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MCC News, Issue 47, Aug-Sept 2007
Tour de France 2007
made a great start in London!
Photos
and report by Duncan Harper
Incredible!
What a 07/07/07! The Tour de France Prologue in Central London, on Saturday 7th
July 2007, made for a very interesting and successful day. In the morning, we
met up with other MCC cyclists in Wimbledon town centre. We then cycled
together towards Hyde Park in one large group.
On
arrival, we parked our bikes in a special temporary bike park (which could hold
up to 11,000 bikes) provided by the GLA. Our group then broke up and we went on
separately from there. My friend and I went to the People’s Village to stroll
around the French and English themed food stalls. Other stalls included
information about bicycle culture and there was also a dedicated LCC stall.
After
sitting on the grass and eating lunch, we went to the viewing area at Hyde Park
Corner, specially reserved for LCC members and their friends. This turned out
to be a large roundabout island covered in trees and grass, along with safety
barriers doubling up as a seating area. There was also a large TV screen and a
number of portacabin toilets, plus a couple of policemen and litter-pickers;
all specially provided for us!
We
watched the Prologue on the the large TV screen and took a number of photos as
the professional cyclists raced past us at 35 mph (55kph). I then met and
talked to some London Cycling Campaign members who I knew, and relaxed on the
grass and talked with my friend.
After
the Prologue had finished we left the island to collect our bicycles, and
cycled along various empty roads around Whitehall (closed for the weekend
because of the Tour).
I
certainly enjoyed the day and felt very privileged to be there, especially with
the reserved area for LCC members. A big thank you to the LCC Office and Ken
Livingstone for this! The weather was beautiful too. Amazing!
Compulsory Helmets:
a recipe for less cycling and more dangerous road
conditions for cyclists
In response to an item in MCC News 45, like most cycle campaigners, I am firmly against compulsory helmets for cyclists. This personal view is also the policy position of the LCC, the CTC, and the European Cyclists Federation. It is difficult to sum up in a few words here the plethora of research evidence which underpins this position, so I will highlight very briefly what I think are the strongest arguments.
A law
making it compulsory for cyclists to wear helmets would reduce the number of
cyclists. In 1991, bicycle helmets were made compulsory in Australia and New
Zealand and 30-40% of cyclists gave up cycling as a direct result. Fewer
people cycling leads to an increase in deaths from heart disease and other
illnesses associated with a sedentary lifestyle, as well as less safe roads for
people who continue to cycle, because motorists are less used to accommodating
cyclists. Dr Mayer Hillman, writing for the BMA in 1992, calculated that
life years gained by cycling outweigh life years lost in cycle crashes by 20 to
1.
There
is no evidence, other than anecdote, that cycle helmets deliver protection for
cyclists against anything more severe than a minor bump. Scientific
research evidence shows that wherever helmet-wearing rates have been driven up
(whether through promotional campaigns or, worse still, laws banning cycling without
helmets), the reduction in cycle use has been equal to or greater than any fall
in cycle casualties.
This
not only means that valuable health benefits have been lost, but also that, in
many cases, the risk for those who continue cycling has actually got worse.
The
countries with the lowest risk of cycling injuries are those where helmet use
is minimal, eg Netherlands and Denmark. These countries also have the
highest levels of bicycle use. They have chosen to create safer road
conditions rather than promote the wearing of cycle helmets.
The
most effective way to reduce the likelihood of injury when cycling is to
increase the number of people who cycle. The best way to achieve that is
to make all roads safer for cycling by cutting both the volume and speed of
motor traffic, and introduce laws which place more responsibility on those who
pose the greatest dangers: motorists.
Helmet
wearing should remain a matter of personal individual choice; it must never
become compulsory.
Useful websites
http://www.lcc.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=211
Richard Evans
Bike Security
In
order to reduce the possibility of having your bike stolen there are a number
of preventative measures you can take: -
• Record and register your bike with www.immobilise.com - this will assist police in returning recovered bikes to their rightful owners.
• Take a colour photograph of your bike and make a written record of its description, including any unique features, so that an accurate description can be given if it’s stolen.
• Security mark your bike and make sure that: -
- There is a
clear indication of the fact that the bike is tagged or marked
- Use
‘tamper-resistant’ labels, etching or an inaccessible electronic tag
- Marking should
be placed in two separate locations and at least one of these should not be
clearly visible
·
Mark your bike with your postcode and house number
At
home secure your bike to an immovable object or consider installing a floor or
wall-mounted
anchor lock for extra security; more than half of all bike thefts take
place
from an owner’s property so a few simple crime prevention methods can
lessen
your chances of having your bike stolen. When you use your bike don’t lock it
in the same place on a regular basis – so it won’t be noticed and stolen to
order.
Lock
both wheels and the frame together taking any smaller parts and accessories
that can be removed without tools, with you, e.g. lights, pumps, panniers and
quick-release saddles etc, or fit security fasteners on items such as wheels
and seat posts.
There are a number of different products on the market, and price is not necessarily a reliable indicator of quality. The most important factor is how long the product can resist attack. You should look for products that have been tested against attack. www.soldsecure.com is a Police and Home Office backed initiative administered by the Master Locksmiths Association dealing with the assessment of security products.
To
guard against the opportunist thief you need a product that has resisted attack
for at least one minute, to guard against the determined thief you need a
product that has resisted attack for three minutes and to guard against the
dedicated thief you need a product that has resisted attack for five minutes.
If
you have you bike stolen, you can report the theft online, by phone or in
person at your local police station.
For
any further advice contact Merton Police Crime Reduction Office on 020 8649
3245.
Crime Reduction Officer / CPDA
Merton Borough
Metropolitan Police
T-Shirt is a piece of artwork
Wimbledon
Racquets and Fitness club wanted to try something different for their Bike Week
event on 16th June. They hired local artist and London Cycling Campaign member
Heather Shepherd to run a cycling themed art workshop.
Heather
has her own business called Artcycle and usually helps children in schools
create works of art by recycling junk. For the club event she brought along 30
plain white T-shirts and using Hi-Viz paint children were able to create their
own designs. Children who were at the club playing in their badminton session
had a break from their games to have a go at creating their own work of art.
The
paint just about dried in time before the children resumed their badminton
matches wearing their new colourful T-shirts. The event was so popular the
T-shirts ran out and Heather had to quickly send out for more.
The
attached photo shows a young badminton player proudly wearing his new T-shirt
and admiring the other efforts.
Fred Ellis
Wimbledon Racquets and Fitness Club