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The Southsider magazine

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  1. Kirst
    Member

    Those of us who liven the southside might know the Southsider magazine, a freebie found in post offices and the like. It has regular columns from councillors, MSPs, the police etc and one by local health visitor Sandi Pringle.

    Her column in the summer 2010 issue contains the paragraph

    "Another big concern I have is the use of bike trailer buggies (adult bikes with an attached trailer where a child sits). While I accept they can be fun for a family day out in the right location, somewhere like a country park or round Arthur's Seat, I don't feel they can be entirely safe when used on a busy city street. It's not always the case, but often neither the child nor the adult is wearing a crash helmet, but what upsets me more is the height the child sits at. The height of these trailer buggies mean that the child is sitting at the same height as a car exhaust allowing the child to inhale toxic fumes. Whilst the adult may be an experienced bike rider you can never predict what other road users may do. My fear is that a driver may not see the bike and a child could be seriously or fatally injured. I'm sure you will agree that our city roads are in a terrible condition with large potholes, not to mention all the road works going on. This makes the roads more hazardous and a greater danger than ever to everyone who uses them. Please take care and think before using these bike trailer buggies on our busy dangerous roads."

    The Southsider magazine is published by the Southside Association, editor George Pitcher. His email is given in the magazine as geo.pitcher@o2.co.uk. I've emailed him a Letter to the Editor. Other southsiders might like to do the same...

    Posted 14 years ago #

  2. LaidBack
    Member

    I know George.... my daughter went to Canongate Youth Project and he was involved with that.

    I will take issue and see about sending a version of the family cycling article that I have prepared for anyone interested (ie no-one in car financed media!)

    The views in the above reflect exactly the difficulty I have in selling my child friendly tandem or any bit of bike hardware that is not a MTB. I'm sure the EBC and other retailers would be take issue too.

    I doubt Sandi Pringle cycles then - but I could be wrong as these views aren't always confined to drivers.
    A recent survey showed that exhaust fumes inside cars are in fact very high (luxury gas guzzlers excluded as they condition their environment to the detriment of all others)

    When I read stuff like that my heart sinks as I realise that this generation really is at grave risk of conforming itself to death - backed up by people that should be our natural allies.

    Posted 14 years ago #

  3. Kirst
    Member

    If she does my next smear I'll take the opportunity to berate her. No, no I won't. I'll be polite and remember that she's the one with the speculum, but I'll be berating her in my head.

    My email to the Editor said

    "I was very disappointed at Sandi Pringle's negative comments about cycling and kiddie bike trailers in the Summer issue of the Southsider. Firstly, there is no conclusive evidence that wearing a helmet prevents head injuries to cyclists, and there is some evidence that they can increase the likelihood of injury (by encouraging drivers to pass too close) and increase the severity of some injuries by causing the head to slide across the ground and causing a shearing injury. Furthermore, there is lots of evidence to say that pedestrians, motorists and passengers in motor vehicles are statistically more at risk of a head injury as they walk or drive about, but she hasn't recommended helmets for them.

    I think it's really sad that she's taking the attitude that the roads are busy and dangerous so people shouldn't use kiddie bike trailers. Wouldn't it be more reasonable to suggest that as cars/motorists are the ones creating the risk, people should think twice about using their cars? Encouraging people to walk or cycle instead of driving is better for our health, our environment and our wallets and it's a shame Sandi has chosen to discourage people from a healthy activity rather than taking the opportunity to promote cycling and discourage driving."

    Posted 14 years ago #

  4. SRD
    Moderator

    There's also a lot of evidence that trailers are safer than bike seats, because they're less likely to tip and closer to the ground if they do spill over. I don't feel that way instinctively, but I gather there is quite a lot of evidence to that effect.

    Posted 14 years ago #

  5. gembo
    Member

    Kirst in all research about anything you should distinguish between evidence based on simulation or self-report and evidence based on actual behaviour

    Posted 14 years ago #

  6. recombodna
    Member

    A quick search came up with this. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10768671.

    But I wonder how many kids have been injured as a result of bike seat/trailer accidents and how many in car accidents?

    Posted 14 years ago #

  7. SRD
    Moderator

    More importantly, we need to know what the population is -- how many kids go in trailers/how often (ie number of journeys), and ditto bike seats, so that we know what the frequency of injury in each is. Otherwise the data is pretty useless in terms of making policy -- although it shows more kids are injured in bike seats, presumably more kids are transported in bike seats?

    (maybe that is in the article? I only read the abstract, but given the nature of the report, i doubt they would have that data)

    Posted 14 years ago #

  8. Kirst
    Member

    "Kirst in all research about anything you should distinguish between evidence based on simulation or self-report and evidence based on actual behaviour"

    Maybe, but she's not even talking about evidence, she's advising people not to do something based on her own prejudices.

