Cycling the single biggest sporting activity for referrals to brain unit in Beaumont

Well, there's two ways of looking at that! Perhaps it's the case that the speed limits are ridiculously low, particularly the lower urban limits. I mean 30kmh, less than 19mph in old money, is farcical. Having a law that unrealistic only succeeds in lowering respect for the law and driving a wedge between citizens and law enforcement. ...

It based on how survivable an accident between a pedestrian and car is.

 
I grew up in Cambridge, a cycling city, in the 60s. You weren't allowed ride your bike to school until you had passed a practical riding and road safety course given in the school playground by a local police person. Worked.

There is a cycling programme in Primary schools. I forget the name of the programme.
 
They may feel safer but it's dangerous and against the law. If you lack the skills, confidence or coordination to cycle on the road or in a cycle lane/path then you shouldn't cycle. My 11 year old cycles on the road. Adults and teenagers cycling on footpaths are embarrassing themselves.

Since there are cycle lane on shared paths, its can't be both dangerous and not dangerous due a line of paint.
 
Why any cyclist could possibly think that not wearing a helmet, while cycling, is a good idea... I just don't understand.
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Maybe ask these guys...where are their helmets and hiviz?

 
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Of 26 patients with cycling-related head injuries who were transferred to the unit, [....

Last time i looked at hospital and cycling stats, there was no way of knowing if it was someone mountain biking, a cyclist commuting, or child falling off in their garden or a public park. These stats also don't give any context.

I wear a helmet, and so does my family. At least when I can see them. I also split a helmet in an accident.

My problem with these articles, is the weird way they are presented. I mean why use total number. Why compare cycling with horse riding. One has a massive total number of participants the other a tiny % of the population. Why is there no skateboarding. How about sky diving, how about motor-cross bikes. Why are so many people who don't cycle giving advice about cycling.

On boards there are two massive threads on "Journalism and cycling" about the constant negative reporting about cycling.
The media are populist, the majority of people don't cycle. You can join the dots there.
 
Do you wear a helmet while driving?

The data says that overall helmets make little or no difference to injury numbers or outcomes. Look at the studies referenced in the Beaumont paper and look at the results where helmet use was made mandatory. You'll see little change in cycling injuries but a significant increase in morbidity due to the health implications of fewer people cycling. A neurologist will always tell you everyone should wear helmets all the time and if they did, X% of injuries would be mitigated, but they are the wrong people to assess the overall societal impact of mandating helmet use.

Also, focusing on a narrative that cyclists who fail to armour themselves as being irresponsible moves the focus away from the actual cause of the injuries. We don't tell stab victims that they should be wearing stab vests.

That's the other issue with it. It used to deflect blame from the actual cause of many accidents to cyclists.
 
It based on how survivable an accident between a pedestrian and car is.

That's not a reasonable approach to safety. Primary safety management is taking steps to avoid accidents, not making them survivable. Secondary safety management is harm reduction.

Mickey Mouse safety management is writing ridiculous and implementable laws to pretend you're doing something about it. Utterly useless, but it has the advantage of being easy and cheap. Ideal for lazy bureaucrats.
 
The claim was that the speed set was arbitrary. It's isn't. End of.

People also have less accidents at slower speeds. It also encourages people to use a different route.

If people are unable to follow simple rules they can do other things to force traffic out of an area.
 
Most of these things are based on long studies and recommendations from experts and long experience in other countries.

What is common in threads on these kinds topics is drivers posting utter nonsense about cycling because have no experience, no research, no reading in the subject. They are just reacting to click bait articles that are either poorly written or distorting figures because the media know many people will be too lazy to question the "data" or see how flawed the article is. People will accept all sorts of rubbish as true if it re-enforces their existing bias.

Another common trait in these threads is to get dig in at public servants (which includes frontline workers).

What they really need to do is hide a speed camera and build up a good few tickets on habitual speeder then send them out all at once.
 
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Since there are cycle lane on shared paths, its can't be both dangerous and not dangerous due a line of paint.
You aren’t meant to walk in a cycle path. You aren’t meant to cycle on a footpath.
If you are old enough to wear big boy pants you shouldn’t be cycling on a footpath.
When I commute I cycle at relatively high speed so I don’t use cycle paths that are on a footpath as I find pedestrians to be utterly unaware of the danger they put me in when they walk in the cycle path. I don’t care if they get hurt due to their own stupidity.
 
