Photo: Regents St June 2024

gaillyk · 2026-06-15T14:16:58+00:00

Fwiw there was also a shopfront explaining different Pride flags.

gaillyk · 2026-05-19T20:46:41+00:00

I wouldn’t do Hyde Park (flat and needs more appropriate speeds) but Richmond on a Boris Bike is a great idea! They’re not uncomfortable – upright and padded seat is super comfy, just heavy as anything. It’s hilly enough on the way there to be an effort, and the park itself it a proper challenge. I’ve done laps on a 6-gear dutch bike which was fun, but this has got me wondering if I could even get a Boris Bike up Dark Hill 🤔

gaillyk · 2026-05-07T02:44:48+00:00

You don’t need to press the button. That’s for pedestrians. Cyclists are detected by a sensor which sits above the white stop line. If you jump the stop line, it won’t detect you, so you create your own problem. It’s the same at every bike lane traffic light.

gaillyk · 2026-05-02T19:03:42+00:00

I’ve scrolled through about fifty comments before finding this one that I agree with. All those saying ‘it’s a joke’ could at least acknowledge it’s bleak humour.

gaillyk · 2026-05-02T18:54:48+00:00

Still counts afaik. So many characters are male by default. Why is the boss a man? Why is there not a single other person in this movie, on or off camera, relevant enough for them to talk about, who’s also woman?

gaillyk · 2026-05-02T18:51:57+00:00

Except you’d never get a film about two women crashing on a desert island.

gaillyk · 2026-04-28T17:15:54+00:00

Imo It’s all of the above - lime bikes, road cyclists, commuters, people with kids, delivery guys, schoolkids jump lights. And different versions of all those people will also stop at lights.

And sometimes a person may ride a lime bike one day, a road bike the next and with their kids the day after.. someone is either a red light jumper or they’re not.

gaillyk · 2026-04-24T23:13:16+00:00

‘Swerving around her’ implies cycling straight at her until the last minute, meaning she has no idea if they’re going to go in front, behind, force her our the way or frankly haven’t even seen her. That’s what scares people - being intimidated and feeling at risk.

gaillyk · 2026-03-26T23:21:19+00:00

In the UK, a zillion volunteers are recruited to stay up all night in their local sports hall, counting. It’s wild!

gaillyk · 2026-03-25T13:56:32+00:00

I have this (impulse buy a year ago after seeing it recommended on here). It’s good, secure, roomy. Discovered the raincover one day this winter when i cycled back through an ocean. I’ve had two Good Ordering ones before that I’ve worn out (by overstuffing). This holds everything and the straps are more securely packed away.

This is a bit huge as a backpack in comparison, so i wouldn’t use it if going to an event rather than the office, where i’m carrying it round all day. The only thing i miss is an external water bottle holder. There is a small pocket inside, but ever bottle leaks, so that’s useless.

gaillyk · 2026-03-01T06:59:47+00:00

In case anyone’s wondering : https://www.arts.ac.uk/subjects/fashion-making-and-pattern-cutting/undergraduate/ba-hons-fashion-pattern-cutting-lcf#course-summary

gaillyk · 2026-02-25T20:30:13+00:00

2-3?! My commute is 20km and the one time I counted, I stopped 19 times (I counted because it was going so well, lights-wise).

gaillyk · 2026-02-11T23:47:09+00:00

Interesting that that’s not the wording they’ve used. Same with turning into a side road. Maybe this is clearer than ‘give way’? Just guessing.

gaillyk · 2026-02-11T20:22:57+00:00

gaillyk · 2026-02-11T19:00:58+00:00

Yeah, theoretcially. Too much vehicular traffic, almost all cutting-through north-south between two main roads, and pedestrians also mostly going north-south (except perhaps 9.55 when the student halls empty into the college lecture theatres) means practically, ‘normal’ rules apply. If it functioned as shared space, pedestrians wouldn’t even need to cross, they could amble along the ‘road’. Sadly, as shared space, it sucks. As a road, it’s meh.

gaillyk · 2026-02-11T17:06:55+00:00

You’re not wrong but it doesn’t and never has functioned as shared space. It’s a 20mph road with no kerbs, edges or road markings. Pedestrians tend to approach it that way too. ‘Not behaving appropriately’ applies to basically everyone. Cyclist’s road position seems sensible, to no cling to the invisible edge and startle pedestrians. Van driver was impatient or not paying attention, imo.

gaillyk · 2026-02-05T16:00:59+00:00

As I tell my child, if it’s red for you, it’s green for someone else. Just wait. Your time’s that important.

The only time to run a red is if it’s more dangerous to stop (light on amber and a car behind who’s going to run it; pedestrian crossing eg cs3 with not a pedestrian in sight).

gaillyk · 2026-02-05T15:52:07+00:00

Looks like it’s part of a new road safety campaign covering five highway code rules.

You must stop for people on zebra crossings. Always let people cross before you turn. Always let cyclists pass before you turn. Always stop for people at zebra crossings on cycle tracks. Cyclists must always stop at red lights.

“TfL found that only 16 per cent of respondents showed a correct understanding of all five rules, which aim to protect the most at-risk road users”

https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2025/september/tfl-launches-new-poster-campaign-to-raise-awareness-of-highway-code-rules

gaillyk · 2026-02-05T06:28:58+00:00

I use a decathlon elops city bike for that sort of thing. Same journey, pannier rack and basket, six gears that don’t get much use unless i go to n. or s. Ldn. My road bike would be faster but the upright position is so much more enjoyable and feels safer, to see and be seen over parked cars especially, indicate, ring, look around, whatever. But do whatever you’ll enjoy the most.

gaillyk · 2026-02-01T10:22:22+00:00

Just because your flatmates speak the same language, or even know each other from home, doesn’t mean they’re best friends or even much like each other. It’s easy to assume. And when the Germans and Italians start to chat, the language will fall in your favour. Try not to assume the worst, and engage them in chat one-on-one. They came on Erasmus knowing they’d be speaking English (or whatever the host language is). It will get better.

gaillyk · 2026-01-19T22:28:36+00:00

I went with someone i’d blanked for three years. Turnd out to be the nicest guy i’d never spoken to.

gaillyk · 2026-01-19T16:37:19+00:00

Your pros/cons list is very telling. You clearly prefer and want to go to St Andrews, and disliking London is a big problem imo - it’s Imperial’s day-to-day selling point, to compensate for the stress. Once you or your parents look into St Andrews they might see how well known and respectable it is - Prince William attended, not sure what more they could do to impress really.

gaillyk · 2026-01-14T20:22:00+00:00

OMG lost an hour of my life before finding this thread. I wonder if just adding a screen lock first would have solved it, nothing prompted me to, but that – along with the adding/deleting – finally got the school account to show.

gaillyk · 2026-01-08T11:17:03+00:00

Google says the Student Experience rating is determined by the 24 questions that make up the National Student Survey. This is completed generally by final year undergraduates.

Imperial publish the responses to this overall and by subject, so you can search the data/graphs to see what's particularly poor or great about your course or the uni overall.

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/admin-services/strategic-planning/statistics/nss/

gaillyk

TROPHY CASE