In reply to:

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At many a stop light, I had to shift into neutral so I could let the clutch up.

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IMO, you should always be in neutral, with the handbrake on, when stopped at a red light (or indeed anywhere that you're not going to be starting from without notice). I was always taught that it's dangerous to sit there with feet on the pedals, because if you're rear-ended, chances are they'll slip off and launch you into the vehicle in front (or into the junction if you're first in the queue).

Perhaps standard techniques differ in countries without a red-amber phase on traffic lights, or in petrol-engined vehicles?