Getting the hang of it but....

[Si]

On my quick thrash I had two instances of people apparently trying to run me off the road.  First someone just shot out of a carpark o the other side of the road and nearly side swiped me into the hedge calling for sudden braking and avoidence; second someone on the over side of the road, coming towards me, just decided to turn right across me and then stop across the lane, causing me to do violent swerving.

But the important thing is, that in neither case did I forget to keep pedalling 

but....

I'm still having trouble in slow moving, stop'n'start traffic where filtering isn't possible.  I'm not a great track stander, especially on fixed.  Thus the constant roll forward a few feet, unclip, foot down, rock bike forward on the front brake, cranks to starting position, foot back in, repeat, reapeat, repeat, feels very awkward and slow.

So, could anyone give any tips on how they handdle such situations?

[andygates]

Yup, ride on the right and overtake a lot more than you normally would.   

[Frenchie]

Pace yourself? Slow that little bit earlier, allowing the lights to change colours etc.

[Ian H]

Yup, ride on the right and overtake a lot more than you normally would.   

It's true that there's seldom an instance where you can't get past one side or t'other. Even where you have to wait for gaps in oncoming traffic it's usually possible to make progress. Positioning yourself in a way that communicates your intentions sometimes helps — for instance if I'm on someone's off-side wing they'll often move in to give me room to pass.

[Deano]

First riding fixed, I had more confidence in ordinary pedals with toeclips, rather than clipless pedals. 

I had the toeclips set loosely enough that I could pull out a foot at any point in the cycle, so I wasn't worried about toppling over sideways.

[Ian H]

First riding fixed, I had more confidence in ordinary pedals with toeclips, rather than clipless pedals. 

I had the toeclips set loosely enough that I could pull out a foot at any point in the cycle, so I wasn't worried about toppling over sideways.

It's been said elsewhere, but I don't quite understand this. I can release a foot instantly from a clipless pedal, easier than from clips — come to a halt, unclip, foot down.

[Greenbank]

It's been said elsewhere, but I don't quite understand this. I can release a foot instantly from a clipless pedal, easier than from clips — come to a halt, unclip, foot down.

Exactly. Leg braking is much easier when still clipped in. The only time I'll unclip whilst on the move is when I need to scoot down the inside of some cars that are close to the pavement, and then I'll remind myself that this isn't the cleverest behaviour.

Some people are less trustworthy about unclipping and do so 10 seconds before stopping at a junction.

[Si]

the unclipping thing has surprised me on fixed (when I usedto ride years ago I'm pretty sure I had straps rather than SPDs). Never had any trouble unclipping from SPDs before but on fixed I find it a little tricky unless I do it right on the bottom of the pedal stroke.  No doubt practise will improve things.

As for filtering, this isn't really on on the road that I have most trouble (was officially the most accident prone road in the city a couple of years back!).  there parking spaces all along each side of the road and people are constantly jumping out of queues without warning to park on the opposite side.  I'm sure that a more experience car jammer would be able to cope but or me it's not worth the risk: I prefer to just occupy a primary position within the queue so that no one trys to half over take and push me off the road.
Anyway, thaks for the advice, much appriciated.

[Deano]

That's where I found it more reassuring - with trainers and toeclips it was easy to pull my foot out at any point in the pedalling arc.  I didn't (and still don't) find this to be the case with clipless pedals.

[nuttycyclist]

It was the inability to release a shoe from toeclips (the very loose strap snagged on the laces) that made me switch to clipless many years ago.

I still find it easier to unclip from the mechanism than to get out of toeclips.