"Cyclists in Amsterdam are fearless: no helmets, no protective kit. Yet they may be safer, too"
http://guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jun/26/road-safety-cyclists-helmet
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
"Cyclists in Amsterdam are fearless - may be safer, too"
(15 posts)-
Posted 12 years ago #
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good article. will it reach the non-cycling obsessed? maybe.
had a colleague do that 'oh you're brave to cycle (with kids) thing the other day. soooo annoying. it always comes across like 'you;re too cheap to buy a car to protect your kids' and hence 'bad parent.
Posted 12 years ago # -
I hear you, SRD. Was booking a campsite over the phone for our sojourn in East Anglia later this week. Once the woman on the other end realised we were travelling with young children on bicycles, again the comment "That's brave!"
I suppose it shows how unusual it is in this country, if people feel the need to comment.
Posted 12 years ago # -
"The mums winding along Prinsengracht, one baby strapped into a chair on the handlebars, another squashed in behind, has no helmet (and no brakes either). "
...... Most bikes have coaster brakes that make it look like they have no brakes to the untrained eye. I very much doubt they are cycling bikes with no brakes.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Yep, exactly - they may be the craaaaazy Dutch, but they 'aint stoopid.
I'm not sure where this view of Amsterdam being utterly littered with bike lanes comes from either. Sure there are more than here, and a few segregated as well, but they're by no means universal, and it really can take time to adjust to cycling in the city. As I found out.
I suspect the writer of the article didn't actually hop on a bike while in the city.
And yep, I've hda the 'brave' comment as well. For riding on the road? Really? It's as if no-one ever dies in a car or on a train or on a plane or while walking...
Posted 12 years ago # -
Seems to be just me but I find the whole wording of this article quite bizarre. Firstly the whole "fearless but MAY be safer? Fearless suggests being unafraid in the face of danger, not that there is no reason to be afraid in the first place. Mind you he doesn't seem to know about coaster brakes since he thinks the Dutch all ride about without any. And his utter astonishment at how anyone could ever venture near a bike without protective clothing, even in a bike friendly culture. I mean, really? He seems to be railing against safety gear for cycling but at the same time unable to comprehend going out without it. :-/
Posted 12 years ago # -
Nope, it's not just you. As I say, sounds like there was no actual cycling done by the writer, but merely watching (presumably open-mouthed in amazement) at those riding by.
And if they are safer then there's no need to be fearless.
There's no getting away from the fact that it's trying to be a pro-cycling article, but written from a British 'but cycling is dangerous isn't it' startign point.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Seems to me he is trying to work through his ideas and convey his observations. at times a little cryptically. its not an 'easy' read. An editor might have said 'be clear about your message'. But not sure anyone edits the (former) editor. goes back to question of difference in writing columns/blogs etc versus 'news'.
Posted 12 years ago # -
You're a much kinder person than most SRD. :)
On the difference in styles (and to hit a tangent) I find so much proper 'news' is being written in an awful bloggy style these days.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Min his utter astonishment at how anyone could ever venture near a bike without protective clothing,
Listen to Edi Stark talking to writer Bella Bathurst about her new 'Bicycle' book and the same 'do you realise the risks?' attitude is on display. Bella has to spend the first few minutes discussing this rather than her book.
http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3282No I'm not on commission but am looking forward to reading it!
Posted 12 years ago # -
"And his utter astonishment at how anyone could ever venture near a bike without protective clothing, even in a bike friendly culture. I mean, really? He seems to be railing against safety gear for cycling but at the same time unable to comprehend going out without it"
I really didn't get that impression at all from the article, in fact I think I got the opposite impression!
Posted 12 years ago # -
You mean he thinks everyone should be wearing safety gear even when they don't need to as it is already safe? Could be. I'm not sure.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Hmm, probably didin't quote you very well.
"his utter astonishment at how anyone could ever venture near a bike without protective clothing" didn't come across for me.
And also didin't get the impression that he was "unable to comprehend going out without it"
Maybe just me though...
When I originally read the article the first thing I looked at before anything else was the caption under the photo. That gave me a different impression to what the article was actually about. Perhaps that was the fault of the caption editor.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Ah right. It is these bits:
Then look, in amazement, at the kit they wear (or rather, the kit they don't wear). No lurid jackets or (etc)
Would you really be AMAZED?
And this after talking about the design and culture that make cycling safe there:
Yet still the lack of protective kit is amazing.
No. No it isn't. Why should it be? :-/
Posted 12 years ago # -
They should send him to India or China so he can be ASTOUNDED at people cycling wearing only flip-flops or sandals (or even nowt) on their feet.
Posted 12 years ago #
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