In areas where there isn’t a dedicated U-turn lane, you have to use the left-turn lane if you want to make a U-turn. You just have to work with what’s available since not all roads are wide enough to have a separate U-turn lane.
I used to complain about drivers in front of me making U-turns and causing me to miss the light. In some cases, it can even lead to rear-end collisions. But then I found myself doing the exact same thing…
So what’s the proper etiquette here? What do you all do? Wave? Honk? (Probably not a great idea where I live since everyone honks anyway.)
The proper etiquette is “not there”. Just because you feel the need doesn’t mean it needs to be here and now. When you’re disrupting other people you’re also causing a hazard to you and them. You can turn on a side street or go around the block or turn into a parking lot so you don’t obstruct traffic don’t cause a hazard, and it may only add a few seconds
Note that your gps would guide you around the block or other place you can do it safely