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@Arducius
I was thinking about techniques for cycling in traffic this morning as I was cycling along traffic free country roads and thought the following might be useful:
I find that a lot of vehicles brake very late, and threfore have to brake sharply. Look ahead a couple of cars, when the a car ahead brakes that effect will ripple through the queue, so you can ease off and give yourself more braking space, or begin braking sooner.
Use the vehicles around you to your advantage. Look in mirrors, especially if you can't see the driver, as you can often see them in the mirror. If you can see them you can see if they have checked in the mirror or if they are looking somewhere else like towards a side road they might turn into.
This can also let you see manoeuvres before the vehicle performs them. If you see a hand move on the steering wheel it could mean a turn is coming up (e.g. right hand going over to left side of wheel to spin wheel to the right).
Watch the front wheel. You'll see it turn before you see the car turn. You can also see where a car in a side street is intending to go by the way their wheels are turned. This is also useful for seeing when a car is pulling away.
Use the windows. Look through other vehicles to watch ahead for brake lights/indicators coming on, you'll be able to anticipate the traffic slowing and won't have to brake sharply.
Obviously you can't look everywhere all at once, but you can try ;)
I should point out I have not had cycle training, nor am I a cycle trainer so please say if the above advice is frowned upon, and I'll edit.