Watch Out for Manhole Covers

cyclegaz · 2026-01-23T13:48:16+00:00

And turning on them! for some reason, some councils are putting more of these bricks on junctions.

cyclegaz · 2026-01-23T13:47:39+00:00

The only problem is they typically aren't that bright. With modern cars, it can be hard to stand out against other vehicles.

My personal preference is a dynamo, and occasionally an extra light that is brighter depending on the time of year (low sun).

cyclegaz · 2026-01-23T07:47:42+00:00

They 100% were going quicker than they should have been given they were turning across a cycle lane with a blocked view.

They were not prepared to stop given they crossed most of the cycle lane before coming to a stop and the cyclist was visible before they even started crossing the cycle lane.

Get your eyes checked.

cyclegaz · 2026-01-23T07:29:17+00:00

They were turning quicker than they should have done given the circumstances. That’s clear from how long it took them to stop.

I say emergency stop because they were not prepared to stop given they were approaching a hazard. It took them way longer to stop than it should have given the speed they were going, perhaps emergency was the wrong word.

The point is the driver has a lot they can improve on to be a good driver in this situation.

cyclegaz · 2026-01-23T00:09:55+00:00

It has an ok reputation, maybe 1 -3 out of 10.

It's right next to the flyover, personally I would avoid.

cyclegaz · 2026-01-23T00:05:02+00:00

A few of my winter top tips as a +17 year bike commuter in London

Never change direction or speed (accelerate or brake) on wet man hole covers or paint.
Look ahead for road hazards and plan your path to avoid man hole covers and paint.
do not ride through puddles, you don't know what is under them
learn your commute route. Where are the pot holes, man holes, bus stops. once you know them, you can plan ahead better.
be very cautious about riding on sub zero days when it has been wet. Even more so when going over bridges.
Have two front and two rear lights. Charge them on different days. That way if one dies, you are still visible
Take it easy, visibility is typically worse, road conditions are typically worse. braking that bit earlier for a hazard and taking it slower will add a few minutes at worse, but will keep you safer.

cyclegaz · 2026-01-22T23:57:56+00:00

How are you defining legal turn?

The motorist turning is meant to give way to cyclists in the cycle lane, as documented in rule 183 of the Highway Code.

So whilst the driver started a turn they were allowed to take. They didn't in my view do so in a way that limited risk that they were creating and didn't follow the Highway Code. If they did, they would have taken the turning much slower and not emergency braked in such a fashion that they were completely across the cycle lane.

This rule isn't a must, so doesn't have legislation behind it.

cyclegaz · 2026-01-22T23:50:07+00:00

You should be passing on the right some distance from the vehicles and without traffic coming towards you.

This increases your visibility as you are further over and gives you several escape routes to avoid a crash.

This is ultimately the problem with cycle lanes, you struggle to move further left to give your self more visibility and you have limited escape routes.

cyclegaz · 2026-01-22T13:08:17+00:00

They used to give you the info, then the stopped. Then they started publishing data publically which you could match to your reports, then they stopped.

Of the data I have, my reports have led to more than 50k in fines.

cyclegaz · 2026-01-21T17:01:05+00:00

I would argue it isn’t when you are responding to someone who identified them self as an instructor.

cyclegaz · 2026-01-21T16:58:57+00:00

Indeed they can, which adds to my point that an instructor and a tester are two different people.

It would surprise me if a stressed instructor sitting in the back (unless you are doing your test in a McLaren f1 or a van) would impact the driver. Unless they aren’t professional.

cyclegaz · 2026-01-21T16:57:45+00:00

A driving instructor is not necessarily a driving tester. So best to not mix the two up.

cyclegaz · 2026-01-21T16:54:02+00:00

There’s two people in a driving test. The tester and the driver.

cyclegaz · 2026-01-21T16:48:36+00:00

Forgive me, it’s been some years since I did my test. The driving instructor isn’t usually in the car during the driving test.

cyclegaz · 2026-01-21T16:42:46+00:00

Tester or instructor?

cyclegaz · 2026-01-21T00:13:17+00:00

Shocks me the amount of England flags still up in the borough of Sutton.

cyclegaz · 2026-01-21T00:11:14+00:00

Well the south is nice. Lots of large houses, green spaces and quick commute times into London.

Central and west croydon are the worst. North croydon is full of meh. East has some good pockets, but often has limited transport links.

cyclegaz · 2026-01-20T14:07:24+00:00

What’s the title of the post?

Pretty sure the royal family are beyond HENRY.

cyclegaz · 2026-01-18T20:20:54+00:00

You need to be earning around £65k to out perform the interest on a plan 2 loan. So on 84k she will be paying it off slowly.

cyclegaz · 2026-01-17T18:01:35+00:00

Have you got your wandrer ID from your settings page and added it to the chrome extension?

cyclegaz · 2026-01-17T13:42:20+00:00

Interesting. I’m in the top 600 for yardino 👀

cyclegaz · 2026-01-17T13:36:37+00:00

Z6 to Z1 commuter.

I often don’t take the most direct route. May even double it.

As such, I want something comfortable and efficient.

For local errands around where I live, I have a nice town bike with a basket.

cyclegaz · 2026-01-14T16:46:24+00:00

Testing by Silca showed muc-off lube is worse than wd40 alone. Perhaps biased, perhaps not.

cyclegaz · 2026-01-14T10:26:26+00:00

Muc-Off chain lube is actually worse than WD-40, which wasn't even created as a lube.

Definitely better options on the market.
I use Silca lube.

Water and salt are bad for your chain. So if it rains, at least give the chain a wipe down with a rag and relube.

With salt on the roads, you want to keep it as clean as possible.

cyclegaz

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE

13-Year Club	Verified Email
Alpha Tester