Cyclists: do you wear a helmet?

[JohnMcL7]

Maybe it’s a situational thing. I only ever cycle (apart from sportives etc.) in inner London, so I guess the landscape varies somewhat. If I had a pound for every bus that decided to overtake me and then pull into a bus stop etc etc.

My comparison to driving vs. cycling was in reply to the flawed logic around listening to music in a car vs cycling — you’re clearly more vulnerable cycling.

Cycling in town (edit: London) requires a different mindset — to be fair and honest, I’m more comfortable doing that than cycling along rural roads on weekends out. I guess you simply get used to your regular surroundings.

All that said — I’d never wear headphones whilst out on the bike— just my personal stance. Appreciate we all have differing viewpoints on the topic

Your posts (and others) seem entirely based on the assumption that headphones must block your hearing which as has been mentioned many times already is not true, I wouldn't use headphones if they affected my situational awareness and I have an entirely different set I use for cycling for that very reason. I can easily hear traffic around me in slower settings and at speed your hearing is significantly reduced simply by cycling because there's a tremendous amount of wind noise to contend with.

I don't think the comparison between driving and cycling is flawed just because a cyclist is more vulnerable, if listening to music or audio was causing the problems mentioned in this thread it would never be allowed in a car because the danger a car presents is vastly higher than a bike. Hence why we have strict laws for drivers such as driving without due care and attention, driving while using a mobile phone, driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol and not being in proper control of a vehicle most of which have no equivalent for cyclists.

Certainly for some of the situations here where people don't use headphones, I wouldn't either and I'm not bothered if people use them or not but trying to correct a number of incorrect assumptions. Personally I don't wear headphones for a lot of my cycling either because I don't need them but I found them useful for long rides to get beyond the ten hour mark which can at times be as much a mental challenge as it is physical.

 

[The Ham]

Do I wear a helmet when cycling, yes. I also have my children do so.

Would I bring in a law requiring them, no.

The main reason being is that whilst helmets have some value, it creates a barrier to cycling and the impact from a reduction in cycling is worse than the impact from everyone wearing a helmet.

I understand that helmets won't protect your head if a car drives over it, however I also understand that there will be times when it will help.

For example if there's a point load applied, whilst the full load still is spiked to your head the force is spread over a wider area. This may make the damage (say, bruising) be spread over a larger area, however it's less likely (even if only by a small amount) to crack the skull.

If injuries to cyclists are the issue then the thing that's likely to help more would be the introduction of laws mandating dash cams with the footage being able to be inspected by police. Lorry fleets that have installed then have seen their insurance claims fall noticeably.

Then once that rule is in place being in a rule starting that unless your dash cam shows otherwise any injury caused to a cyclist or pedestrian (or other road users lower down the road user hierarchy than you) is assumed to be your fault.

Such roles would be unpopular, however they would do far more for road safely than requiring cyclists to wear a helmet.

 

[Techniquest]

I feel @Jimini makes some good points, but I also feel we've discussed the headphones/music thing fully enough so I'll not continue that here. Much kudos to Jimini for regularly cycling in London, it can be quite challenging at times in my experience but also really enjoyable. Then again, I'm biased as London is one of my favourite cities anywhere in the world! I must also concur with the buses overtaking then swiftly pulling into a bus stop comment, I see that sort of thing with all sorts of traffic way too often.

It occurs to me this morning that there's something else I see too often, and that's people cycling while drinking cans of beer. Or puffing away on either cigarettes or other substances. I also see the latter too often with people who drive as well. Both things are certainly more important to deal with than earphones etc, although I have to confess I have no idea how.

 

[Jimini]

I do enjoy cycling in town aye, and try to vary my route within reason to mix it up a bit, but I must confess when you come round the Stratford one way system in the morning and contemplate the four mile schlep up the A11 (Cycle Superhighway 2) to Aldgate ahead of you, it can be a little monotonous, to say the least! We do have some fairly funky cycleways to be fair on that route.

Oh, and I always go over the Bow flyover, not under it

 

[Magdalia]

Do you mostly cycle for leisure, though? In that case you can ensure the ride is stimulating and engaging by choosing your route.

