Letters in the Times, Bristol Evening Post and now Local
Transport Today, all in a week!
the LTT one:
"I couldn't help noticing the irony of two stories in LTT of
6th May: The front page article "Tackling obesity epidemic
requires change in travel habits says medical chief" and on
page 7 "Bill to compel kids to wear helmets is scuppered by
absent MPs".
The only demonstrable effect of mass cycle helmet promotion
and laws is to hugely depress the number of people cycling
and despite the denial by Mr Martlew, the sponsoring MP,
this has happened everywhere that a helmet law has been
introduced.
The effect of helmet laws has therefore been entirely
opposite to that intended, with a reduction in public health
and massive costs to the public purse, as fewer people take
healthy exercise, obesity increases and, since the safety of
cyclists appears to be largely dependent on the number of
cyclists, cycling becomes more dangerous.
It is to be regretted that the debate was lost on a
technicality, as this is a fascinating subject, but one
clouded by misinformation and distortion. The claims made
by the Bicycle Helmet Initiative Trust (BHIT) have been
shown to be untrue, but this has not stopped them promoting
three Bills in parliament to make cycle helmets compulsory
and getting MPs, who it might be hoped would be slightly
more sceptical of a single issue pressure group, to believe
their claims.
The facts are that nowhere that such a law has been enacted
has demonstrated any reduction in risk to cyclists and in
some places there has been an increase in risk. In Alberta,
Canada, where the law applied only to those aged 16 and
under, as did this proposal, deaths and injuries to that
group doubled.
The only conclusion to be drawn from the debate is that road
safety policy should not be made by fanatical do-gooders and
gullible politicians.
Richard Burton."
I have to admit I'm astonished that the published the last
paragraph!
--
cheers
Rich