Originally Posted by
cyccommute
Filtering does not get you out of the way. If a line of cars has passed you, you are out of the way. If you pass the line of cars on the right at a stop, you are right back in the way and the motorists have to pass you all over again. If the road is a two lane road (one in each direction), the motorists have to wait for a gap in traffic to pass you which makes their commutes slower. Getting in line behind the last car...and choosing your route to avoid places where cars queue up so as to avoid the problem all together...makes the whole system move more quickly. Motorists only have to pass me once rather than over and over again.
i often filter by hundreds of cars that are basically still sitting where they were previously 10-15 minutes later. i even filter through intersections when motorists going the other way block access to the intersection on a green (morons). i also often filter to avoid a congested bike lane full of slower riders. for example, i'll often filter between lanes when there are cars waiting to turn right at the bike box.
choosing your route to avoid places where cars queue up so as to avoid the problem all together
filtering is not a problem and, for me, those routes are not direct routes.