here in NY(C) we call them 'Robert Moses' Ramps. RM didn't drive, and one of his 'innovative' money saving features was to use the same (short!) strip of roadway for 'accelerating' and 'de-acelerating'--so on many NY roadways, you come down an enterence ramp onto as little as 100 feet of roadway. as you are trying speed up, and merge into the right lane, traffic from the right lane is trying to merge into the same 300 foot strip and slow down!
in other places the overlap is on the service road or local city street-- you are coming off a highway/parkway, trying to merge into traffic, and traffic (planning to enter the same highway) is trying to merge into the same lane.
and some of robert moses merge lanes are as short as 80 feet! (yes, about 4 car lengths. the worst?
Cross Island parkway, (come down a incline, STOP Sign at bottom of ramp, traffic on cross island is coming round a turn, (so you can only see 'back' about 300 yards!) and you have 2 car lenghts to 'merge'. one of my least favorite enterences.
there are several 'entry ramps' like that on X-bronx expressway (i-95), Meadowbrook, Wantagh, and Southern (state) parkways as well. some have been 'improved' but some remain.
another 'innovative' space saving feature of highways RM designed are left hand exits and entryways.. How would you like to come round a left turning spiral ramp down to a highway that has traffic coming out of a right spiral, onto a left hand entryway? (it is about 200 yards long, so its not impossible short, but its no fun!--location? (south on Whitestone expressway, 3rd exit (highway split) for Grand Central Parkway --then take Grand central EAST (at that point, its really heading south, but it turn again in a few miles and resumes its easterly course. (this path takes your right past Shea Stadium)
