CAPT OF A LEARJET 35 QUESTIONS THE TWR CTLR'S PROC OF INSTRUCTING HIM TO CROSS RWY HOLD SHORT LINE; BUT TO HOLD SHORT OF THE RWY. THERE WAS NO CONFLICTION WITH LNDG ACFT.

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WE CALLED GND FOR TAXI AND WERE TOLD TO TAXI TO RWY 18; WHICH WE DID AND STOPPED AT THE HOLD SHORT LINES; WHERE WE CONTACTED THE TWR. WE TOLD TWR WE WOULD NEED A COUPLE OF MINS TO GET READY AS WELL. WHEN WE WERE READY WE CALLED TWR TO LET THEM KNOW. WE WERE HOLDING ON A TXWY THAT ANGLED OFF OF THE PARALLEL TXWY AND WOULD TAKE US TO THE END OF THE RWY. THE HOLD SHORT LINES WERE ABOUT 400 FT FROM THE RWY ITSELF AND RWY END. TWR ANSWERED US AND TOLD US TO 'TAXI ACROSS THE HOLD SHORT LINES; BUT HOLD SHORT OF THE RWY.' WE READ TWR'S INSTRUCTIONS BACK AND EASED ACROSS THE HOLD SHORT LINES. WE ALSO NOTICED TWR WAS STILL LNDG TFC; BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER IF TWR TOLD US THIS. I BECAME UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THIS SINCE WE WERE NOT CLRED ONTO THE RWY YET; SO I STOPPED WELL SHORT OF THE RWY (PROBABLY 300 FT) AND HELD THERE. TWR THEN CLRED A CITATION TO LAND ON RWY 18 AS WELL. AFTER THE CITATION LANDED TWR TOLD US TO TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD; WHICH WE DID. SOON WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF SO WE DEPARTED UNEVENTFULLY. ONCE AIRBORNE I ASKED THE TWR CTLR WHY HE WANTED US ACROSS THE HOLD SHORT LINES; BEFORE CLRING US ONTO THE RWY. HE REPLIED 'SO HE COULD GET US OUT QUICKER.' I ASKED HIM IF THIS WAS STANDARD PROC HERE FOR THAT RWY. THE CTLR REPLIED 'WELL NOT REALLY; BUT WE DO IT SOMETIMES.' I TOLD HIM TO HAVE A GOOD DAY AND CHANGED FREQS. I SHOULD HAVE NEVER ACCEPTED TWR'S INSTRUCTIONS TO CROSS THE HOLD SHORT LINES UNLESS I WAS BEING CLRED ONTO THE RWY. I SHOULD HAVE QUESTIONED THIS IMMEDIATELY; BEFORE XING THE LINES; NOT AFTER. TWR SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN TELLING US TO DO SOMETHING NON STANDARD REGARDLESS OF THE FACT THAT IT WOULD SPD THINGS UP. THERE WAS NO SAFETY COMPROMISED THOUGH; SINCE WE WERE STILL A LONG DISTANCE FROM THE RWY AND TWR WAS CLR THAT WE WERE TO REMAIN OFF THE RWY STILL; ALTHOUGH TECHNICALLY WE WERE ON IT ONCE WE CROSSED THE HOLD SHORT. WHERE WE STOPPED; WE COULD SEE THE OLD HOLD SHORT LINES PAINTED OVER. (ABOUT 300 FT FROM THE RWY.) IN THE FUTURE I WILL NOT ACCEPT A CLRNC SUCH AS THIS UNLESS WE ARE BEING CLRED ONTO THE RWY. I WONDER IF THIS IS GOING ON AT OTHER ARPTS AS WELL?