London Cycle Hire

[GodAtum]

I'm disgusted to find out that the new London Cycle Hire scheme does not provide helmets. This is a disgrace as Boris was advocating cycle safety!

 

[Mojo]

How would such a system work? You'd need a multitude of different sized helmets and also a way of securing them to the bike and ensuring they don't get vandalised.

Bring your own!

 

[142094]

Possibly could be due to insurance as well - if they gave out a helmet that was either too big/small or damaged and you had an accident, then they would be liable.

 

[stut]

Helmets do very little for adult cycle safety. You're more likely to suffer a head injury in a pub than on a bike (or in a car with a seatbelt on for that matter), and more likely to suffer an accident if you wear one. I can see the point for pack racing and the like, but for general urban use, well, it's really a question of misplaced risk prevention. If you don't wear one in Wetherspoons, on the bus or in a taxi, why are you worrying about wearing one on a bike, where it's even less likely to be useful?

 

[Dai.]

A system for helmets wouldn't work.


There are too many different sizes out there to provide a helmet for everyone. If you're that worried about a knock on the head buy a cheap one, I'm sure with the cycle on-slaught they'll be really cheap now-a-days!

 

[gordonthemoron]

Helmets do very little for adult cycle safety.

I fell off my bike last week, whilst not wearing a helmet. I got concussion, whiplash & a broken nose. I will be buying a helmet

 

[Gavelex]

How a cycle helmet would protect you from whiplash and a broken nose is beond me...

...Unless you invest in one of these.

 

[jon0844]

Helmets do very little for adult cycle safety. You're more likely to suffer a head injury in a pub than on a bike (or in a car with a seatbelt on for that matter), and more likely to suffer an accident if you wear one.

I really find that hard to believe, but with the Internet as it is I am sure there are websites and stats to back up your claim.

I am going to the pub at lunchtime, and think I might just have some control over what happens, but I'm not so sure that I can control the outcome of a car/van/taxi that might hit me on the road - when a helmet may help and is unlikely to do much harm. Nobody says they'll stop you being killed, but once an accident gets that severe then it's game over.

And as for seatbelts, well, hey it's up to you to wear one. That is unless you're sitting behind me in a car, in which case you belt up or get out - I'm not dying because of you coming through!

No bike rental scheme on the street can provide helmets. It would be impossible to do. Yet, anyone travelling with a bag/rucksack could easily bring their own.

 

[jopsuk]

I do wear a helmet whilst cycling, but there's a lot of controversy in the cycling community about them. They're of most protection in mid speed falls, rather than collisions etc. If you're going really quick, they don't provide enough prpotection, and in low speed accidents it is rare to hit your head.

Cyclists in London especially are most at risk from being mown down/crushed. In these sort of accidents, a helmet is naff all use.

As said, it is not possible with the sort of scheme being run to provide helmets. If you really want one, that's your choice, bring your own.

 

[90019]

I really find that hard to believe, but with the Internet as it is I am sure there are websites and stats to back up your claim.

Overall, there's no conclusive evidence from either side of the argument, mostly because no proper research has ever been done into it.

However, the general issue with helmets seems to be that most people tend to feel safer with a helmet on, so will take more risks than they would without, which leads to more injuries caused.
The thing is, that overall, the number of injuries may not appear to increase, because, generally the number of people cycling overall is not taken into account, as when mandatory helmet laws are introduced, at least some people will cycle much less than they did before.


An interesting case in point is Western Australia, where there was a slight decrease in head injuries, though it had not reduced at a higher rate than before mandatory helmet laws were introduced in the early 90s. There was also a notable decrease in the number of cyclists.

http://members.tip.net.au/~psvansch/crag/3icipc.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1410838/?tool=pubmed

 

[jopsuk]

There's also the effect that making helmets manadatory, in reducing the number of cyclists, causes the injury rate amonges cyclists to increase as the ones that are left are generally the more dedicated cyclists- who're more likley to be off road/cycling faster/cycling along busier roads etc, even if the overall number of injuries decreases.

 

[tripleseis]

Melbourne's cycle hire scheme has been a flop due to the compulsory helmet laws. The whole point of the cycle scheme is to turn up and ride on a whim so to speak (i.e. you need to get across town in 20 minutes and you'd rather cycle than bus or tube it). People won't always be able to carry a helmet around with them.

In the Netherlands where helmet use is very low, they have the lowest cycle injury rate in the world. It's a power in numbers thing, heightened awareness of cyclists from other cyclists and motorists, plus bike lane provision over there is superb.

 

[Deerfold]

I'm disgusted to find out that the new London Cycle Hire scheme does not provide helmets. This is a disgrace as Boris was advocating cycle safety!

I was disappointed that none of the advertising / leaftets I've seen promote any sort of safety message - I'd have thought a few tips on safety/legal cycling might not have gone amiss as it's aimed at those who aren't regular cyclists.

 

[jopsuk]

(going away from the OPs gripe) the major problem now emerging seems to be that they hadn't anticpated how it would be used- there's major problems with "tidal" use- people are forgoing the underground/buses and using it to cover the last bit of their commute. This is resulting in major shortages at the big railways stations- in the morning, shortages of bikes, and in the evening, shortages of docking points.

 

[Greenback]

I'm disgusted to find out that the new London Cycle Hire scheme does not provide helmets. This is a disgrace as Boris was advocating cycle safety!

I don't think I'd want to use a helemt that had been worn by goodness knows how many strangers. I'd either take my own in my rucksack or cycle without one. I feel a bit ill if I wear someone else's hat.

 

[Deerfold]

(going away from the OPs gripe) the major problem now emerging seems to be that they hadn't anticpated how it would be used- there's major problems with "tidal" use- people are forgoing the underground/buses and using it to cover the last bit of their commute. This is resulting in major shortages at the big railways stations- in the morning, shortages of bikes, and in the evening, shortages of docking points.

And vans with trailers trying to put them back again.