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If apassing lane is added to a highway to allow passing, then isn't it true that when approaching the end of the passing lane, drivers in the left lane must merge safely with traffic to the right instead of drivers in the right lane needing to merge safely with traffic to the left? And by the same token, isn't it true that drivers in the right lane must cooperate to let drivers from the left lane merge instead of drivers in the left lane needing to cooperate to let drivers from the right lane merge? Thank you!

"A passing lane is a lane added to a highway to allow passing, often in the mountains. Slower vehicles move into the passing lane to the right, permitting other vehicles to pass safely in the left lane. Signs will alert drivers to a passing lane ahead.

When approaching the end of the passing lane, drivers in the right lane must merge safely with traffic to the left. Drivers in the left lane must cooperate to let drivers from the right lane merge. Signs are posted to alert drivers that the passing lane is ending."

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  • I tagged this "Alberta, Canada" for you, since that is what your link says. Please make sure this is correct. Traffic laws are not globally valid, we don't even drive on the same side of the road in different countries, so this is required information.
    – nvoigt
    Commented Apr 2, 2023 at 6:29
  • Thank you so much! And yes, it's correct.
    – Maurice
    Commented Apr 2, 2023 at 6:31
  • This will typically be on an uphill grade, which heavy vehicles struggle to climb, and the last thing they want is to have to slow down or stop at the end of the lane, whereas it is relatively easy for the faster vehicles to adjust their speed. The relevant word in the link is "cooperate". The passing lane was a privilege provided for faster vehicles, not a right to force their way through when the lane ends.
    – Weather Vane
    Commented Apr 2, 2023 at 10:26

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No, it isn’t true

To avoid the confusion that comes from whether traffic drives on the left or the right, I will refer to the outside lane (nearest the kerb) and the inside lane (nearest the middle).

Across the world there are 2 ways of ending a passing lane - either one lane ends and is crossed by a broken line, or the dividing line simply ends. The illustration shows the former.

When one land ends, it is invariably the outside lane for two very practical reasons:

  1. The outside lane is the slow lane and it makes sense that the slower moving traffic is the one to give way.
  2. If something goes wrong, if the outside lane ends, the traffic in that lane will end up on the verge - on a highway, this is usually wide enough that it won’t result in a collision. If the inside lane ends, the traffic in that lane will end up in the oncoming traffic.

In jurisdictions where the line simply ends, the rule is that the vehicle behind gives way to the vehicle in front.

In all jurisdictions, these rules are always subordinate to the primary rule of the road: don’t collide with anything.

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  • Thank you all for your explanations!
    – Maurice
    Commented Apr 3, 2023 at 0:11

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