Around Town

i have cycled for 6 years in london and most of the time i end up in shit because im cycling like a twat. iv been hit once which wasnt my fault but i was scooting down the outside of traffic at speed so the inevitable happened. if you are sensible, have good breaks, and aggressive (in riding) when its needed cycling is the ONLY and BEST way to get about the city! there is absolutely no excuse to not wear a helmet, it is the small knocks that cause serious damage.
enjoy the fresh air and being able to look in on slow angry drivers at the mercy of roadworks and traffic lights!! :)

These people who do not promote the wearing of helmets have obviously never seen the top of a person's head sliced off in an accident. I was in Manchester and witnessed a female cyclist, without a helmet, knocked off her bike by a car and the top of her head was a mess. Prettier without a helmet? She didn't look pretty at all......

A positive encounter!
Cycling home from a night-shift I decide to cross a mini-roundabout at a side-street crossroads in Brockley before the car coming towards me turns right - across my path.
All well & good except, focused on the car, I don't see white-van-man coming from my right who's also intent on getting across before the car.
I see my life ending as I discover myself clipped in & flat in front of the oncoming van. I pedal hard to get out of the way and the van just touches my back wheel.
Bike & I, arc through the air and scrape to a halt on the rough tarmac on the other side next to the car.
Everything goes silent.
I pick myself up and realise the car, the van and all other traffic has stopped. Car driver ask me if I'm Ok. I shake myself down and check - I've got a few(!) scrapes and the handlebars are crooked. Easily straightened. Will heal.
The van has stopped just past the roundabout and the Rastafarian driver comes over to me as white as a sheet - (metaphorically ;-) He says he thought he'd killed me. I reply I thought I was dead too but I'm not. I suggest we were both rushing a bit too much for this early in the morning!!!
In the middle of the raised circle of the roundabout and in the silence, we hug, reassuring each other that our lives will continue. We apologise to each other. We wish each other well.
He goes back to his van & I hobble off to Catford station to the safety of catching a train the rest of the way home.
I'm back on my bike now. :)

I have just cycled home in the rain and had what I would class as a very dangerous encounter. It wasn't the driving rain, nor the slippery drain covers, the heavy traffic over Tower Bridge...nope it was a lone white van driver. He was doing less than 5mph and his aim was to menace me. And that he did do. After trying to over take me onto a busy road he turned into me and blocked my way. Then he played games for a few minutes letting me pass and blocking me. But that wasn't dangerous enough for him...he grabbed me by the arm pulled me forcefully into his open window and told me that he would kill me. I gave him a few choice words and informed him that I knew his kind. But he had to have the last word by telling me he'd run me over if I got in his way. So do I think cycling in London is dangerous....only when there is a white van driver in the vicinity!
So next time you see a white van driver behaving like a royal twat...lean in and add a sticker 'TWAT ALERT!

you guys are stupid, im 26 i have ridden in the roads since i was 12 i have never been hit by a car for the simple fact i look where im going do you really think reading this rubbish and making people believe all cyclists are like you bitter whining gits is gonna make people cycle more? it wont.

I agree that cycling in the UK is perceived by most to be a very dangerous pastime. At best, it is several times more dangerous to be commuting by bicycle than by car. However, it is also true to say that regardless of the likelihood of being mown down during one's journey to work, regular cyclists live longer than non-cyclists.
This makes me assume two things:
1. The likelihood of being killed or seriously injured while cycling is still extremely low.
2. The benefits gained through improved fitness levels far outweigh the dangers of getting on your bike.
Despite this, the majority of people have no concept of the damage they are stacking up due to a sedentary lifestyle, bad diet, and even smoking. They only see the danger in the here and now.
The stats do show that the more people who cycle, the safer it becomes.
Of course, campaigns to encourage cycling which also encourage buying a helmet, hi-vis clothing, lights, and reflectors only go to reinforce cycling's reputation as dangerous.
However, under any circumstances, I would much rather be wearing a good quality helmet, and if at night wear hi-vis and be using a good set of lights, as this will definitely mean motorists are more likely to see me, and if they don't, my head is reasonably well protected. Even if everyone in the country rode a bike, this would still be the case.

