Here is a question I have which might sound stupid, but I'm a beginner so take it easy. How to make a left turn in traffic? I've avoided busy streets and I lived in the country for a while so I never had this problem. Now I live in LA and I'm riding in traffic.

Specifically: When there are two lanes of traffic going each way. I'm all the way to the right between the right lane and the parallel parked cars. Do I stop and wait for the crosswalk and ride across the crosswalk?

It seems like I shouldn't be using the crosswalk and should be obeying all traffic laws like a car, but there's no way in hell I'm cutting over to make a left turn in traffic. I can't really ride on the sidewalks because it's just too crowded sometimes and it can be dangerous to the walkers if the bikers are weaving in and out on the sidewalk. I'm just starting to adjust to city riding and it's tough to tell where the line between pedestrian and vehicle are when you're on a bike.

Another thing that gets me is when a car is making a right turn and I'm going straight. I never know if they see me coming and I'm not going to chance it, so I usually throw on the brakes and let them turn which is sort of a pain in the ass for me. Also, most of the time they do see me and they stop before making the turn to let me go, but I've stopped out of caution already. It usually ends in a "You go" "No, you go ahead" kind of thing where we are both sort of inconvenienced.

Anyway, any suggestions are helpful as I'm trying to get comfortable with city riding. It's downright scary sometimes and not knowing etiquette and rules can make it intimidating and make me less likely to ride.