Yesterday, Labour's MP for Liverpool Walton, Dan Carden, had a written question for the Department for Transport...
For what reasons the government will not make it a legal requirement for cyclists to wear helmets?
In reply, the Minister of State for the Department for Transport said the government "recommends that all cyclists wear helmets, as set out in the Highway Code" and "particularly encourages children to wear helmets".
"Helmet wearing is strongly advised in the Bikeability programme and school children are taught the correct way to fit them. A 2018 safety review considered mandating helmet wearing for all cyclists but concluded that this would deter many people from cycling and therefore any safety benefits would undermine wider health and environmental benefits," the reply came.
We often joke semi-facetiously that the reasons why we might not use a cycle lane are well into the thousands by now... poor condition, terrible routing, painful give way lines... the list goes on. But bike lane blockages, namely by those who've 'just popped to the shops' or are 'just dropping something off' would be right up there in the top ten reasons, we'd assume...
"There's a car park 20 meters away": Cyclists slam cycle lane parking putting riders in dangerhttps://t.co/ENa2l6sMQP#cyclingpic.twitter.com/rbTbLLdqlg
— road.cc (@roadcc) March 14, 2023
Yep, this is yesterday's story about the cycle lane in Bristol on... *checks notes* Park Row... that is, well, yep, you see the irony...
> "There's a car park 20 metres away": Cyclists slam cycle lane parking putting riders in danger
The story prompted a bit of discussion about the issue in the comments, the perfect start to a live blog in my book...
pete666 reckons we could have a job for Danny MacAskill, "to ride over the offending vehicles", while eburtthebike was (jokingly) outraged at the fact the nearest multi-storey car park is a whole 20 metres away...
"You expect me to walk twenty metres?! Quite, quite mad."
Even Google Maps' Street View has captured the absurdity of the situation...
Owd Big 'Ead: "If Bristol is anything like Derby, it would appear that double yellow lines and a continuous white line denoting a cycle lane count for nothing. Whether loading, or not, vehicles of all kinds are allowed to park wherever they like with absolutely no chance of enforcement measures against them.
"It makes me wonder what the actual point of putting cycle lanes in at all, is all about. Are councils really that hard-pressed that they will take any government funding available, whether needed or not, just so that they can go through the exercise of ticking a box or two and believing that they are doing their bit?
"There is one 20 metre contraflow section in Derby city centre that is constantly full of private hire taxis every Friday and Saturday night, where you are already dodging pissed up revellers then turn a corner to find the cycle lane full of cars and a bus coming headlong at you with nowhere to go.
"I've queried this lack of enforcement with the groups of police that wander the streets keeping the pissed up yobbos from scrapping and all you get is a shrug of the shoulders or 'try walking if you don't like it'!!"
Oldfatgit: "Makes me laugh that the same people moaning about cyclists pointing this stuff out, will be the same people that moan that cyclists never use the cycle lanes"
HoldingOn: "There are several cars parked on the solid line cycle lane on my route to/from work every day. It really bothers me when nothing is done about it. People I've spoken to about it usually respond with 'I didn't know you weren't allowed to park in a cycle lane'.
"Ignorance is not an excuse to break the law, however I do think Bristol council could help remove any form of doubt, by putting a cover over the parking meter so drivers don't see the parking sign on its side and think its okay to park there."
Sriracha: "'Park Row' — maybe it's nominative determinism?"
London Bridge on Tube strike day. Nice day for a walk or bike ride… never seen the City so busy on a strike day pic.twitter.com/lI0voKw397
— Ross Lydall (@RossLydall) March 15, 2023
London’s network of Cycleways is really busy today. 🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲
Please cycle safely and be considerate of others - it’s not the Tour de France! pic.twitter.com/niCliHzk4B
— Will Norman (@willnorman) March 15, 2023
It is Cheltenham week after all...
Officers from @ASPoliceHorses have been supporting #OpTelecom, our operation to clamp down on the risk posed by drivers who use their phone at the wheel. This driver was sighted & stopped on East Reach, #Taunton. Drivers face 6 points & £200 fine if caught using a phone.#FATAL5pic.twitter.com/sW3YXWcaMU
— ASPolice Roads Policing (RPU) (@ASPRoadSafety) March 14, 2023
Get your best gags in the comments...
WARNING: anything involving 'why such the long face' WILL result in disciplinary action...
If you've just sat down at your desk this morning (kudos for dipping into the live blog for some early procrastination) take a look at the clock, count forward six hours and imagine what you'd do if until then you had to talk, pretty much non-stop about cycling. Ready? 3. 2. 1....
The last time I watched the race at home, I had it on the projector, faded it out to black and white, turned off the commentary and put the soundtrack to Koyaanisqatsi own instead. Then I fell asleep.
— Ned Boulting 🏳️⚧️ (@nedboulting) March 15, 2023