Ransos – invariably on and off line

I’d be dead/a veg without one. It worked for me and if you (touch wood it won’t happen) get knocked off your bike and land on your noggin it could do the same for you. Like Graham S says PPE is the last in the line but it’s better than nowt, which is what you’ve got currently without one.

I imagine from some peoples point of view that pyramid works as –

Elimination: Ban bicycles.
Substitution: Use a car instead.
Engineering controls: Compulsory use of cycle paths
Administrative controls: Bicycle licence.
Personal protective equipment: Compulsory helmet and Hi-Viz tabbards.

I imagine from some peoples point of view that pyramid works as..

A blog post on that very subject that you may enjoy:
http://katsdekker.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/its-assessment-of-risk.html

(author is one of the leaders in the Newcastle Cycle Campaign)

I’ve spent quite a lot of time in Copenhagen in recent years and the single biggest difference to the UK seems to be that the cyclist has the right of way over cars, partially due to the design of their cycle paths & partly due to their traffic laws.

For example, if a car is turning right at a junction (even if traffic lights are green) it is the car drivers responsibility to check that that there are no cyclists riding up the inside of their car before they make the turn, not the cyclists responsibility to get out of the way of the car.

Denmark seems to have recognised the inescapable fact that cyclists are the more vulnerable party and less capable of inflicting injury on others. Compare this to the UK where drivers are the dominant party & cyclists have to get out of their way, it’s easy to see why cycling is less popular & safe in the UK.

If the UK were serious about adopting the Danish model, it would almost certainly have to involve legislation that would put greater liability on drivers and provide cyclists the right of way in more scenarios, as ultimately litigation would make drivers keenly aware of their responsibility towards the more vulnerable cyclist.

I don’t particularly relish the prospect of legislation, but I’m not sure there are many other ways of instigating change in our car dominated society 😕

we need to do something, not sure for many cyclist though that the ducth or danish model is a good fit..

the speeds and distances for commuters seems a lot higher based on my experience of cycling in UK and Netherlands..

Best bit for me in netherland is not the city provision but the provision to do longer distances away from roads.

Other issue is that in Netherland they have the strict liability thing so driver tend be to be very cautious around cyclists.

Can we also have a manadatory hi-vis stripe down the side of every vehicle too then?

Or make it compulsory for every car to be canary yellow?

Ransos – invariably on and off line

I’d be dead/a veg without one. It worked for me and if you (touch wood it won’t happen) get knocked off your bike and land on your noggin it could do the same for you. Like Graham S says PPE is the last in the line but it’s better than nowt, which is what you’ve got currently without one.
You’ve no way of knowing what would’ve happened had you not been wearing a helmet, and I think you’re being very optimistic about what a thin layer of polystyrene can do for you.

I should point out that I usually wear a helmet, because I think that it is likely to reduce or prevent a minor injury in a low speed accident. For example, I recently smacked into a low tree branch when I was biking in the woods.

Oh, and I have landed on my noggin…some say it had an effect…

Anyone posted this yet?

http://video.tedxcopenhagen.dk/video/911034/mikael-colville-andersen

Better off legalising the carrying and use of handguns by cyclists. It would even the odds up a bit and maybe make people think twice if there was more of a risk to there inconsiderate actions.

Helmet debates are a pathetic distraction – they derail us from the real issues, address a symptom not a cause, and place blame on the victims.

Helmet compulsion is the equivalent of making chastity belts compulsory to reduce rape.

It completely misses the point.

Isn’t it about time all car occupants wore helmets? After all, 50% of serious brain injuries result from car accidents.

Have you seen the comments under the story in Yahoo! ? So many car drivers think they are ‘paying for the roads’ and that that has given them a right or privilege to behave exactly as they wish.

Scary.

I always wear a helmet, plus lights and reflective stuff at night. I try to ride like a ‘vehicle’ giving clear signals, looking, stopping at lights, crossings etc.

But why oh why do reports of bike accidents always say “the cyclist was/wasn’t wearing a helmet”? WTF has that got to do with anything?

But why oh why do reports of bike accidents always say “the cyclist was/wasn’t wearing a helmet”? WTF has that got to do with anything?

Exactly. Massive pet hate of mine. You don’t hear “the motorist, who was not wearing a neck brace, suffered whiplash”

Or make it compulsory for every car to be canary yellow?

Maybe not canary yellow, but certainly need to ban silver cars. Its the uk, its grey most of the time, so what is the most popular colour car, grey,FFS!!!!

As for Helmets, they may help they may not, but would i rather not be hit by a car, or hit by a car whilst wearing a helmet, not really a hard choice to make is it!

As for stats most accidents are the fault of drivers.

As for pedestrians, DFT figures suggest walking on the pavement your more at risk from cars than cyclists.

Have you seen the comments under the story in Yahoo! ? So many car drivers think they are ‘paying for the roads’ and that that has given them a right or privilege to behave exactly as they wish.

Scary.

Horrifying isn’t it?

That Mark Green Disco guy is a classic example First intelligible thing he says is “Look mate, I pay for the road, you ****ing don’t”

Just mental. Even if it were true, which it isn’t, it doesn’t mean you get to do what you like.

I pay income tax, lots of people don’t, it doesn’t mean I can go down the job centre and slap people about.

Sadly it is a very common theme: very similar comments surface on any popular youtube video about cycling. Or local news story. Or twitter.

I really think a national advertising campaign about what “road tax” is and how roads are really paid for would be very beneficial.

Anyway, using their argument, I have a car which is taxed but which I’m not using (because I am riding my bike), so should I have more ‘right’ than them as I’m ‘paying’ for something I’m not using?

I really think a national advertising campaign about what “road tax” is and how roads are really paid for would be very beneficial.

Absolutely

£200ish to intimidate little insignificant cyclists….that’s a bargain, why do they moan so much 🙄

£200ish to intimidate little insignificant cyclists….that’s a bargain, why do they moan so much

More than 2 million cars on UK roads don’t have to pay any road car tax.

Why don’t Prius drivers get abused and run off the road?

Anyone posted this yet?

http://video.tedxcopenhagen.dk/video/911034/mikael-colville-andersen

New to me – a good, entertaining, watch. All you helmet advocates – view.

“Look mate, I pay for the road, you ****ing don’t”

..
Sadly it is a very common theme: very similar comments surface on any popular youtube video about cycling. Or local news story. Or twitter

Will always be an issue – there’s a lot of underinformed/ignorant/stressed/plain stupid people around. Highlight the tax facts and there would be another justification dreamt up. Drivers often feel powerless against traffic congestion, fuel prices etc combined with their total relianace on the car. I think it produces attitudes that are simply a reaction to the base problem of stress levels, expense and general dissatisfaction. Cyclists cop it, other drivers, anyone.

That’s a very enlightened viewpoint jameso- I’ll have some of whatever you’re on!
That vid up there about how the Dutch changed their infrastructure is very interesting viewing.
Unfortunately I suspect that nowadays governments are too scared of multinationals to do anything so radical