[decastro]

Just near my home I often come across this awkward situation. See =>image here<=. I am driving along a completely empty lane on the right with a bus lane to my left. I want to make a left turn at the traffic lights (currently red). There are cars/lorries/buses backed up from the lights as indicated by the red boxes drawn on the image... So my question is where do I stop in preparation for my left turn?

Presuming I should not enter the bus lane at any time...

Plan 1. I could stop at A and wait for the back of the queue to start moving, then follow the back of the queue to B and then enter the left lane.
Plan 2. I could stop at B and wait for the back of the queue to move forward to B and then enter the left lane.
Plan 3. I could stop at C and wait for the back of the queue to move forward to C (or jump in if a gap appears earlier).

All 3 feel uncomfortable, especially if there is a car right behind me.

BTW, pretty much everyone else just joins the back of the queue regardless of the fact that they are illegally entering the bus lane.

[Santa]

Legally, you should not cross the solid line. In practice, and especially since there are no cameras, I don't think that anyone is going to worry about you going a few metres early.

If you follow my advice and get stopped, you can tell them that some random bloke on an internet forum said it was okay.

[wagolynn]

As Santa has suggested B is probably the best option, though vehicles already in the bus lane will probably assume you are trying to jump the queue.
Stopping at C will have the whole queue assuming the same.
Joining the queue at the back (in the bus lane) is probably the most obvious but I don't think you will stand a chance if a Mr Jobsworth comes along.