If you cycle for utility (which is the kind that needs strongly encouraging as it takes cars off the road), then the ride will necessarily be boring unless you're privileged enough to live in the Lake District or something.

I don't agree with this binary distinction.

My health is not good, and I have to conserve my energy for things I need to do. For me, exercise for its own sake is an indulgence, so I never cycle just for leisure. Every cycling journey I make is utilitarian, but most of them are a pleasure too.

Do you apply the same distinction to train journeys?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Do you apply the same distinction to train journeys?

I'd be lying if I said I didn't find the part of the south WCML through the Chilterns at sunrise/sunset pleasant regardless of context, but yes, I hate daily commuting. It could be as scenic as it liked, but the whole concept almost drove me to a breakdown (and I mean that genuinely, not figuratively, I almost called 999).

And local utility cycling through MK is just sameish, albeit nice and safe on the Redway system.

So, no, I don't generally enjoy the utilitarian journeys I make.

 

[Techniquest]

I do enjoy cycling in town aye, and try to vary my route within reason to mix it up a bit, but I must confess when you come round the Stratford one way system in the morning and contemplate the four mile schlep up the A11 (Cycle Superhighway 2) to Aldgate ahead of you, it can be a little monotonous, to say the least! We do have some fairly funky cycleways to be fair on that route.

Oh, and I always go over the Bow flyover, not under it

I haven't too much experience thankfully with the Stratford area, but I've seen enough of it to know it's a pain in the rear to get around by any method other than foot. I know how you feel with CS2, it can feel like it goes on for ages but I also have to add that I like it more than CS8. Route 3 is my favourite, a bit annoying around the Westminster area but in general it's a good route. I do like the cycle route down Jamaica Road, on the way to Rotherhithe, that's a nice bit to do.

I have to confess I'd have to get my map out for London to find the Bow flyover, I think I know where you're talking about (that side of London I don't know well at all, I must confess) and if it's the huge bridge that goes over a big roundabout that I can picture in my head then you're a brave soul! Memory tells me the flyover branches off to the right a bit, up and over the the roundabout? CS2 branches around it to the left, around part of the roundabout then up the ramp to rejoin the road?

I'm not sure which is more brave though, doing that flyover or dealing with the madness of queuing buses and taxis down Oxford Street. I did that last year, oh my good gravy that took forever and I really tested my patience that day!

 

[Magdalia]

I'd be lying if I said I didn't find the part of the south WCML through the Chilterns at sunrise/sunset pleasant regardless of context, but yes, I hate daily commuting. It could be as scenic as it liked, but the whole concept almost drove me to a breakdown (and I mean that genuinely, not figuratively, I almost called 999).

And local utility cycling through MK is just sameish, albeit nice and safe on the Redway system.

So, no, I don't generally enjoy the utilitarian journeys I make.

That's more than one shame.

I commuted for a long time and the bit between Kings Cross and the office was at times an ordeal, so I have a bit of an idea about how you might feel about that. I frequently changed the way I did that bit so as not to get into a rut. When the train journey to and from Kings Cross started to go that way too I changed my travel routine to travel on slower trains. Though it took a bit more time, it was less stressful. I also aimed for trains that came empty from the sidings as they were less likely to be disrupted.

Maybe I just happen to like being outside, but for me active travel is never sameish . English seasons and weather make sure of that.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I commuted for a long time and the bit between Kings Cross and the office was at times an ordeal, so I have a bit of an idea about how you might feel about that. I frequently changed the way I did that bit so as not to get into a rut. When the train journey to and from Kings Cross started to go that way too I changed my travel routine to travel on slower trains. Though it took a bit more time, it was less stressful. I also aimed for trains that came empty from the sidings as they were less likely to be disrupted.

We're going off the cycling a bit now, but I do the same thing when making an occasional work day trip to London - e.g. getting the 0637 from Bletchley as it starts there (though MKC starters are also fine) and the slower trains from Euston, often having "a cheeky Nando's" first and so not travelling until things have quietened down anyway. However that would, for daily commuting, have just accentuated a major part of the problem - sleep deficit - and thus only the busier, faster trains were really an option. Though the main thing that did me was the utter unpunctuality of the time.

