It’s time for another forum cycle/vehicle disagreement

[nuttinnew]

But then you're stopped in the middle of the road and you have right of way.

and you can fuck right off with that.

Eh? You don't think that the cyclist had right of way over the Taxi.

Of course he didn't. That would be ridiculous.

[nuttinnew]

The car in the crash is a Nissan Qashqai. I feel like every pedestrian/cyclist and other road user should always proceed with extra caution whenever near a Qashqai because they're usually fucking blind.

That one doesn't seem to have its foglights on

[scotta]

@couldn't agree more. I do accept though that if you make it a legal requirement then these on-street bike hire thingies would cease to be a viable thing.

Our friendly bellend from above has presented a balanced and informed opinion.

[Swervin_Mervin]

It certainly seems to split opinion. A colleague (keen cyclist) went off on one yesterday about the anti-helmet cyclist brigade.

[ZedLeg]

and you can fuck right off with that.

Eh? You don't think that the cyclist had right of way over the Taxi.

Of course he didn't. That would be ridiculous.

You might want to have another read of your highway code.

[Jobbo]

The statistics about helmets saving lives definitely don't indicate that they make you safer. You could wrap yourself in bubble-wrap like the Michelin Man and that might improve chances of survival if you bounce off a car's bonnet, but nobody would do it because it would be stupid. It's not like making seatbelts compulsory, or the incremental improvement in car safety for occupants with airbags etc - those are not inconvenient in any way and have a measurable effect on deaths of vehicle occupants. Helmet wearing on a bicycle is inconvenient and seems to have no measurable benefit.

To add to that, criticising someone who is knocked off their bike for not wearing a helmet is victim-blaming and fails to address the cause of the accident in the first place. It's not illegal to ride without a helmet.

I have spent the majority of my life cycling without wearing a helmet, and I still do so regularly. I have a fairly decent helmet and have cycled in it; I find it a much less pleasant experience, not least because my head gets hotter and cooler than if I wear nothing on my head when warm or put a hat on when it's cold.

However, I also avoid cycling where there is much in the way of traffic. Country lanes aren't necessarily free from idiot drivers but at least you generally only have to deal with one at a time.

[ZedLeg]

@couldn't agree more. I do accept though that if you make it a legal requirement then these on-street bike hire thingies would cease to be a viable thing.

Our friendly bellend from above has presented a balanced and informed opinion.

CITATION NEEDED

[Jobbo]

CITATION NEEDED

Western Australia stats (since they mandated cycle helmet wearing, there are some more detailed stats): http://www.cycle-helmets.com/helmet_statistics.html

The interesting thing is that the absolute number of injuries has gone up despite the number of cyclists dropping by about 40% since helmets were man dated.

[nuttinnew]

Eh? You don't think that the cyclist had right of way over the Taxi.

Of course he didn't. That would be ridiculous.

You might want to have another read of your highway code.

Physician, heal thyself.

[ZedLeg]

This is tedious, feel free to post proof that the taxi had right of way.

[nuttinnew]

Toddle off to the HC. Feel free to post an apology here.

[nuttinnew]

A nice aid to recovery

[Mito Man]

CITATION NEEDED

Western Australia stats (since they mandated cycle helmet wearing, there are some more detailed stats): http://www.cycle-helmets.com/helmet_statistics.html

The interesting thing is that the absolute number of injuries has gone up despite the number of cyclists dropping by about 40% since helmets were man dated.

Risk compensation theory - people take greater risks the safer they feel which negates additional safety equipment.
First demonstrated with the Munich taxi cab abs experiment where it was showed that taxis with ABS are no safer than the same cars with no ABS.

More recently I’ve noticed that I only ever get swerved at on the motorway by drivers of cars with lane departure warning

[duncs500]

Has the amount of cyclists gone down? I'm sure when I was a kid I didn't know of one adult that was interested in cycling. Now you'd be hard pressed to find a 30 or 40 something man who doesn't bang on about it!

[ZedLeg]

Same thing as gaming I reckon, all the kids who grew up when bikes got really fun are still into it.

[nuttinnew]

Given that we don't often have that separated infrastructure today in the UK

That's the problem, isn't it
It's so fecking annoying that with so much new housing being built there are perfect opportunities to get the ball rolling (and ev charging etc) that are wasted. I've no doubt that even if a new village or town was suitably built it would exit onto an existing decades old road that the developers would leave untouched, but there would be far more chance of getting link roads built between the new developments than there is atm. It's often been said that new roads shouldn't be built because they only encourage more car use, a bit of that thinking could encourage other forms of transport. Fewer hazards, safer & easier travel for all, lovely.

[Jobbo]

Has the amount of cyclists gone down? I'm sure when I was a kid I didn't know of one adult that was interested in cycling. Now you'd be hard pressed to find a 30 or 40 something man who doesn't bang on about it!

In Western Australia, comparing before and after the introduction of compulsory helmet wearing. Quite specific, I acknowledge, and whether it translates to what would happen here is another question, but it's actual data.

It also contradicts the warm fuzzy feeling of 'common sense' that sanctimonious people have about helmet wearing. Anyway, I'm not aware that there's any particular groundswell of political support for making helmet wearing compulsory here so I'll stick to my own choices and put on a helmet when I think it's useful (e.g. cycling where there are low-hanging branches) and avoiding cars and trucks.

[duncs500]

As you say, it's not compulsory, and we have enough nannying IMO!

[duncs500]

I personally feel quite vulnerable when cycling on the road, I don't enjoy it. I just don't trust the standard of drivers we have in this country not to do something stupid.

[Marv]

The statistics about helmets saving lives definitely don't indicate that they make you safer. You could wrap yourself in bubble-wrap like the Michelin Man and that might improve chances of survival if you bounce off a car's bonnet, but nobody would do it because it would be stupid. It's not like making seatbelts compulsory, or the incremental improvement in car safety for occupants with airbags etc - those are not inconvenient in any way and have a measurable effect on deaths of vehicle occupants. Helmet wearing on a bicycle is inconvenient and seems to have no measurable benefit.

Airbags seem to be a thing that motorcycle PPE manufacturers are getting behind now... I'm not convinced yet that I want to wear yet another piece of PPE on my motorcycle, considering I always wear motorcycle boots, trousers and jacket and gloves all of which are all CE rated and very abrasive resistant along with armour at the knee and hips, shoulders, elbows and back and if I'm doing a bit of off roading then I have chest protection too. As well as a full face helmet.

...Hold on am I that Michelin man you speak of?