Originally Posted by samovar
"Bike Lanes" are a rarity here, and when they exist they seem to be dead in the parked car door zone.
Definitely proceed with caution when passing traffic on the right -- if you choose to and even if you're in a bike lane. Watch out for the "door zone". My approach is to look through the windows of the parked cars, or in their mirrors, to help determine if someone is about to open their door into traffic. You'll find all sorts of debates about the safety issues of passing stopped traffic in the Advocacy & Safety forum -- though somewhat technical debates.
For my part, it took a while to get comfortable among the cars -- I had come from a mountain biking background. But once you get used to the traffic, you'll be ok. Post your progress and questions here and you'll get tons of responses about technique.