Dr Carnall how does a blind person make eye to eye contact with drivers? "Naked Streets" discriminate against the visually impaired.

UK (London at any rate) is BY FAR the most intolerant city I've ever cyled in, as a resident communter cyclist from DC in US, NZ, Amsterdam to Brazil. This intolerance escalates anger and in some cases considerably adds to danger (esp fm car drivers). In Amsterdam cyclists are omnipresent, sail through red lights, go on pavements yet there is almost nothing of the aggression levels in London. I conclude that London intolerance is a horrible side of 'british culture', which seems to be based around this idea of 'moral superiority'. All of pedestrians, motorists and cyclists break rules, so what is it that makes people so 'justifiably' angry - the moral high ground part? Its not safety - in most, but not all, accidents cyclists will come off worst. I think it's that the person who ISN'T breaking the rule FEELS that YOU are going to think yourself morally superior - ha ha one over etc. However, this is imputing a motive that isn't there most probably - if I go through a red light as a cyclist I'm doing it usually to get ahead of traffic throng, safety, avoid pollution, or simply that there's no one crossing eg not because I want to feel superior. Its the perception that is the problem. I do see this as a uniquely British phenomenon. Go to Amsterdam for a week and then come back and have an adult debate about cycling, its really pretty depressing and childish otherwise. Intolerance does breed intolerance as there is no net benefit for being a 'good' cyclist if everyone just vents at 'all cyclists' when they have this debate, in this way. Peace and goodwill boys and girls.

Pedestrians are far more likely to be killed or seriously injured per km than cyclists. So why make helmets compulsory for cyclists but allow the more vulnerable pedestrian to walk without a helmet? Logical?

matthew makes a good point. i always jump red lights. do you know what this means to me? at least 100 metres with no cars trying to knock me over!!! cyclist are the most aware of all traffic; they have to watch out for cars, taxis, buses, pedestrians, and other cyclists...the cyclist who have no road sense..god knows i have come across my fair share.

To Lyndon Wade: Possibly they started out wearing the helmet but it became hot and uncomfortable so they sensibly removed it. Possibly part of their journey will be off-road where the chances of a fall are greater and there is at least some evidence that a helmet can do some good. Possibly they are on their way to an organised event where a helmet will be mandatory but do not wish to wear it on the road. When I used to race in evening events at Hillingdon I would always carry my helmet strapped to my back pack when I rode to and from the event. I would have raced without it if I had been allowed to.
Cycling is no more dangerous than walking and is not particularly productive of head injuries so the people who choose to wear helmets while cycling on the road are not in very great danger. But the most reliable evidence is that they are marginally more likely to sustain a serious or fatal injury than those who do not.

I concur with previous comments that wearing a helmet is up to the individual, however, nothing irritates me more than cyclists that choose to ride with their helmet hanging around their handle bars...why? To put on when a cop comes into view? It is perfectly legal to ride without one. To put it on at the anticipation of an accident? Yeah, right. If you don't want to mess up your hair, leave your helmet at home. If you want to give your skull a bit of extra protection, put it on your head.

why would you encourage people to not wear helmets? i have undertaken no research into whether helmets are beneficial and i have not seen any, but i always wear a helmet. why wouldnt i, i can be 100% sure that wearing a helmet is not doing me any harm, and could feasibly save my life. Im completely baffled by that article.

I've cycled to work almost daily for 4 years during which I've been hit twice. Although bruised and very much shaken up, I was not seriously injured primarily because I wore a helmet. In one instance, I landed on my head so hard that the helmet cracked. The consequences of following the advice of this Dr. is at best a cracked head and a visit to A&E. The only downside - another £20 for a new helmet although I view this as one of the best purchases in my life. I won't sit here and lecture others to wear helmets - in this country it is a personal choice. However, I believe it is irresponsible for a doctor to actively encourage people not take easy and inexpensive measures to protect themselves from serious head injury.

I second Bruce Whitehead's comments re the Aussie approach (also used for motorists in the US). If if is safe to do so, cyclists should be allowed to both turn left on red, and straight ahead on red if there is no actual left turn.
Of course, such a move should be done cautiously, and with respect for everyone else concerned -- esp. including pedestrians.
So how about a change in the law?