Commuting - Traffic light question

I've been commuting since Dec. My trip is a little over 6 miles one way in pretty heavy traffic (bumper to bumper in the morning). I'n Dec. I used to act like a car and take the whole lane at the traffic light. Every now and then an old out of shape car would throw some toxic fumes my way. But I would grin and bear it because I was in my lane waiting for the light to change just like any other law abiding vehicle driver.

Recently I've gotten into the habit of passing the cars that are stopped at the light and stopping in the cross walk in front of the first car. This way I don't have to suck down car fumes.

Does any one else do this? In heavy traffic I usually never see the cars I pass again, but in medium to light traffic I end up passing and being passed buy the same cars over and over again.

I'm just wondering about courtesy and what more experienced riders do, thanks.

I always try to jump to the head of the queue, I don't like sucking tailpipe.

i do it also, unless i feel that i will be passing cars when the light turns green, i just hate tring to get back into traffic (not that it is hard) i just dont trust that the driver is actually paying enough attention and to have then for me to suddenly pull in front of them, it is just not me

I normally don't bother passing traffic at lights. I prefer to stay far enough back of the last car that I'm not sucking fumes, say about ten feet, and about in line with the right side wheels of that last car. That way if more traffic pulls up it's forced to pull a bit to the left to get around me. The way I look at is the cars that have already passed me are either being driven by really nice people who have gone out of their way to pass me safely once already or they're being driven by homicidal maniacs who missed the first time, in which case I might as well hang behind a little bit.
There are times when I will jump to the head of the line though, such as heavy traffic where the cars ain't moving that fast (like your morning commute), or if I happen to be in a really bad mood (no one's perfect eh?).

I like getting to the front of the group. Thats one of the advantages of riding a bike IMO, you get to cut in line cause your smaller and can squeeze in.

jeremyb

I do it all the time, except on really hot days when I wait wherever the shade is. As Jeremy said above, it's one of the advantages of riding a bike. I think nothing of passing drivers in the queue, as they generally thought nothing of passing me to get into the queue. Queensland has the slowest traffic lights in Australia, and 10 minutes is a long time to sit on the back end of somebody's exhaust pipe.

I'm with Alex and Chris on this, except my experience tells me that the worst fumes are generated when the cars start accelerating, and not when they're just idling at the light. Diesel fumes are the worst; and not only busses - all the 'macho' pencil-dicks in Oregon are now driving giant Ford and Dodge pickups with diesel engines...and good ol' Dubya is giving them tax incentives to do so...I say going to the front of the line is perfectly legit.

To the front of the line I say. I'm usually off and away befor they are, and I just love it when the commuters get all pissy in their cars because they are stuck in traffic and I am going along just fine. When will they learn...

I stay in the line of traffic. When the light goes green I enter the intersection and then fade to the right upon crossing so that traffic may pass. I don't surrender the lane. In this way I don't disrupt traffic flow and I don't have to worry about leap-frogging. By staying in the line of traffic at stops I'm tacitly demanding my share of the roadway and am always visible. This has always worked very well for me.

I ride up to the front. Where I live the bike lanes are painted to within 150 feet of the intersection anyway. There's always plenty of room in the right lanes where I ride anyway. My record distance for passing cars is a line backed up about a half mile on my way home, and I wouldn't wait in the back of that line, that's why I ride the bike. At a VERY long light where I wanted to turn right, with "No Right Turn On Red", (it's next to the police station), I got off my bike, walked it around the corner on the sidewalk, and got back on and rode away. Versatility is the name of the game.

Having said all of that, on the traffic lights on today's ride, I was pulling over way behind everybody else. This seemed to be where the shade was. If I was going to be killed out there today, the heat was the most likely suspect.

I normally don't bother passing traffic at lights. I prefer to stay far enough back of the last car that I'm not sucking fumes, say about ten feet, and about in line with the right side wheels of that last car.
I also stay back about 10 or 15 feet That way I don't breathe poison and I can roll a bit on the take-off.

I stay in the line of traffic. When the light goes green I enter the intersection and then fade to the right upon crossing so that traffic may pass. I don't surrender the lane. In this way I don't disrupt traffic flow and I don't have to worry about leap-frogging. By staying in the line of traffic at stops I'm tacitly demanding my share of the roadway and am always visible. This has always worked very well for me.

I'm with you on this one, RobCat.

I don't have many traffic signals on my route, but the ones I do have are where 2 lanes cross 4 to 6 lanes. Since I'm on the 2 lane side, the green barely gives me enough time to cross the intersection. I always pass the waiting cars and pull well to the front so right on red cars can easily get past me, and I'm clearly visible to the on-coming left turning cars. I'm not in the way of any of the left turning cars in my lane and I stay far enough right for the straight aheads to pass me. By being at the front of the pack, I'm out of the way quickest for the on coming left turners; if I was behind traffic in line they wouldn't see me and would be more likely to be impatient as the light would be about to change.

I'm with you on this one, RobCat.

Ah! So you're that other guy! :p

It's all situational. I love to get two of those little spy cameras and attach them to my bike front and back and a recorder in the pannier and go riding around the city. I do a little bit of everything (not all at once!) depending on the density of traffic, my destination, timing of the light, the weather, the wind direction, how tired I'm feeling, my sense of haste or a host of other factors.

It's all situational. I love to get two of those little spy cameras and attach them to my bike front and back and a recorder in the pannier and go riding around the city. I do a little bit of everything (not all at once!) depending on the density of traffic, my destination, timing of the light, the weather, the wind direction, how tired I'm feeling, my sense of haste or a host of other factors.

Dude, I've always wanted to get some lipstick cameras and just mount them on the fork and my helmet and maybe the rear triangle and just ride around...

A bit off topic, but a Houston, Tx reporter has been driving around with a dash mounted camera and a camera crew. After he films a bad driver (which must take all of two minutes) the then follows & confronts them.
http://www.click2houston.com/news/2818194/detail.html
There are two video segments of the show up on this webpage.
I love it!

it depends on the road and the traffic level.

1) light traffic - i wait in the queue as if i pass the cars they will have to pass me agian soon (unless there's a wide shoulder, then i do either/or)

2) heavy traffic - i will pass on the right as the cars probably won't be passing me agian

3) medium traffic:
a) wide shoulder - i will almost always pass on the right and go to the front. with the wide shoulder the cars can easily pass
b) no/narrrow shoulder --- this one depends on lots of factors... if i think either i will be as fast as the cars OR they will be able to easily re-pass me then i do it... OR if it is really unpleasant waiting in the exhuast i do it...


By being at the front of the pack, I'm out of the way quickest for the on coming left turners; if I was behind traffic in line they wouldn't see me and would be more likely to be impatient as the light would be about to change.
yes, another reason i often do it --- so cars see me AND can pass me more easily.

Talking about breathing fumes in, it just occurred to me that we are luck that we can pull to the front of the queue, but motorcycles can't and have to sit and breathe them in

Talking about breathing fumes in, it just occurred to me that we are luck that we can pull to the front of the queue, but motorcycles can't and have to sit and breathe them in

Not true. I see plenty of motorcycle riders do just that -- not that it overly concerns me. I don't recall anybody telling them they had to ride a motorcycle.

Talking about breathing fumes in, it just occurred to me that we are luck that we can pull to the front of the queue, but motorcycles can't and have to sit and breathe them in

Actually, in California, motorcycles are legally allowed to 'ride the line' between lanes to the front of the queue...