Southwark Cllr calls cyclists "murderous"

[Beulah]

Dan Garfield, joins twitter and calls all cyclists "murderous"

before desperately backtracking and saying he only meant it was one particular cyclist

http://twitter.com/#!/DanGarfield

just as well he's not in charge of any committees involving transport or anything then isn't it?

Oh...hang on...

[Otta]

Ha ha, brilliant!

[DJKillaQueen]

I'm going to reply to his tweet with an photo of the X-ray of my broken wrist I think :))

[ratty]

Has he not heard of the delete tweet option? Tsk!

Made a bit of a nob of himself there! :(

[Thomas Micklewright]

Ive never seen a cyclist kill a driver of a car?

[James Barber]

Cllr Peter John also appointed the chair of Southwarks Olmypic Legacy Fund Tony Doyle who stated in Southwark Life the councils magazine "Ideally all cyclists should wear a helmet at all times".

And Cllr Barrie Hargrove is backtracking like crazy from suggsting cycle lanes should be removed. And his planned meeting with Southwark Cyclists is welcome.

[cmck83]

What an eejit.

[Loz]

James Barber Wrote:

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> Cllr Peter John also appointed the chair of

> Southwarks Olmypic Legacy Fund Tony Doyle who

> stated in Southwark Life the councils magazine

> "Ideally all cyclists should wear a helmet at all

> times".

Apart from a pedantic objection around 'at all times', I'm not sure I see a problem with this.

[Applespider]

I wear a helmet while I'm out on my bike but it's more to stop road rash should I come off than any serious injury. Cycle helmets are designed for low-speed (<10mph) impacts which by the time you include the velocity of the fall means a fast walk - far slower than most cyclists go along the road. Also the shape of many helmets increases the likelihood of neck injury depending on the angle of fall. And there is some research (admittedly limited) where drivers actually give cyclists without helmets more space when passing than those with helmets. So... while yes, I do wear a helmet most of the time on my bike, I'm not entirely convinced how useful it will ever be.

Murderous though... hmm, will go work out a way to hang my axe off my bike frame then.

[Beulah]

-- moved topic --

[Otta]

I'm with Loz, surely it's obvious that "at all times" meant whilst riding.

[Loz]

I am assuming here that cycle helmets are of similar build to snowboard helmets, but...

My snowboard helmet has saved my scone more than once. I am on my second snowboard helmet after smashing my first after catching an edge at speed. Apart from being rather dazed, a sore neck and a scorching headache, I was completely unhurt. I can only wonder what the state of my head would have been had I not been wearing it at the time, especially given the big cracks the impact left in the helmet.

There is, like cycling, research suggests that snowboarders are more reckless whilst wearing a helmet - and that is probably true in my case - but I would not be out without mine. I really don't understand the mentality of cyclists who say they don't need them.

[Applespider]

My pal has a skiing helmet. It seems a lot more robust than my cycling helmet. Snowboard/ski helmets tend to have solid outers whereas my cycle helmet (same price) is basically coated polystyrene. It's also a heck of a lot lighter than the ski one. It may well help if I end up getting shunted by a car door or have a tyre blow out - it's going to do very little if I get left-hooked by a car or van. But I've been effectively indoctrinated to feel 'naked' going out on the bike without it.

You might be surprised what your head can stand up to. I watched a skiing friend this year stack while on a steep red in Italy onto quite hard packed snow. He bounced on his helmetless head and like you, he was a little dazed, had a bit of whiplash for a day or two (not enough to stop him skiing) and a headache. Another friend on the trip did have a helmet, had taken it off while we were having a drink and then was walking towards where we'd left our skis when we were leaving. The helmet was hung off his arm - he slipped and fell with the helmet taking some of the blow. From the size of the dent in it, you'd have thought he'd driven headfirst into a brick wall with it on. Your skull is made of tougher stuff than the average helmet; it's the danger of the brain whacking into it and swelling that is most serious at the type of speed impacts we're talking about and helmets don't take all that danger away. If I could only have one item of snowboarding safety equipment, I'd go for wristguards where there's far more risk of doing yourself an injury - there was a poor girl in our hotel who had broken both wrists while boarding and looked a little like Rio Jesus as a result.

[granadaland]

Hmm

[Loz]

granadaland Wrote:

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> But why should cyclists wear helmets?

For the same reason motorists should (nay, must) wear seat belts.

[granadaland]

Hmm

[DJKillaQueen]

I must admit I don't always wear a helmet.....but I do always wear one if my route involves lot's of roads and traffic. I tend to think that in minor accidents, any extra protection is a good thing, but doubt that a helmet would do much in a major impact. I do think that some drivers subconsciously are more careful around drivers with no helmet too but that might just be an impression I have rather than reflecting any truth.

[Loz]

granadaland Wrote:

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> > For the same reason motorists should (nay, must) wear seat belts.

> Motorists wear seatbelts so they don't get catapulted through a windscreen in a crash.

> a cyclist isn't a motorist.

> Motorists think cyclists should wear helmets because they may get mown down by a motorist.

> And if they get hurt it's their fault.

> Helmets have their purpose but they're not compulsory for good reasons.

You don't need to wear a helmet. Brain damage just doesn't seem possible.

[granadaland]

zing

[Applespider]

Just last week, a survey of doctors by the BMJ showed that more than 2/3rds of them believed helmets for cyclists shouldn't be compulsory. They pointed out that in places where helmets had become compulsory there was no reduction in the proportion of cyclists hurt and in fact that the number of cyclists tended to be reduced since it made cycling feel more dangerous. They concluded that the risk of serious head injury was outweighed by the other health benefits of cycling.

Now I am off to cycle to Victoria... with helmet ;-)

[Huguenot]

It sounds a bit like those campaigns claiming wearing seat belts is dangerous.

I'm pretty sure that if I was given the choice between applying a kerbstone to my head with or without a 3 inch polystyrene and fibreglass buffer, I'd go for the former and forego the vanity.

The argument that asking people to be safe might put people off cycling is just baffling on so many levels.

[northlondoner]

Thomas Micklewright Wrote:

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> Ive never seen a cyclist kill a driver of a car?

Last week I saw a cyclist do the usual dumb-ass stunt of abruptly swerving into a different lane ...only to go into the path of a motorbike....which wasn't able to avoid him. Horrible smash with both parties sent flying onto the other side of the road. Miraculously ,both able to stand and walk. Weirdly the motorbike seemed to have come off worst with bits knocked off and a big dent.

You see this kind of reckless cycling all the time - so I don't know about murderous ... but in some cases I'd say suicidal and dangerous.

[binary_star]

Ffs this gets boring! Cyclists are 'dangerous'!? How do you measure danger? Pick something - risk of death to others serious injury, whatever just pick something. Then go look up the numbers. I bet cyclists aren't even as "dangerous" as ladders. Ban ladders!!

[Otta]

Cyclists are quite possibly the most defensive breed of people in te world!

[binary_star]

Defensive?? Oh man that's the worst insult yet. Can't see the local councillor daring to tweet that one - can you imagine the backlash?

I do get quite defensive about generalisations made about me that are based on a load of boll0cks stereotypes though. A bit sensitive like that I am. Might go and slit my wrists if it gets any worse (being suicidal and all).