This, but modified -- I often can stop where straight-thru traffic can't go past me yet right-turning traffic has room to turn. If possible, I put myself past the pedestrian crosswalk and leave room between myself and the right curb. The straight traffic can't reach me, the turning traffic can turn.

No problems yet.

Poll, fail!

Only antagonistic answers available....

On intersections with lots of room, I also pull to the right and put a foot on the curb. This is if there's room both AT the light and AFTER the light. I don't want to get squeezed into a line of parked cars after the light.

that's cause your city is one of the 15 :)
http://matadortrips.com/the-worlds-1...riendly-cities

as for me since i'm on side streets with little pedestrian traffic I ride my strida up on to the sidewalk when it's red and just sit there watching cars turn and make sure I don't get run over when it's green again.

In situations where I know cars are going to turn right I stop short (about a car length from the crosswalk) and put one foot on the curb allowing cars that come up to turn. If we are going straight I either slowly filter or get in the left tire track. It all depends on the situation. If it is not a major intersection I slow down , look both ways and continue on.

Uh oh, the nannies will be by any time now to hit your hands with their rulers! ;)

I stop at the red, and generally stay wherever I was riding. I tend to pay just as much attention to the cars as I did when I rode my motorcycle, and I don't see any difference except I'm turning the wheels now, where before it was a big old motor, and I was a lot fatter :). Oh, and I get to ride the shoulder if I want.

Joe

I ride in Toronto and my answer is (2) - it is too dangerous to be close to the curb - you will get hit by a car. The likelihood of being struck increases closer to the curb.

Though the real answer is that it depends - downtown: number 2.

In the US inspired suburban highways - number 2.

Um, # 4. +1 to what BarracksSi said. I pull all the forward past the crosswalk if I see a right turn signal behind me. You can go straight, and the cars can turn right. I don't want to be on the right curb when the cars are turning, bad idea.

Updated the vote count...

I was just trying to get a general idea of what is common and what driver's may be expecting. For me i get a lot of honks with #2... just wanted to make sure i wasn't nuts since a lot of riders who don't commute on a daily basis often think i am nuts for using option #2. Of course, i will let traffic go by if there is sufficient room when i come to a stop, but personally i don't move to the very edges of the lane to enable motorists to push through. When i am stopped at the line though and my feet are off the pedals, i'm probably not moving. :D

Maybe the next question should be to the #2 users: After how much honking do you get off your bicycle and shuffle to the side of the road?

3
I move to the left so that traffic that want to turn right can do so without waiting. When the light changes, I move to the right.

Exactly. Check out the scuff marks from vehicles' rear tires hitting the curb at a lot of intersections.

2) with the qualifier that I move so far up that usually right turners can take their turn behind me/to my right.

Where I live most roads have bike lanes. I stay in the bike lane. Most right turns also have a turning lane. In these spots the bike lane is between the turning lane and the through lane. I guess this is (2), but there is never anybody honking. Of course there is a spot where the turning lane crosses the bike lane and I need to be careful. Usually at this spot the bike lane is a dashed line to show cars where to cross over.

Paul

Depends? I stay in the right tire track of the right most through lane queued up with my place in line.

The only time I really waver is in downtown and if the light is on the Barnes Dance (Pedestrian Scramble). Then I pull up to the light, wait for the crosswalk to clear and go. I actually tried waiting one day, and a motorist told me to "Just go! No point in you waiting!" So, I heed his advice. Sure its not legal, but perfectly safe.

If you were riding in a right-turn only lane, you need to move left (and really, you shouldn't have been in that lane unless you were planning on turning). Never go right to the curb, that'll get you hooked. Either claim a turn/straight lane, or move to the left of a turn only lane.

My attitude is that I should not hold up traffic any more than any other vehicle going the same direction.

#3

When coming to a red light at an intersection...*If the other side of the intersection looks wide open (no parked cars), I would stay to the right side of the bumper of the first car in the non-turning lane.

On a 1 lane road, I'll pretty-much do 2. On a 2 lane road, I would carefully do a form of 3. (If they are honking at you, you know they see you.)