You aren’t meant to walk in a cycle path. You aren’t meant to cycle on a footpath.
If you are old enough to wear big boy pants you shouldn’t be cycling on a footpath.
When I commute I cycle at relatively high speed so I don’t use cycle paths that are on a footpath as I find pedestrians to be utterly unaware of the danger they put me in when they walk in the cycle path. I don’t care if they get hurt due to their own stupidity.

Cyclists have been killed colliding with pedestrians I wouldn't assume the cyclist will always come off better.

I don't know why you quoted me. I was specially talking about shared paths and your are specifically not. There are often places where your only choice is the shared path like the canals and greenways. But even in urban and city area there are often places which are only accessible by using a using a shared path due to design.

The point is they are designed to be shared. If people are going to deliberately travel too fast on them the problem isn't the path its the person. There is a fine specially for cycling dangerously just for those special people.

There are all types of cyclists. Slow and fast. All should be considered. If you are cycling at car speeds go on the road. If you are cycling at walking or similar speeds there is nothing intrinsically dangerous about cycling on a shared path if people use common sense.

I use a lot of shared paths. Our cycle to school is a shared path. I've never had an issue with pedestrians on it. Probably because we're not cycling too fast for the conditions. Some places the road is better than the cycle lane or shared paths. In which case I use the road.

My point was simply that shared paths exist and work. The idea that you can only cycle on a road is wrong.
 
Shared paths are fine ....if they are designed to suit. In Carlow the shared paths are narrow but fine only if the pedestrians are walking in single file , otherwise you cannot help but be in on the cycle lane. If the cyclists are only out "for a cycle" its fine they will ring the bell or shout. If the cyclist is out cycling then they should be on the road , in my opinion.
 
Shared paths are ridiculous. My 5 year old is full of beans and can get up to 20kmph. I'm always banging on about going slow around pedestrians but my fear is some day he'll bump into an elderly person as he's easily distracted. The paths we use are relatively new (less than 5 years old). Can't believe they are not segregated.
 
The point is they are designed to be shared. If people are going to deliberately travel too fast on them the problem isn't the path its the person. There is a fine specially for cycling dangerously just for those special people.

There are all types of cyclists. Slow and fast. All should be considered. If you are cycling at car speeds go on the road. If you are cycling at walking or similar speeds there is nothing intrinsically dangerous about cycling on a shared path if people use common sense.

I use a lot of shared paths. Our cycle to school is a shared path. I've never had an issue with pedestrians on it. Probably because we're not cycling too fast for the conditions. Some places the road is better than the cycle lane or shared paths. In which case I use the road.

My point was simply that shared paths exist and work. The idea that you can only cycle on a road is wrong.
I'm not talking about shared paths where there is a cycle path specifically marked out. I'm talking about footpaths, where it is illegal to cycle.
I repeat; you should not cycle on a footpath. It is dangerous for you and for pedestrians and it is illegal. Small children learning to cycle are the exception but if you are old enough to be let out on your own then you should not be cycling on the footpath.
 
I note in parts of New York it is legal to cycle on footpaths no matter how crowded they are. It's only a matter of time before cycling on footpaths is deemed legal here such is the strong influence of the Cycling lobby.
 
I note in parts of New York it is legal to cycle on footpaths no matter how crowded they are. It's only a matter of time before cycling on footpaths is deemed legal here such is the strong influence of the Cycling lobby.
I doubt it's something the cycling lobby is interested in.

Why do you say strong influence given the pathetic infrastructure and minimal funding for cycling?
 
I doubt it's something the cycling lobby is interested in.

Why do you say strong influence given the pathetic infrastructure and minimal funding for cycling?
The cycling infrastructure in Ireland is anything but pathetic especially in the main cities. There is a strong cycling lobby in Ireland too. I'm not saying it's a bad thing.
 
I note in parts of New York it is legal to cycle on footpaths no matter how crowded they are. It's only a matter of time before cycling on footpaths is deemed legal here such is the strong influence of the Cycling lobby.
It's already illegal.

From [broken link removed];
Cycling on Footpaths: We believe that competent cyclists should not cycle on footpaths. It is against the law to do so, and can carry a fine. There are challenges with this law that we would like to see addressed, the main one being with regard to children. If the roads are dangerous and narrow, we would prefer to see children cycling on footpaths than not cycling at all.
 
I doubt it's something the cycling lobby is interested in.

Why do you say strong influence given the pathetic infrastructure and minimal funding for cycling?
I think the infrastructure is great. I cycle through Dublin city center regularly.
 
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