Originally Posted by
rollagain
I used to love doing this during rush-hour in downtown Columbus. I was routinely able to keep up with motor traffic and often go faster yet. That might be why they let me get away with it. Still, I had my head on a swivel, checking my mirror and looking over my shoulder, and whenever I needed to change lanes I'd always signal prominently and make eye contact with the driver I was about to merge in front of. Also, I didn't take unfair advantage of being on a bike, such as threading between lines of cars, and I think they might have appreciated that too (it also removes the chance of collecting a door prize).
Another thing I've done a few times is, whenever I was first in line in the left-turn lane on a red light, I'd turn and wave the car behind me to pull up close so they were over the sensor and would trigger the left-turn arrow for us both.
Claiming the whole lane doesn't work everywhere in all cases, of course; I'm almost never able to do that in the exurb I now live in.
When did you leave?
Columbus has implemented a road diet to add bike lanes on a significant number of major routes downtown. To address the problems of making lefts from 3rd and
rights from 4th (because the bike lane is the leftmost lane
) they painted two stage turn boxes where needed. It's a little box in front of the traffic heading in the direction of the risky turn, so you aren't forced to try and merge across 2 or more lanes of higher speed traffic to go the direction you want. I think the boxes are more for training cyclists to learn a new trick if they have car-brain.
For a left, you would stop at the front of traffic heading left of your direction of travel on your side of the intersection and wait for the light to change. For the OP's question, I don't see much of an issue with using this method when there is no turn box or bike lane, unless folks frequently fail to stop make a right turn on red where you are. I imagine in most scenarios a rider will wait in the crosswalk for the light to change in their desired direction of travel, no U turns needed.