Originally Posted by
SteffyMacD
Ah, my understanding was that it's somewhat considered poor form to pass stopped cars to get to the front. In any case, I've been opting to stop behind the last car in line, that way I can see what's happening in front of me, and any other cars that come up to the line have seen me already (and at that point I do look over my shoulder and try to make eye contact to make sure they REALLY know I'm there).
I'm concerned that if I try to filter to the front that the front-most car (or any other car I pass) just won't see me.
Don't feel pressured to do things you are not comfortable doing. It sounds like your awareness is great and it is smart to observe and learn and see what works best for you. If you can see their mirrors they can see you (they don't always but can), the same goes for driving and truckers.
If you do filter just watch for sudden non-signaled right merges or turns, passenger doors, and if there are any parked cars, their drivers doors. A good tip I got many years ago is to look at the wheels of the car, where they point is where they go. Never go along the right side of a long wheel base vehicle like a bus, dump truck, or semi. They always turn and close the gap really fast as their rear wheels follow the shortest path, many cyclists have been run over by the rear wheels of big vehicles. From experience it is not fun.
If I approach two lanes, one straight and one right turn I tend to get to the left side of the right turn lane to let impatient turners have enough room to go and to not have the worry that anyone will right hook you on the start.
Good on the eye contact with the driver behind you, I always think that helps them realize you're aware and just doing the daily grind, just in a different way.