I left it off because it seemed superfluous, and entirely beside the point. It's not always easy, nor even possible, to tell if an intersection is "clear" on approach, and especially for a newbie. A lot can change in just a few seconds. It just seems to me that to say it's "safest" to "always" do that maneuver, while it may just be a case of confusing phrasing on your part, is very misleading. At any rate, I do apologize for responding to it with such an irritated and irksome tone as I did; however, I honestly see no merit, safety-wise, in selectively re-interpreting traffic signals just because you're on two wheels instead of four. Heck, if nothing else, it increases the odds of being ticketed (the state of Idaho aside).

I suppose we're just going to have to disagree on that count. What I personally consider safer and more polite towards my fellow road users is to accept the notion that we're all bound by the same set of rules, and following those rules makes it easier to interact with one another on the road. Do people often break those rules? Yes, and it's important to stay alert to that, but I see no reason why I should be the one setting the bad example. The number one complaint that I hear about cyclists from non-cyclists is about how "arrogant" and "dangerous" we are for so frequently running red lights and stop signs. Meanwhile, I'm hoping to counter that stereotype until the laws, infrastructure, and/or society's acceptance of bicycling change to the point where it's no longer an issue.