Remember kids... always wear a helmet. (The almighty bikeradar helmet thread)

@TRA coz I'm dislexyc

I think you meant @skiddancer

I'll have you know I have a beautiful smile and communicate very well.

Have you considered Chatroulette training?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHDc2WvfC0U

I'd also said that they're not used to the sudden number of people cycling, and reacted accordingly too.

It's all the traffic everywhere. Cars, bieks, peds, buses. When you're used to pootling about in little cities you know with single lane roads, drivers popping to the shops and cyclists mooching along at 10mph the whole frenetic London thing is a bit of a shock. Trying not to squish or get squished plus negotiating a route you don't know can be too much for provincial types.

a new scheme from Halfords, which will recondition and donate bikes and helmets to primary school children in disadvantaged areas of the 8 current cycling cities

Reconditioned helmets from Halfords
Hmmm
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/deputy-pm-announces-214-million-investment-in-cycling

WTF? Recycling helmets, are they being x rayed to check they are ok?

This was more interesting

It follows recent research commissioned by British Cycling (pdf), which found that if the UK became a cycling nation like the Netherlands or Denmark it could:

save the NHS £17 billion within 20 years
reduce road deaths by 30%
increase mobility of the nation’s poorest families by 25%
increase retail sales by a quarter

Cycling NGB in thinking more people should cycle shocker.

Surely it's only the bikes that are reconditioned.

Although being as it's Halfords, that's worrying enough...

Indeed one would hope so. The ambiguity of the english language...

"Fortunately I’m very careful and was wearing high visibility clothing and a helmet"

mind boggling.

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/hit-cyclist-left-lying-in-the-road-for-90-minutes-hits-out-at-shambles-of-nhs-care-9896977.html

Perhaps less money spent on assisting in the knocking out of refugee trogs might have freed up " resources " for the LAS.

Beautiful.

In recent years a simple prang outside my house resulted in a fast responder, three ambulances and the air ambulance turning up. The casualties? One boy with an arm injury. Could the fact that all those involved were from "ethnic minorities" have influenced the response? After all, tell them you're an illegal in the back of a lorry and they seem to get there quick enough.......

Sublime

But you left out the best bit "Fortunately I’m very careful and was wearing high visibility clothing and a helmet. Otherwise it could have been much more serious."

So you're saying the driver spotted your fluoro-tabard but still hit you, just not as much as if they didn't see you at all?

And I know helmets are the panacea to all cycling's ills, but I'd be curious to know as to how it contributed when she was struck on her leg and bruised her arse.

Actually, the best bit is that she "... is a cycle instructor and was on her way to teach cycle safety at a primary school...": with friends like these...

"...and it shows there is a risk whenever people get on a bike set foot out the front door.” #ftfy

it is indeed a gift that keeps on giving.

(Repost, I'm guessing. But WGAF.)

A cyclist slapped a pedestrian in the face during an argument. The incident took place around 5pm on Friday near the entrance to Sainsbury’s, in Church Lane, Leytonstone. The pedestrian had reportedly told the cyclist to get on the road as he rode on the pavement. The cyclist then slapped the man in the face and replied: "you get in the f***ing road", according to a witness.The cyclist was described as a black man in his late 20s to early 30s, with short dark hair, wearing a dark blue jacket and loose trousers. He was not wearing a helmet at the time and after the incident was seen cycling towards High Road on the pavement.

He was not wearing a helmet

Was the pedestrian wearing one? Full face helmets should be mandatory for everybody to deal with this kind of danger.

My kids' secondary school has just announced that, from January, anyone riding to school without a helmet with be given a detention. A healthy number of kids currently cycle in, the vast majority without helmets - the cycle racks are always full.

I'll be writing to the head, obvs, but if anyone has been in this situation before and has any tips about best way to proceed...

No fucking way.

Which school?

Finham Park, Coventry.

.,

I hope this detention isn't going to be after school, or the kid will be cycling home in the dark, which from a safety perspective is going to make the head look like a right idiot