What is "about to change?" Most ( but not all ) Seattle lights have the countdown, too. If you come to a light with 5 seconds left, do you balance, or stand? What if it's 15 seconds?

I find I can hold myself steady at a stop for about 10 to 15 seconds, but not longer. When I'm coming up to a light I'll have to stop for, I'll try to slow down to a crawl with a little bit of distance to the line ... assuming it's not crowded on my side of the intersection. This gives me a little more leeway to balance with the help of some very slow movement. Otherwise I'll generally hold it as long as I can, and usually step down about a second before the light turns.

If there aren't any good indications, I usually try to balance as long as I can.