maneuvering in city streets

[Grog]

'I carefully maneuver into the middle of the lane as I am approaching an intersection, and I wait my turn in the line just like a car.'

Hmm. I've been told by other cyclists that it's ok to move up to the front of the line while cars are waiting at an intersection. I'm off to the side but not in the right-turn lane. Is that poor etiquette?

My friend was "doored" by a passenger coming out of a car recently as she was passing it to the right, trying to get to the stop sign ahead. Thankfully nobody was hurt. It was not very nice for me (and her!), but I had to tell her that she was not supposed to be there and that most likely the passenger would not be considered at fault if she complained. She even could have hurt the passenger if they had collided, and it would have been my friend's fault.

I am not 100% sure about your state, but where I live it depends on whether there actually is a lane for bikes.

Generally, it is prohibited to pass vehicles on the right, if only because it's quite dangerous. You're vulnerable to doors, sudden movements of the cars to the right, etc. Drivers are trained to see trouble coming from the left, not from the right. (Note that many cars do not have a rear-view mirror on the right side of the car.)

If there is a bike lane, or A LOT of space, I do pass on the right and get to the front of the line. If there is no lane, and the space is not wide enough, I wait for my turn in the middle of the car lane. It annoys me to see other cyclists buzzing around and going through the intersection directly, but I'd rather stay where I am and 1) be safe and 2) show drivers that at least some cyclists follow the rules of the road.