Originally Posted by
Six jours
Doing it wrong involves passing the line of waiting cars and then planting yourself in front of them.
In OR and many states it's entirely legal to increase your visibility by "shoaling*" motorists. My safety is far more important than a motorist's hypothetical "feelings". Moreover, by clearing congestion in this manner I reduce my exposure to toxic and carcinogenic vehicle exhaust. Air pollution is almost certainly the biggest health risk I face and the fact that much of this risk is unnecessary angers me.
*shoaling is the practice of positioning oneself in front of faster moving vehicles at an intersection.
You can make it even worse by fumbling around trying to clip in at .5 MPH while holding up everyone behind you.
1. If you have to "clip in" you are not doing it right.
2. The whole point of shoaling motorists is to clear the intersection
before they put their feet to the gas pedal. (Anyone who shoals motorists should always blow or jump the light when it's safe to do so.)
You should hang out with the Bicycle Club of Irvine guys on their club rides for a real lesson on how to do it wrong. The whole pack (more than a hundred riders, some days) will swarm up both sides of the waiting cars, and then plant themselves in front, in back, and on both sides.
None of this is necessarily illegal in CA.