I sip water. sometimes check my rear strobe to be sure it's still strobing. wipe sweat from my brow. clean my glasses. adjust zippers.

wait, what did you ask? oh yeah. sometimes I take the lane and keep my position but that is rare. I usually filter up to where the 1st car can see me in the shoulder. I scan back at the cars so they know I know they are there. I often sit tight while everyone passes me while I'm stopped, then after a dozen or so cars have passed I get going. If I don't wait I at least wait long enough for the first car to take off and what I do is turn my head to look at their fender, and my body posture shows that I am waiting to take off, but not until after they do.

every intersection is a judgment call isn't it?

2. In the UK cars can't turn on a red so I don't have to worry about turn honkers. Sometimes I'll jump the lights if it is a green pedestrian man or it is clear - don't put anyone in danger or cause anyone to take evasive action before anyone gets on their high horse!

Sometimes I will filter between cars and wait between them.

I guess it depends on the situation though!

The situation i had in mind is was one lane road w/bike lane on the right, immediately before the intersection a second lane on the right opens up(not signed as right turn only) and with dashed lines the bike lane crosses the new "right turn lane". So the situation is basically a two lane road without a right-turn lane and a pseudo bike-lane going through the right lane. A bit complicated.

I was curious in general if there was a better solution to the right-turn on red problem... it seems no matter how you look at it you'll be getting pushed or squeezed out of the way by other vehicles.

This intersection is on my route. It's a little different from what you describe -- it doesn't have a right turn-only lane, although cars are allowed to turn right on red (between 7 PM and 7 AM, anyway). You can see where the cars go, both straight ahead and during their turn. The red box is where I stop. There aren't enough pedestrians to make my position a problem for them (it's nothing like Lower Manhattan). I'm not projecting into the lane of the cross street, yet I'm more than a lane's width from the curb.

*add-on* Basically, I'm in no-man's land. Nobody walks there, nobody drives there (despite the satellite taking the photo during a lull ;)). At some intersections, places like this tend to collect fine gravel just because nothing drives on them. */end add-on*

As usual, it varies by intersection, but this kind of position works quite often for me.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...e/bikestop.jpg

This is the intersection i was talking about. There is just enough room to make right-turn motorists want to squeeze/push you out while you are in the bicycle lane.

http://i43.tinypic.com/2vmep0m.png

Totally depends.

In general this is how it goes:

There is not much traffic... I keep my position and attempt to trip the light by myself. If a car comes up behind me I stay put.

There is traffic... I am respectful of the fact that I am able to move and cars may want to turn right. I put myself near the curb, or with my right foot on it. I look back at the driver (who is usually keeping their distance) and motion asking if they are turning. They'll either wave me off or see that it's OK to go ahead. If they wave me off, when the light turns green I find they have more respect for me and give me proper distance. I have yet to have a problem in this situation yet.

If the traffic is ahead of me, I wait my turn just like they do.

I will never do #3.

I live in China, and very few bikes stop for red lights. The only time I do stop is where there are too many cars to push through.

z

Going from right to left in your pic, I'd get on the line marking the bike lane, or even to the left of it just a bit. That would put me between the right-turning car and the one going straight. I don't really feel "sandwiched" between cars like that, because the one turning right is turning away from me, and I don't have to worry about the one going straight, either.

This is one of those times when being next to a car's front fender is pretty safe. The driver of the stopped car can see me, and it's impossible for the right-turning car to hit me.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...Bike/stop2.jpg

Yeah, that is the best place to stop.. the trouble is that some motorists stop on the edge of the bike lane dash, so there is like 6" of room for a normal sized sedan to get through, and then somebody in a SUV will try to squeeze through after seeing the sedan go through! I do stop there when the motorist on the thru-lane leave enough space.

About stopping further out into the intersection, I won't do that... you are right in the kill-zone if somebody on the cross-road messes up their left-turn. Either their car will come flying at you after it's been hit or the guy will swerve to avoid their car and take you out. I've had a close call with this once. I like to hide behind the cars now.

Those two reasons are basically why I sometimes have to use option 2 instead of 3 and just get honked at.

Do police make a point to write you a ticket if you don't stop?

stop if it's a four-way intersection, regardless of whether it looks clear.

keep going if it's a three-way intersection and looks clear. (yes we have more than a few three-way intersections with lights in Mass)

I used to do options 1 and 3. After a few near misses from lawn service truck mirrors and getting squished onto the curb by mindless SUV drivers, I hold my position and make them wait. I'm a pretty big guy and I have a helmet and blinking lights frt and rear, I figure that keeps the honking to a minimum.