Stopped at lights.

[BentMikey]

Of course - it does often seem on here that our cycling gets criticised far above and beyond what the driver did wrong. This is perhaps a result of the fact that it's very hard to change driver behaviour, and much easier to change our own riding.

 

[NigC]

Thanks for the input guys...

When riding in our group, when on busy-ish roads we tend to get in a straight line on the left.

We do this because we thought we were being more courtious to drivers making life easier for them to overtake. It appears we were mistaken.

Just to confirm, there was no ASL at those lights and they are not that common in my town and I don't think many drivers here would even understand its purpose. And although there are a few flaws in our group riding (which I will try and iron out) it was still a case of unecessary aggression and lack of patience from the car driver.

This is very true. I remember a few years ago, when they first appeared in my area at a few (seemingly random) lights. I didn't know what to make of them when I first saw them (whilst driving) and it took me quite a while to remember not to stop inside them after many many years of not seeing them.

 

[jonny jeez]

is it better practice to stop in the middle of your lane at TL?

Yes

 

[Origamist]

He can't though if you are bang in the middle of the lane, and there is a car on the outside. Yes he can hit his horn, but then that is just his ws of telling you he has seen you...

Well, they can also tailgate you and make you feel uncomfortable, but the centre of the lane is still the wisest choice in most circumstances.

However, with ASLs that are full of cyclists I often squeeze in ahead of the pack and use the other cyclists to slow down traffic - I sprint away from the lights and this usually means I won't get passed by another vehicle for a few hundred metres. In this way, I don't have to deal with cars or cyclists through the junction, just a few PTWs - this is preferable in my experience to taking the centre of the lane a few cars back. That said, it is not a strategy that suits slower riders and it only works when there are approx 8+ cylists in the reservoir...