Was curious how other people deal with right turning traffic.

poll fail

The question was:

1)I stop as close to the curb as possible and watch drivers nearly run over my feet.
2)I stop in the lane position i was travelling in and ignore the aggressive turn honkers.
3)I stop as close to the left of the lane as possible and end up sandwiched between cars.

Ok here is the tally:
1) 3 votes
2) 20 votes
3) 11 votes

There were a lot of cavets and suggestions also, read on if you are curious.

Generally 2.

Occasionally 3. if I'm in a sporting mood.

Never #1.

Also I always try to land somewhere on the metallic hexagon that *might* trip the light if I ended up being the only soul at the light.

two

Yeah, the induction loop... sometimes it works, depending on how sensitive they have it set.

I should add that I am also an advocate of 2) because with 3) you'll get drivers gunning it past you when the light turns green and with 1) you can get forced out of the lane until all the traffic has passed you by.

two, too.

2. If I was a car, the vehicle behind would have to wait it's turn. Lining up, we learned it in kindergarten.

I'd like to do 3 but traffic moves much faster that I do so manouevering back to the right side of the lane would mean I'm blocking traffic. Then I'd get squished. I want to avoid that.

I pull up to the curb, put one foot on it, and stay sitting on my bike.

Generally #3 if it's a right turn only lane. I am a vehicle, just like the cager. The cars passed me in my lane getting up to the light. I pass them (safely) back at the light. I go to the front and stand in the front of the lane that goes straight. On green, I sprint forward and move to the right (so as not to endanger my safety or impede traffic) and let the cars pass.

Not trying to flame here -- but your choices are kinda like:
1. toilet water
2. properly chilled Fat Tire
3. week-old, molded coffee

You only take the left if you're turning left, or going outlaw in a right-turn lane while trying to allow right-turners to go.

You only sneak up along the curb if you're a back-biting junkyard dog.

Hmm, well nobody said all options are decidedly equal - though i will tally the votes and we'll see! I am curious as to who does what. Personally i have found a lot of newer/occasional cyclists prefer to stick to the curb with option 1 and the faster cyclists might choose option 3.

I mainly do 2. But I also ride primarily on a street where the rightmost lane is full of parked cars. So I tend to ride on the leftmost edge the car parking lane. I pretty much ride the line to avoid the door zone. At a red light along this street, if there is a car waiting behind me (which is rare given the car parking situation) and clearly wants to turn right, I have been known to scooch over to give the turner room.

Two if I'm in the front of the line. One if I'm more than a few car lengths back and there's a curb to put a foot down on.

#3, some motorists get it and make the right turns without incident, while others will just sit back there and wait. On some wider turns, it's gets real interesting when you're split by two semis.

Me too

I do number 3, both on my bike or in my car. In other words, if I'm going straight and there are people who will want to turn right, I place myself as far left as I need to so that they can get by and turn right. If this is possible in a car, I will also do so. For example, if there are two lanes at a stop light, I will always change to the left one so that if someone comes up in the right lane and wants to turn, they'll be able to do so. I figure that kind of thing is just common courtesy.

After safety, our main goal on the roads should be to make things flow as easily as possible and keep stress levels down (since this also improves safety). So I try not to impede other drivers.

I'll look in my mirror. If the car behind me is signaling a right turn, I'll take position No. 3. But how often do motorists signal in a timely manner? Almost never.

Depends.. If the lane's wide enough, I don't mind moving to the right, or left depending on just how wide, to let cars turn right. It's not a big deal really. If the lane's narrow enough to make it risky for me, then the cars can wait. Additionally, if the light's about to change, regardless of lane width (L.A. has a numbered countdown on the walk signals.. convenient for judging light changes) then i'd probably stop or trackstand in the lane till it changes and make the cars wait.

When I come to a stop at a red light I generally...

I assess the situation, and use common sense.
But to answer the poll, typically #3. Only because my commute and the areas I ride are pretty bike friendly, there are alot of bikers, so I like to think the cagers are generally cognizant of others on the road. But I ride defensively keeping my head on a swivel all the time. There isn't much you can do about some jackass running you down from behind, be aware of your surroundings.

it depends on the intersection. If there is a dedicated right turn lane, then it's 3. If it just happens to be an intersection where 90% of the cars turn right anyway, then 3.

Otherwise it's honestly 1. But that is mainly because I live in an incredibly bike friendly place, and it's pretty unusual for me to be waiting at a light alone. Cars know to look out for cyclists, and if there is already a crowd on the curb, no need to confuse people.

This is what I do if I'm in the front of the line. If I'm second or farther back then I'll take position 2.

options 2 or 3 depending on which I judge to be safer an any given intersection

Cyril

+1. It totally depends on the situation.

single or double lanes?

depends on the flow. some single lane stay to the right, one in particular (narrow) I act like a car (safer).
double lane take the right lane

Depends on the situation, traffic before and after the light; if there's heavy traffic after, I'll be able to keep up with traffic and I'll center or left-position myself, if the road is empty afterwards, I'll move to the right tire track to make sure I don't get squished but to allow passing.

If the car coming up behind me is signaling right, I'll move far left to allow them to RTOR. I ride through a light where the majority of traffic turns right, and this being Michigan, hardly anyone ever signals their turn until they're already halfway around the corner, so I assume that EVERYONE is turning right there whether they're signaling or not, and I move far left at that intersection. Almost every day, 4 to 6 cars will go around the corner (without ever having signaled, at least until after they're already into the intersection) to the right while I sit and wait for the light to change.

As I proceed through the intersection, I move back to the center of the lane. I used to hold the left position, but a few months ago I had someone try to pass me on the right. I didn't notice it until I was past the intersection and starting to move back right, heard a noise to my right and realized that I was running the car off the road into the ditch. He eventually got past me and drove back up into the road.

^ This if there is plenty of room. Else #2. Haven't had anyone honk at me. Sometimes I scoot over to the left some for people to make right turns. People are used to us in Chicago, so it tends not to be a big deal.