The Unmarked Junction and the Right-Turning Van
It is 08:15 on a weekday. You are riding south on a two-lane road approaching a T-junction with no stop sign and no traffic signals; the only marking is a faded give-way line partly obscured by leaves. A white van is approaching from the north behind you and has been signalling left for 200 metres. A car is waiting at the stem of the T on your right, edging forward. A pedestrian with a stroller is walking along the left verge toward the junction. Rain has just started and the road is greasy at the junction mouth where oil has collected. Your visor has a smear you have not wiped.
1. Who is likely to have priority, and what makes this junction ambiguous?
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The faded give-way line, if it applies to your approach, means traffic on the through road has priority over the car at the stem of the T. The car edging forward does not gain priority by creeping. However, the line is partly hidden by leaves, so you should treat the junction as uncontrolled and be ready to yield if the car pulls out.
The van behind you signalling left is a separate hazard: a left turn from the northbound direction would cross your path if the geometry places it across the junction. Do not assume the signal is accurate or that the driver has seen you. The pedestrian on the left verge may step out to cross the mouth of the junction, and pedestrians already in the roadway or clearly committed to crossing should be given way.
Ambiguity comes from three sources: the obscured marking, the waiting car's creeping, and the van's signal. When priority is unclear, yield rather than assert. Slow before the junction mouth, cover the brakes, and make eye contact with the car driver if possible.
2. The greasy junction mouth and your smeared visor combine badly. What do you change in your riding before you reach the junction?
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Wipe the visor at the earliest safe point, or lift it slightly if you can do so without getting rain in your eyes, because a smear scatters light and hides the road surface. Then reduce speed before the junction rather than at it, so you are not braking on the oil-and-water film. Braking hard on a greasy patch is how the front wheel washes out.
Approach more upright, with the bike vertical, and avoid leaning while crossing the contaminated area. Use gentle, progressive braking earlier, then release and roll through. Increase the gap to anything ahead so you have room to stop without a sharp application. Keep your head up and look through the junction to where you intend to go, not down at the oil.
The combination matters: a smeared visor reduces your ability to spot the grease, so you compensate by slowing earlier and by choosing a line that avoids the centre of the lane where oil accumulates.