As for being outside, I like being outside in beautiful places. MK has some beautiful places, but in and of itself it isn't overall that pretty, it's very utilitarian. Green, but not really that beautiful. Not really, unlike central London, an interesting cityscape, either. As I said if I lived in the Lake District (say) I might find that quite different. When I was privileged to spend 2 years weekly commuting to Switzerland, I never didn't walk out of the office and feel "wow" when I saw the lake and mountains behind.

 

[Magdalia]

MK has some beautiful places

It is a shame that Bletchley is wrong end of MK for Willen Lake.

However that would, for daily commuting, have just accentuated a major part of the problem - sleep deficit

As you say this is a bit of a digression from cycling, but I do think a bit of physical exercise and being outside helps with sleep.

And for me the most important criterion in my commute was the opportunity for sleep. Most mornings I fell asleep as soon as the train joined the ECML at Hitchin and woke up when the brakes went in just after Finsbury Park.

To further I digress it is why I won't be joining the class 365 love fest on this forum: class 365s were rubbish for sleeping compared with class 317s.

 

[ashkeba]

It is a shame that Bletchley is wrong end of MK for Willen Lake.

But it is the right end for Caldecotte Lake. There is also Furzton Lake I do not remember and Loghton Teardrop Lakes near MKC which are a bit small. But if time is tight, you may do most of the ride on the fast cycleways next to big roads, which is less pretty. MK makes people choose between fast and beautiful in a way that Denmark or Dutch cycle routes do not much.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It is a shame that Bletchley is wrong end of MK for Willen Lake.

I am very near Furzton Lake, but it rather depends on where I'm headed. Here to CMK is actually fairly pretty (Furzton and Teardrops) but CMK is very rarely my destination. I don't cycle to MKC station because there's a massive bike theft problem there (really needs a staffed bewaakte Fietsenstalling).

As for sleeping on trains I just can't sleep upright, when it's not dark (eyeshades are uncomfortable) or in a moving vehicle. So that doesn't work for me. It has to be dark, horizontal and silent.

 

[Techniquest]

I'm with you on the sleeping thing, sleeping in a seat is incredibly difficult for me. If I'm beyond the point of exhaustion, I can sort-of do it but not well and that's just pointless. How I'm going to survive the long distance to New Zealand I have no idea!

I feel for you with the lack of any real interest/nice bits on your commute, Hereford may not be the most exciting place but it does have some nice scenic parts as well as history. I do have to ask what your comment in what I assume is German about cycle security in MKC actually says. It reads that there needs to be a more secure area for cycles, but I can't be bothered to find a translator for the non-English bit there If it makes you feel any better about that, I absolutely despise leaving my cycle anywhere in Birmingham. I've locked my beast up outside Woolwich Crossrail before, overnight, and not had too many concerns about security. I've done similar at Manchester Piccadilly, but only for a few hours and not overnight, without too many concerns. Locking it, even for 10 minutes, in Birmingham however was enough to spike the anxiety yesterday, and I fully expected to return to not find it when I came out of Tesco.

It's fair to say I won't be doing any cycling when I'm away in the Midlands for the Commonwealth Games in a few weeks!

 

[Bletchleyite]

It is Dutch, that being the land of cycling milk and honey. It is a staffed cycle storage facility. Some exist in the UK, e.g. Cambridge station.

 

[Magdalia]

It is Dutch, that being the land of cycling milk and honey. It is a staffed cycle storage facility. Some exist in the UK, e.g. Cambridge station.

I don't know about the Dutch bike parks. Cambridge station has a multi-storey bike park with CCTV and security patrols, but I don't know if that makes it a "staffed storage facility", or equivalent to what the Dutch do.

Cambridge is the bike theft capital of England, and I don't leave my bike at Cambridge station multi-storey bike park, because I don't regard it as sufficiently secure. And the large cycle racks at Cambridge North station are notorious for theft. When travelling by train I get the bus, unless I'm taking the bike with me on the train.