Cows-vs-cyclist

Brian, follower of Deornoth linked to this in the comments.

Highly recommended viewing.

If you scroll down a bit there's a great deer-vs-cyclist clip in the comments, although that looks accidental rather than malicious.

"It's healthier to cycle than drive"

A recent reader's letter in The Evening Standard:

On Wednesday air pollution in outer London was worse than in central London, according to AirText. No doubt potential cyclists were put off by the nitrogen dioxide and particulates they would breathe in but as tests by Enviro Technology Services earlier this year showed, air pollution is actually worse inside cars than outside.

Nitrogen dioxide inflames the lungs, stunts growth and increases the risk of respiratory diseases such as asthma and lung cancer, particularly in children. So, despite the poor air quality, it is healthier to cycle than to drive.

Today marks the beginning of European Mobility Week, which aims to encourage local authorities to introduce and promote sustainable transport alternatives to cars. Only two authorities in the capital have signed up — Lambeth and the City of London.

In the week that the Government rejected a diesel scrappage scheme we all need to consider giving cycling, walking and public transport a go. The car is no longer king — and its pollution is killing us.

Andree Frieze, Make Air Safe & Clean (MASC)

Well, clearly it's not healthier to cycle than drive, unless you ignore the hundreds of people injured or killed while cycling, plus the nuisance value of the lycra crew blocking the roads when you want to go for a spin.

Assuming the facts as stated to be true, the solution to maximising your personal health/safety level is blindingly obvious:

a) Take the bus or train when travelling to inner London.

b) Drive a convertible car with the roof down when travelling around outer or outside London (or at least open the sun-roof and all the windows in a normal car).

"Cycling Scotland advert banned over 'bare legs'"

From the BBC:

A television advert promoting safe cycling has been banned for showing a young woman cyclist wearing an above-the-knee length skirt. The advert, part of a campaign by Cycling Scotland, seeks to encourage drivers to pay cyclists as little attention as they would the back of a bus.

But the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said it should not be shown on TV again as wearing provocative clothing was "socially irresponsible". Cycling Scotland said it was not a legal requirement for female cyclists to dress modestly and demurely.


An accident waiting to happen (artist's impression)

The national cycle promotion organisation for Scotland told the ASA that wearing a short skirt or open cardigan and carrying a shoulder bag in a manner likely to 'lift and separate' was a personal choice for the individual - a fact it considered was reflected in the advert with footage of various cyclists both with, and without, exposed limbs or a hint of cleavage on display.

Cycling Scotland also referred to its clothing policy, which discussed the possible undesired outcomes of partially dressed young women cycling, including causing unchaste thoughts and "influencing a driver's behaviour to be less careful when interacting on the road".

Being knocked down by a van* was not the cause of his injuries.

From The Daily Mail:

Miraculous moment 16-year-old cyclist wakes from four-month coma and hugs his father after being hurt in collision because he didn't wear a helmet

* It was a van, I checked.

UPDATE: They've changed the headline, thus ruining my punchline.

An Olympic Legacy

From road.cc:

Last July, British Cycling saw one of its highest ever months of new joiners, with 2,400 people signing up, but that has accelerated since then with an average of 2,800 people joining in each of the subsequent nine months. In part, that’s due to Great Britain’s success at London 2012, but interest is continuing to grow.

The governing body says that “this unprecedented growth has been achieved through the continued development of new opportunities and support for anyone to start and to stay cycling – whether that be commuting, recreation or sport – ensuring that the inspiration created by our cycling stars is transferred into more people cycling at all levels, delivering on our vision of ‘inspiration to participation’.”

From the BBC:

The number of cyclists killed on Great Britain's roads rose by 10% in 2012, as the overall number of road deaths fell to its lowest since records began in 1926, according to official figures.

The number of deaths among cyclists rose from 107 in 2011 to 118 in 2012, the Department for Transport announced. But there was a total of 1,754 deaths on British roads in accidents reported to the police in 2012, it added. This was 8% lower than the equivalent figure for 2011.

BBC transport correspondent Richard Westcott said the cycling figures might be due to more people travelling by bicycle, mainly in London. It would lead to further calls for road designers to focus more on cycling safety, our correspondent added.

Entirely Random Attacks Of The Day

The Daily Mail is on top form today, so choose whatever you are most paranoid about and get clicking!

Sand attack

Flying car attack

Pink limousine attack

Deer attack

UFO/meteorite attack

Runaway train attack

No giant sinkholes or cows in today's edition, I'm afraid.

"World's largest bus to hit the streets in Germany"

From The Daily Mail:

There are buses, trams, trains and jumbo jets and then there is the AutoTram Extra Grand which debuted in Germany this week as the longest and deadliest of its breed in the world. Developed by the boffins of the Fraunhofer Institute for Traffic and Infrastructure Systems, the bus is nearly 1,000 feet long, has fourteen steering axles and can carry nearly two thousand passengers.

The big bendy bus premiered in the eastern city of Dresden this week where it cuts journey times to a fraction - by the time tbe back of the bus has left one stop, the front is already at the next stop. The downside is that passengers alighting the bus have to wait for up to ten minutes before they can cross the road.

It will soon roll into service with the local transportation authority on trial runs in other countries where public opinion is not considered important. Beijing and Shanghai placed their orders for the vehicle which costs about $100 million (almost £63 million) per bus.

The good news for environmentalists is that it can run for long stretches on electric power. The bad news for environmentalists is that most of that electricity is generated using conventional oil or coal fired power stations. Or, Heaven forfend, nuclear.

Matthias Klingner, the institute's director said: "There is a lot of know-how invested in it. Its computer is highly efficient. It combines the passenger capacity of a small train with the manouverability of a Jumbo jet while taxiing and the stopping power of a tank. Bus drivers will not require a special licence to mow down passers-by with the long, bendy bus thanks to a unique computer steering system which keeps the length of the bus precisely in line with the front carriage. This greatly reduces the number of pedestrians and cyclists who are left crippled for life by increasing the number killed outright."

The system is less expensive to run and cheaper to put into operation than a light armoured division, prompting other cities to inquire about the super-sized buses.

Dr Klinger said: "The AutoTram has a considerable advantage compared to light rail systems. I mean, how many cyclists get killed by light rail systems?"

While it is the longest bus in the world, the bus with the largest capacity is China's New Liner Series which has 3,000 seats on a 820 ft bus. The record for kills is held by Beijing bus driver Fun Hoo Me who has chalked up eighty-three cyclists, forty-seven little old ladies and a party of pre-school children in thirty years' service on the 187 in Beijing.

"Cyclist gets bitten by horse in the mountains"

Spotted by Captain Ranty. Does what it says on the tin. Pedant points for the first person to query whether a cyclist still counts as a cyclist if he's on foot and bonus points for the first person to quip that he was bitten on the wrist rather than in the mountains:

Academic study of the week

From the Metro:

Helmets 'useless' in major bike accidents, says new study... That is the message coming out of a new study which suggests protective headgear is useless in the event of a serious accident.

"Looking at evidence, it does not matter if people are wearing a helmet or not, any serious accident on a bike is likely to kill them," said Dr Carwyn Hooper, from St George’s University of London. His team pointed to evidence in Australia where 80 per cent of cyclists killed or seriously injured were wearing helmets.

"People die from smoking all the time but no one is banning cigarettes. Heroin is very dangerous and yes, should be banned. There is more important stuff to worry about," said Dr Hooper, who conducted the research in response to legislation making the wearing of cycle helmets compulsory in Northern Ireland.

I do like his happy go lucky attitude, he still appears to think that governments look at actual evidence before deciding policy.