    Posted 14 years ago #

  9. spytfyre
    Member

    My personal 2p worth...
    I like the trailers but wouldn't trust drivers to stay back far enough, they are at bumper height and to a bus they are not better than a bag of shopping in the road
    Once my bairn is too big for bike seat he will (hopefully) be trained on his zooom pedalless bike to get his balance and be started on a pedal bike therefore can get a towalong, given the distance he lives from nursery, and the fact I will cut through Harrison Park anyway, I don't think I will even bother putting him on a bike just to travel 600 metres, given the time taken to disconnect the trailalong bike/trailer and chain it up (pointless taking it into town and back) besides as it is an afternoon slot he has been given I won't be able to do the drop off at all...
    I think he will be getting a pedal bike for Christmas and practising a lot more before then on his zooom

    Posted 14 years ago #

  10. recombodna
    Member

    I've dotted about with the kids n a trailer for a couple of years now and my experience is that drivers DO see you and Back off. More so than if you don't have a trailer. Obviously I wouldn't be towing them in HEAVY traffic but around town I've never had a problem. My kids sustain most of their injuries running down the pavement or playing in the park ( or hitting each other with toy golf clubs).

    Posted 14 years ago #

  11. spytfyre
    Member

    yeah we should ban those golf clubs
    and parks
    and pavements

    Posted 14 years ago #

  12. chdot
    Admin

    "yeah we should ban those golf clubs"

    Oh that sort of golf club.

    Posted 14 years ago #

  13. spytfyre
    Member

    well no I reckon we should ban golf entirely, a huge waste of land and a good walk
    "Golf is a good walk spoiled"
    - Mark Twain

    Posted 14 years ago #

  14. chdot
    Admin

    "Golf is a good walk spoiled"

    Know the quote - didn't realise it was by him.

    It's a shame Jack McConnell was keener on golf than cycling when he decreed that all Scottish schoolchildren should have lessons in the recreation.

    Posted 14 years ago #

  15. recombodna
    Member

    Yeah let's star a new movement Cyclists Rail Against Parks and Pavements or C.R.A.P.P for short.

    Posted 14 years ago #

  16. Kim
    Member

    @SRD: Policy based on evidence? Are you sure?? ;-)

    How about this resent Dutch paper "Do The Health Benefits Of Cycling Outweigh The Risks?" which concludes "On average the estimated health benefits of cycling were substantially larger than the risks of cycling relative to car driving. For the society as a whole this can be even larger as there will be a reduction in air pollution emissions and eventually less traffic accidents. Policies stimulating cycling are likely to have net beneficial effects on public health especially if accompanied by suitable transport planning and safety measures."

    Posted 14 years ago #

  17. LaidBack
    Member

    The height of these trailer buggies mean that the child is sitting at the same height as a car exhaust allowing the child to inhale toxic fumes.

    Wonder what the health visitor would make of trikes?

    Imagine how fantastic the environment would be if we actually got cars out of Holyrood Park.

    Posted 14 years ago #

  18. alanr
    Member

    Does she know that toxic fumes are gases, so they move around in the air? ie, even if you're higher off the ground, they're still there. Okay, you get more of them the lower down you are, but really ...

    Posted 14 years ago #

  19. Kirst
    Member

    Email the editor!

    Posted 14 years ago #

  20. Kirst
    Member

    The new issue is out. My letter wasn't printed :-( but there are two others - one from a Gordon Taylor of Morningside Road, and one from a certain David Gardiner, along with an article from him about family cycling. Neither are as good as mine. ;-)

    Posted 14 years ago #

  21. LaidBack
    Member

    one from a certain David Gardiner, along with an article from him about family cycling.

    That man has said quite enough before - spoiling things for everyone ;-)

    Sorry Kirst as you fired us all up at the start.

    Posted 14 years ago #

  22. Kirst
    Member

    Nah, that's ok. Better those letters than none! Someone needs to tell that David to zip it though. ;-)

    Posted 14 years ago #

  23. Arellcat
    Moderator

    Someone needs to tell that David to zip it though. ;-)

    Gardiner? I don't buy it. It's probably that awful Bobby McWheeler using a pseudonym. :-) I haven't seen a copy of the magazine for ages, so I'll have a look tomorrow.

    Posted 14 years ago #

  24. Kirst
    Member

    They've got it in the Newington post office.

    Posted 14 years ago #

  25. LaidBack
    Member

    that awful Bobby McWheeler

    Whatever happened to him...? Bobby wasn't exactly bike friendly - one reason why Anth gave him the heave from CC.

    Posted 14 years ago #

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