tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662128.post2882692245248159062..comments2023-11-05T12:04:50.649+00:00Comments on COUNCILLOR ANDREW BURNS' REALLY BAD BLOG: Stopped by the Police ...Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01684349200288599810noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662128.post-11830841953726274362009-09-22T20:52:06.617+01:002009-09-22T20:52:06.617+01:00Malcolm
Many thanks for the comment, and links .....Malcolm<br /><br />Many thanks for the comment, and links ... much appreciated.<br /><br />... I am minded to pursue all of this a bit further, so that information (and some of the info. in earlier comments and e-mails) could all be very helpful.<br /><br />Thanks again.<br /><br />AndrewAndrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01684349200288599810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662128.post-88543816489333335442009-09-22T19:10:32.484+01:002009-09-22T19:10:32.484+01:00Andrew, you may be interested to read a risk asses...Andrew, you may be interested to read a risk assessment of cycling that I published about 7 years ago. It demonstrates that the risk in cycling is very similar to walking or driving - begging the question why the Police were not advising the pedestrians about helmets on the basis of the (far greater number of) pedestrian deaths in Edinburgh. See:<br />http://www.cyclehelmets.org/papers/c2014.pdf<br />It really irritates me that officialdom remains so ignorant about cycling. It would be a great help if the council issued some kind of reaction against well intentioned but ill-informed safety campaigns by the police. Some years ago I had to pull up the Edinburgh police over a ludicrously badly researched safety campaign. See<br />http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4619700.stm.<br /><br />Good biking!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08878368404128595340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662128.post-30280830405469729882009-09-22T11:39:36.698+01:002009-09-22T11:39:36.698+01:00Richard
Many thanks for the comment, and the link...Richard<br /><br />Many thanks for the comment, and the links - I agree entirely with the point your making.<br /><br />Andrew<br /><br />P.S. This 'senior Councillor' cycles 4-miles a day, and I do try not to go too fast ;-)Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01684349200288599810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662128.post-33667467516126672362009-09-22T11:30:02.590+01:002009-09-22T11:30:02.590+01:00What a shame to have the police waste time harassi...What a shame to have the police waste time harassing cyclists and peddling an intervention that has failed. Mass helmet use in Australia stopped a lot of people cycling and did nothing for head injury rates, see http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=16565131 (Robinson's work uses the best scientific methods, all available control groups and so on.) <br /><br />Helmet propaganda relies on overemphasizing the very small dangers of cycling and seldom seems to emphasize its large benefits. For anyone old enough to be a senior councillor it's far too dangerous not to cycle - regular cycling, Danish style, not too far, not too fast, nearly halves the death rate, see http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/160/11/1621. Taking up moderate exercise is about as beneficial as giving up smoking. <br /><br />Bicycling is good for health, but bike helmets don't seem to be. Could the police more usefully spend time enforcing the Highway Code?Richard Keatingehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17039816196847673370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662128.post-46972354763299212152009-09-22T09:37:00.091+01:002009-09-22T09:37:00.091+01:00Lots of information here:
http://cyclehelmets.org...Lots of information here:<br /><br />http://cyclehelmets.org/Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01684349200288599810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662128.post-45638864908696716092009-09-22T09:29:12.786+01:002009-09-22T09:29:12.786+01:00Ahh cool, thanks for signing!
:-)
I've tried...Ahh cool, thanks for signing!<br /><br />:-)<br /><br />I've tried to do a little research on helmets this past year and it was shocking what you find out about Australia.Downfaderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13184133679478493276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662128.post-53667836492391255022009-09-22T08:13:46.063+01:002009-09-22T08:13:46.063+01:00Downfader
Thanks for the comment - and encouragem...Downfader<br /><br />Thanks for the comment - and encouragement - I'll keep cycling, don't worry!<br /><br />My main worry about the whole helmet issue is the creeping assumption that ALL cyclists SHOULD wear one - same type of atmosphere in Austrailia eventually led to compulsion with disastrous consequences for the uptake of cycling and all the wider health dis-benefits that have gone with it.<br /><br />That said, I've signed your petition :-)<br /><br />AndrewAndrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01684349200288599810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662128.post-56922157747430920752009-09-21T19:05:47.695+01:002009-09-21T19:05:47.695+01:00I find it shocking that they thought it important ...I find it shocking that they thought it important to lecture you on helmets. I presume they've read up on the SNELL and ANSI testing methods...?<br /><br />No helmet company will say even the slightest if its any good against a motorvehicle for an obvious reason. They were never designed for that.<br /><br />The whole UK has become so anti cycling and silly about health and safety. (spured me to create this:<br />http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/cyclehelmettest/ though people seem to blindly sign the "helmets NOW" types of petition)<br /><br />Keep on riding, Andrew!Downfaderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13184133679478493276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662128.post-16291613206071235762009-09-21T18:04:12.074+01:002009-09-21T18:04:12.074+01:00asmith9983
Many thanks for that considered contri...asmith9983<br /><br />Many thanks for that considered contribution ...<br /><br />AndrewAndrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01684349200288599810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662128.post-22532254827439607232009-09-21T15:40:33.198+01:002009-09-21T15:40:33.198+01:00If you suffer a head injury due to not wearing a ...If you suffer a head injury due to not wearing a cycle helmet, the consultants will find it very difficult to determine if you are brain damaged as that is your normal ignorant Labour thinking.asmith9983https://www.blogger.com/profile/14350042281509452502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662128.post-44870888726074277912009-09-17T01:32:15.654+01:002009-09-17T01:32:15.654+01:00Thanks for the link, I shouldn't say this but ...Thanks for the link, I shouldn't say this but i can see that happening at the junction where the Southbridge meets the East end of princess street. <br /><br />A lot of the traffic coming of the bridges skip the lights and what a disaster it would be if one of the councils prized bendy buses got mangled, wee shame :-(Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662128.post-69152332289467323112009-09-16T23:18:43.892+01:002009-09-16T23:18:43.892+01:00AMW
Given events in Dublin today:
http://www.rte...AMW<br /><br />Given events in Dublin today:<br /><br />http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0916/luas.html<br /><br />- you may just be right :-(<br /><br />AndrewAndrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01684349200288599810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6662128.post-70501206949366827362009-09-16T22:53:13.603+01:002009-09-16T22:53:13.603+01:00You have to be kidding ? The police have obvously ...You have to be kidding ? The police have obvously got too much time on their hands, either that or they were anti tram police :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com