Originally Posted by
jputnam
Mot of the urban roads I ride have traffic-actuated lights. I stop where the inductive loop is in the pavement, or else the light won't change.
Around here I haven't found any of these that are sensitive enough to be triggered by a bike, no matter where I position myself on them. In fact, many of them won't trigger even when I'm on my 850 lbs motorcycle.
As far as the OP, if the lane is big enough to accomodate a car to right turn while I'm waiting at the light, then I'll position myself to the left. If it's not, then I'll position myself center.
I've often wondered what would happen if a car pulled up next to me then went straight, but it's never happened to me. In fact, most seem hesitant to pull up next to me and right turn. If I see they have their blinker on, I'll motion them through to let them know it's OK. Even then some seem hesitant.
Oddly enough, this seems to be the only time when I encounter drivers who are timid. As soon as the light turns green and we're through the intersection they have no problem buzzing me with only inches to spare.