Police spotting (junction watch)

True ^

Anyway, here's an example I prepared earlier.

The cycle lane starts on the far left and then shifts to the right, via three blobs of blue paint, before continuing in between two lanes of traffic.

In this same 30-metre stretch of road that cyclists are being asked to move to the right, drivers wanting to turn left at the junction ahead are being filtered across the cycle lane. This is utter madness.

The whole situation, of course, is made worse by drivers inevitably but illegally doing 50mph.

Happily, there is a set of traffic lights (not pictured) shortly before this known accident blackspot. By jumping that red light (if the road is clear) I can comfortably make it across that 30-metre stretch and live to tell the tale.

Start from the middle, take the lane, make eye contact (if possible) with anyone who looks like they might pull across.

It's not infallible, but if you position yourself square in the middle of the lane and are aware of what is going on around you that junction is 100% fine.

Not one of the solutions posted so far, Ed's included, is safer than jumping the red light (if the road ahead is clear).

Gambling my safety on drivers a) seeing me and b) slowng down to allow me to merge into much faster traffic, is laughable in rush hour and fanciful any other time.

Again, Cycle Training will help massively in boosting your confident in being able to change lane without worried about getting hit by drivers.

You just need to be more assertive, look back, put your left arm out high and straight, then change lane from primary to primary when there's a sensible gap.

If you're in secondary, you're significantly less visible than you are in front of the car.

Like I said earlier, drivers are not out to hit you, good communication is keys, as Dammit said earlier, eyes contact is vital, you don't even need to try and lock your eyes with the driver's in order to fall in love and have homosexual babies, just looking back is powerful enough.

14 years ago i was run over and nearly killed on this stretch of road.

On the other side of those railings where that car is to the left of the white lorry is the exact spot where a berk in a red Vauxhall Astra piled straight into the back of me and sent me and the Cannondale flying forward into the air. lucky for me he knew how to brake because as i looked up from the tarmac i saw his radiator grille coming right at my head!

I escaped with a crushed 'dale, torn clothing and a broken Scaphoid (wrist bone).

It transpired that the chap who rammed into my bike had been road raging behind me with a Nigerian mini-cab driver (who sped off) and when he resumed looking at the road ahead encountered myself...

That was the late 1990's since then Lambeth Council's toytown planners have made that stretch along Kennington Park road to the Oval and the left filter to Brixton road even worse.

So yeah I'm with Diamond on this, trust your own instincts and not any other bugger out there.