Cycle Training & Cycle Helmets

To cheer you up Multi Grooves

Yeah. Booked load of sept-oct work today.
Who amongst the dedicated are up for a lmnh meet cycle trainers meet again?
August
22/23 could be daytime coffee cake whos in? Jason

I go on holiday 21st

22nd it is then.

God dang James you can go on holidays on trainers wages ;)

A week of mountain biking in Wales with the other half and our two dogs.

sounds good, deassimilate from the cyber hive, razzing it about in welsh hills

I'm in Jason
Perhaps tins in a park is more appropriate than LMNH considering trainer's wages

So, Level 1 drinks?

I think tears in rain was suggesting at least Level 2. :)

'Tins in the park' has the ring of multiple summer events going on right now. Like it.Lets say saturday 23 afternoon 12 on park location tbc

A plan!
Good work.
A central park perhaps?
Start a separate thread J and I will forward link through CTUKs grapevine, Cycling instructors FB page, TABS microcosm events page etc
We can have a big party!
(Tho I suspect at 1200 on 23rd many of us will be teaching people in parks)

thread
http://www.lfgss.com/thread130491.html

Hopefully the right topic here but touched on the helmet/no helmet talk today.

The borough I was working in have put in a "helmets must be worn by instructors" somewhere so it was mentioned as a thing to do when in that borough, disliked doing it but went and got one which is only worn on them work days and then it's only during sessions not too/from. Have had a few ask why and I'm very open/honest that the council in that area have stipulated(nothing more to hopefully avoid the debate).

Anyway I forgot it so whatever we get on working and all think nothing of it then at lunch one of us noticed and another instructor said to me they understood it as "we can't really say to them to wear helmets if we don't wear helmets" which at the time mouth half full of lunch I didn't think much of it but coming away from it I'm thinking that actually that couldn't be further from the message. It also made me think if long standing arrangements like this allow instructors to develop some alternative reasoning. I also wonder if the instructor attributes a lack of injury to helmets rather than the ability they have to manage risk. Lots of interesting things to think about for me I guess.

@Clockwise. "Wearing a helmet is a matter of personal choice, generally I chose to not wear one. Today I chose to work for a borough who make me wear one."

At schools without helmet compulsion I explain to the kids who have to wear helmets that their parents have chosen this for them, other parents hav not chosen for their spawn to wear them, and that I have chosen not to wear one..

I'm sure at some point I'll feel experienced enough and have signed up to more providers to be selective about work and then that will factor into decisions to just not go into that borough as often.

It's just strange, we could talk about doing what we can and making conscious choices against bib shorts and other overly specialist looking gear to make yourself relatable and make short journey utility cycling more appealing to those we are training and then you mention helmets and hit a brick wall.

If I'm at the schools that give a choice I'll often just go with "it's what your parents put down on your form, sorry" and swiftly move on. I'm yet to have a child arrive in a full face helmet and have difficulty as a result but I'm sure that day is on it's way for me and yes I'll fail them if they can't do the looking back no exceptions.

I've been told by a provider I work for that a council have opted for mandatory helmet use while providing 0 helmets, I've my own huge concerns about making a large proportion of potential trainees ineligible unless they not only wear one during training but also buy one prior to training. Expecting a huge complaint when someone has begrudgingly purchased an ill fitting helmet or one that isn't to the correct standards and I can't continue the training with them as a result, then a nightmare of if I get paid as "cancelled/aborted by instructor".

I was really unpopular at a school that demanded kids wear helmets when I pointed out half the ones they supplied were fucked. Missing buckles/adjusters and ones that were twenty years old were the main failings.

Just quit; there has to be a minimum standard below which we can't go. It's a policy that directly discriminates against poor families. Let someone else try and persuade themselves that it's somehow worth it.

I have over constantly being provided unsafe pool bikes before. I won't quit I'll just refuse loads of trainees and hope I'm not dragged into some tedious talks about money by them not wanting to pay for that mess they created.

I'm looking to compile a list of Local Authorities/Schemes that do/don't compel helmet wearing on Bikeability courses. If you have further info please add:

No compulsion
Hackney
Lambeth
Camden
Enfield
Newham
Southwalk
Waltham Forrest
Haringay (opt out)
Brent
Hammersmith and Fulham

Compulsion
Tower Hamlets
Kensington and Chelsea
Hounslow
Redbridge
Lewisham
Westminster
Islington
Croydon
Greenwich
Barnet
Havering

Islington have helmet compulsion on children's courses for the children and the instructors, nothing on adult courses or sessions.
They do provide helmets and bikes for schools courses.

Thanks Will, amended. I am interested only in the schools bikeability courses

Croydon, helmets provided compulsory for participants.
Haringey, helmets provided tho opt out rather than opt in.
Brent, noncompulsory.
Greenwich(pre-Christmas), helmets provided compulsory BUT I think this was done by the provider to extract a fee rather than council enforced.
H+F(pre-Christmas), noncompulsory.

Thanks!
Amended list.
I think Greenwich council rather than provider is keen on helmets. At least it used to be when CTUK did some courses there.

Keep em coming...!

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