Junctions

Nerves can have terrible knock-on effects on your riding – and lots of riders get nervous at junctions. You can break this cycle by having a plan to busy your brain. Boosting vision also helps alleviate worry.

Anxious about being able to stop in time at the junction, many riders don’t reach the Give Way markings at the edge of the junction. Instead, they pull up short and then inch forward. This can cause riders to feel unstable, and limits their view of the junction.

Lifting your vision up to the junction and riding up to the Give Way markings slowly by rolling off the throttle and lightly applying the brakes will allow you to stop smoothly just before the white line.

On a secure footing and with vision maximised by her proper position, you now have the perfect platform to plan how and when to pull out of the junction. With your vision lifted towards where you want to go, you can smoothly and confidently pull away.

Pulling up at 90 degrees to the junction creates an artificially acute junction, so consider the benefits of approaching the junction at a different angle, positioning your bike at a shallower angle to your exit route. This means a less aggressive turn immediately after pulling away.

By stopping at the junction at 45 degrees, you have great vision to the right, and it’s still easy to turn your head to the left to check for approaching traffic (and vice versa). Pulling away is now dramatically easier.