Originally Posted by mac
I don't hold up motorists - when the light turns green, I clip in and move to the right after I pass the right-hand turn lane in the intersection. Unless the motorist is the green-light-hit-the-gas kind of driver (which I am - crank the throttle!) of which there are relatively few, no one is being held up.
That's what I used to think when I did it, or how I justified it anyway.
But, seriously, pay close attention to the effect when other cyclists do it. Since it's behind us, I think we tend to be oblivious to how significant it is. The time it takes to clip in, start accelerating, and move out of the way, is noticeable. And if the driver got to the light first, and then you cut in front of him, and now you're delaying him like this...
But again, when we get there first, there is no problem with causing the delay (first come, first served). It is real, but minimal.