Cycling in Melbourne Australia
helmets ...
Until mandatory helmet legislation is reviewed or removed, it is illegal to ride a bike without a helmet.
I find the quickest way to pass comment on a cyclist riding without a helmet, whether they're approaching from the opposite direction, or after you ride past them, is to loudly slap your own helmet twice, with no verbal exchange. BANG BANG. It's as loud as a handclap and gets the message across - "Where's yours?"
This also applies to people riding along with their helmet dangling from their bars - "It goes on your head, mate."
I haven't heard any good 'well, it's like, my head, man' rebuttals lately. Does anyone have one?
(this discussion inspired by the recent helmet info posted.)
I find the quickest way to pass comment on a cyclist riding without a helmet, whether they're approaching from the opposite direction, or after you ride past them, is to loudly slap your own helmet twice, with no verbal exchange. BANG BANG. It's as loud as a handclap and gets the message across - "Where's yours?"
This also applies to people riding along with their helmet dangling from their bars - "It goes on your head, mate."
I haven't heard any good 'well, it's like, my head, man' rebuttals lately. Does anyone have one?
(this discussion inspired by the recent helmet info posted.)
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Adrian Tritschler on -
If it makes you feel good then go for it, but be prepared for any aggro or bizarre retaliation from offended nutters, or if you live where I do just plain quizzical looks from overseas students who have no idea that any road rules apply at all.
Generally I don't bother, I could spend all day smacking my helmet at the people riding without one, pointing at the traffic lights for the people going through the red ones, yelling out at the people exceeding the speed limit, riding with no lights at night, riding with no reflectors or bell, going the wrong way on one way streets or using mobile phones. I sat at a table in Chappel st and during an hour from 6:30 to 7:30pm watched not one single cyclist of 50 or more stop when the traffic lights were red, could have shouted myself hoarse but I had a beer instead.
Kind of funny, but one day I watched an elegantly dressed woman riding along a bike path with helmet dangling over the bars, she didn't want to mess up her luvverly hairdo. The straps caught in the front wheel and jacknifed the bike, down she went face-first in the mud beside the path. Both myself and the people with her jumped to help then burst out laughing when we saw she was ok, just covered in mud and crap. I rode off while she was getting a serve from her companions about wearing the helmet not hanging it over the bars.
-
Permalink Reply by Alex 4.0 on -
I can't say it makes me feel good - I just feel motivated to do something, anything, to encourage people wear one while we wait patiently for motorists to look up once in a while from their tomtoms, ipods, mobiles et cetera. The overseas students tend to stick out (riding near a university, riding competently) and, on the occasions I've politely opened my mouth, more than happy to receive updates on our quirky local cycling requirements.
Was that red light a pedestrian crossing, or an intersection with traffic flying across it? When I'm feeling malicious I like to suggest people I see run reds, then wait at a busier intersection, to run that one as well, in the interests of consistency. Thanks for the feedback :)
-
Permalink Reply by Cory on -
So the lesson learned... if you don't wear a helmet, don't carry it on yr bars. If you do carry it on your bars, wear a helmet! ;)
-
Permalink Reply by Adrian Tritschler on
-
Pretty much, but take a look at a lot of high schools or primary schools where any kids still ride, a lot of them wear the helmets to school but then hang them on the bars for the ride home. Mum or dad makes them wear them out of the house, nobody makes them wear them to come home.
-
Permalink Reply by Victor on -
Interesting, isn't it? Could it be because their parents haven't shown them any evidence that wearing helmets reduces the risk and level of injuries when they have an accident? Of course that evidence is very arguable - opinions seem very divided on whether helmets actually benefit cyclists. So perhaps it's no surprise that these kids aren't convinced they're worth wearing!
-
Permalink Reply by Steve B on
-
Anyone who argues the benefits of helmets just needs to have a decent crash on their bike ..... Then they can talk about the benefits of good old lid !
-
Permalink Reply by Victor on
-
That sounds like a painful (and possibly terminal) learning method. It would be preferable for parents to convince their children that helmets are worth wearing while cycling. Although I said the evidence is arguable, I still support the use of helmets.
In this article, it's clear nobody's wearing helmets, but that's only because Amsterdam has reached a point where the number of cyclists is so high that car drivers are forced to take more care around them.
© 2013 Created by DamianM.
