The main reason why what has been suggested above won't work is that it will probably result in the cyclist getting killed or injured.Originally Posted by Lotz-A-Landies
Waiting to turn at the head of a queue of stationery cars is safer than following that queue up to the intersection from the rear and waiting to turn right whilst the next lot of traffic approaches from the rear at speed. From experience I can tell you that a right hand turn signal will be pretty much invisible to a car approaching from behind at 60kph until it's too late for them to change lanes or stop. All they see is a red flashing tail light but often won't realise the cyclist is actually STOPPED.
Again I read comments here that suggest people think a cyclist pulling in front at lights to turn or whatever is some sort of conspiracy to deliberately obstruct motorists. Get over this! It's about doing what seems safest.
If I need to turn right, yes, I ride up to the head of the queue (as is permitted under Qld road rules) and make actual person to person eye contact with the car in front. Once they know what I'm trying to do, they usually let me cut across to the right hand side of the lane and I do my best to keep in the centre of the road so they can pass on my left if they're going straight ahead. Once again, it's about being courteous, but I will always put safety ahead of courtesy.
Where there is a particularly high volume of traffic or simply no space to wait in the centre of the intersection, I will ride across to the other side of the intersection when the light goes green and press the pedestrian crossing button. This option however results in ALL the traffic being stopped, so I use it as a LAST resort.
Perhaps the licensing issue that's also being discussed here can be addressed by making it compulsory for everyone to do 25hrs on a bicycle so they understand the flip side of every situation when they're driving. It does alter your perception of what is safe when you're on the least protected form of transport on the road. That way a bicycle class of license becomes a mandatory part of getting a car license.
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