Uno Hoo! Your logic is faulty. If only a set number of vehicles can pbutt 'point A' in a set period of time, then every car that merges into the queue ahead of you, will delay your arrival at point A. To make it simple: ten cars can pbutt point A every 20 seconds. You are 30 cars back in the queue and therefore it will take you 60 seconds to reach point A. If, however, ten cars merge into your queue ahead of you, it will take you not 60 seconds to reach point A - but 80 seconds. You cannot alter the laws of mathematics! The further back you are in the queue, and the more cars that merge ahead of you, the longer it will take you to reach point A.
Whilst it is obviously true that every car merging ahead will appear to put your arrival time back slightly, the fact that there is traffic in the RH lane at all means you have gained by being nearer to the pinch point in the first place. If all the traffic merged a couple of miles back, you wouldn't *be* at the start point 30 cars back that you mentioned, because the traffic to your right could be in front of you.
To make it simple: Being 30 cars back in a line of two parallel queues which are merging ahead takes exactly the same time to reach the pinch point as being 60 cars back in a single lane. As long as the output to the system (ie. the single lane traffic) is maintained without any gaps, it's irrelevant whether there are two merged lanes entering or only one. The extra delay you suggest is an illusion.
-- Rob
