Waving cyclists through stop signs when it's not their turn is not "helpful." It's confusing, frustrating, and puts us in harm's way.
@DrTCombs it's kinda like they were trying to protect you from the next driver. I probably would have taken the turn in this case (here where rolling stops are legal on a bike) but there definitely are some places where the driver is not aware of what danger they're waving you into.
@enobacon Here's why I still wouldn't go.
1. I can't see the driver's intent because of the glare.
2. I don't know what the guy behind her is going to do. I can see his face, and it' doesn't look friendly. What anti-cyclist biases will Iwereinforce for him if we go out of turn?
3. I don't know what the driver behind me is going to do. Is he about to get impatient and pull around on my left if I do suddenly decide to go?....
...
4. It's a dangerous precedent. Yeah, it might have been safe to go out of turn in this situation, but maybe not next time. I don't want that driver thinking they've got the ability to adequately judge risk on my behalf.
5. We aren't in a safety stop state.
6. I have my kid with me. If I go out of turn I'll hear about it for weeks.
For us, there's no gray area.