Stoplights: fatwa requested

"the black rose" <[email hidden]> wrote: (clip) I take the
right lane, for the same reason. I position myself smack in the middle of
the lane behind the next car. I sprint like a snail myself,(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
My solution will probably bring criticism from more expert cyclists, but it
is: I don't want to go to the curb, because of the cars which will likely
turn right from the right lane. I don't want to take the right lane,
because I want people turning right to be able to do it without waiting for
the light to change. I don't want to take the left lane, because then I
wind up in the traffic trying to accelerate, and work my way back to the
right lane where I belong. So, I position myself on the line separating the
two lanes. Cars can pass me on the right and turn. Any cars on my left are
stopped, and when the light changes, they don't have to wait for me.

In those few cases where cars from both lanes proceed straight, I have to
work my way into the right lane--it has rarely been necessary, but in every
case, the cars on my right have POINTEDLY held back to give me safe access.

"Luigi de Guzman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Wed, 04 Aug 2004 00:07:43 -0700, Ryan Cousineau <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

This is an _excellent_ idea. Heck, it's why cycling in traffic isn't a
chore. The key to re-entry to the right lane after the intersection is a
fairly fast start,

I'm still working on that. I sprint like a snail on quaaludes. I can
roll up to a good speed once I've gotten myself going, but I'm not as
fast off the line as my little brother.

As long as you don't, like some riders I've seen, sprint out ahead of
everyone and right into the advanced green for turning traffic coming the
other way. If you get to the head of the line before the light changes its
easy to position yourself so you block traffic in the right lane. If not, I
just watch for which cars turn and which don't. Turning cars usually slow
down and also delay any following straight-through cars making it usually
easy to move back into the right lane after the corner. In the rare case
things turn grim, Ryan's salute signal works.

Quoted message said:

I've lane-split in this way at other intersections, but pretty rarely,
because it makes me nervous. whenever I come to stoplights, I tend
not to be moving through them or up queues of traffic pell-mell, since
all those idling cars make me nervous. (Funny how I'm nervous when
they're idling and less so when they're moving!)

If traffic is unusually jammed in the area, lane splitting to the front has
sometimes seemed to cause a little road rage in some drivers, so watching
for post-splitting wackiness might be a good idea. And there's often a
driver who decides to go for the left lane in front of you, then they change
their minds halfway in both lanes.

But aside from that I too feel more nervous when lane splitting stopped
traffic than seems warranted by my experiences. After all zooming up past a
line of traffic next to the curb is more dangerous from a dooring aspect. I
think I'm more nervous in the middle than at the curb because I just don't
know what's going to happen when traffic gets flowing again. It's more
predictable at the curb.

Doug

"Leo Lichtman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"the black rose" <[email hidden]> wrote: (clip) I take the
right lane, for the same reason. I position myself smack in the middle

of

Quoted message said:

the lane behind the next car. I sprint like a snail myself,(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
My solution will probably bring criticism from more expert cyclists, but

it

Quoted message said:

is: I don't want to go to the curb, because of the cars which will likely
turn right from the right lane. I don't want to take the right lane,
because I want people turning right to be able to do it without waiting

for

Quoted message said:

the light to change. I don't want to take the left lane, because then I
wind up in the traffic trying to accelerate, and work my way back to the
right lane where I belong. So, I position myself on the line separating

the

Quoted message said:

two lanes. Cars can pass me on the right and turn. Any cars on my left

are

Quoted message said:

stopped, and when the light changes, they don't have to wait for me.

In those few cases where cars from both lanes proceed straight, I have to
work my way into the right lane--it has rarely been necessary, but in

every

Quoted message said:

case, the cars on my right have POINTEDLY held back to give me safe

access.

Quoted message said:

Watch out! I almost got run over by some drunk I didn't even know was there.
It's usually possible to ensure you've blocked the straight through option
while still leaving room for turns by moving ahead instead of the the left.
I've had impatient types zip through on the right too. I no longer assume
what they are going to do.

Doug

Luigie de Guzman wrote:

<snip>

As long as you're going the same speed or faster than
other traffic, take whatever lane you want.

One thing overlooked by the imams here (not
surprising) is the danger posed by the drivers
in the right lane. You got a line of cars stop-and-go
in the right lane, somebody's stuck over there that
doesn't want to be there. Drivers have a hard
enough time seeing you when you're right in front
of em, forget about it when you're coming up from
behind em on one side. An impatient driver with
average vision stomps the accelerator and rams his
car right into you. So if you're going to pass a line of
cars like that, leave as much space as you can and
keep an eagle-eye out for the inevitable intrusion.

Robert