid.
Revenge like this can be petty. So gloriously petty.

But sometimes the vast majority play nice -- the "Macadam" on ramp to the Eastbound Ross Island bridge. Much of the time the drivers already on the main line will yield right-of-way to those trying to get on.

Sure, there are the jerks who break the zipper pattern. Probably the same folks who were ticketed in the article.

For more "enlightened" times:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dHmuFTigzI

ahhh . . . the anonymity of the POV. It affords a glimpse into modern mans basal nature by serving as an appendage of the ego. Dodge "ram it up your a***" trucks are the the most telling. But so are the Subaru "I love everything and can't everybody just get along" drivers who stop ---- without warning ---- the whole line of cars behind them - to let a side street vehicle cut into the queue. "Aren't I such a nice person?"

I don't know which is more annoying - the "dive bomber" or the "helper".

Nice coverage and insight. Folks who drive past me to cut in front offend me but I strive to remember the Bible verse about vengeance belongs to God (Rom. 12:19) and let it go. It's healthier that way.

I wonder where they were ticketed? In the middle lane? Or did they have to pull over and cause more traffic problems? (either way, I'm glad they got fined!).

Silly. They could have taken the other exit, putting them right behind the outlet mall. But it's one of many reasons why I don't do "Black Friday".

Uh, Max...you've been to Woodburn, right? On I-5? You know, that long stretch of freeway where Woodburn's exit is Exit 271...the preceding exit is the Donald/Aurora (now renamed by ODOT to the Ehlen Road/Aurora Exit) 278 (seven miles north), and the following exit is the Brooks/Gervais (likely to get the ODOT Renaming Treatment to "Brooklake Road/Brooks") 263 (seven miles south).

There is no "other exit".

And I hope - I can ONLY hope - that when the OSP Troopers flipped on their red-and-blues, that they forced the illegal idiots past the gore point to the offramp, onto the I-5 shoulder at least under the overpass...so that when they were done with their business that they had to drive the seven miles to Brooks to U-Turn back to Woodburn.

What I don't understand is since this is becoming a several-time-a-year event, why doesn't ODOT force the outlet mall owner to build a new off-ramp for the southbound I-5 traffic to separate it from the regular Woodburn traffic. There's plenty of room to build a new auxiliary lane from the Crosby overpass, south to a new exit at the north end of the parking lot (intersection of Arney Road and Arney Lane). It is very typical for large traffic generators to have to pay for highway improvements (for example, I believe Evergreen Aviation had to pay for the new traffic signal near the water park on Highway 18 in McMinnville, about a quarter-million-dollar project) so why doesn't ODOT step up to the outlet mall?