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by iviehoff
10 Sep 2017, 2:26pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: School requires helmets on journey to school
Replies: 36
Views: 4356

Re: School requires helmets on journey to school

Psamathe wrote:
reohn2 wrote:I would challenge the school's ruling,ismit legal to demand a student has a helmet if they ride their bike to and from school?
.....

My interpretation is that they have been clever in their wording in that they have said "A student entering or attempting to leave the school by bicycle and not in possession of a helmet ..."
So their rule only relates to the school grounds and does not require wearing of helmet, just being in possession of one. so you can't even argue about them demonstrating improved safety from helmet wearing as they are not requiring students to wear the helmet.

Fortunately they understand that their jurisdiction ends at the school gate. It's a good school, they aren't daft. They realise once you have forced someone to be in possession of a helmet, you have won most of the battle. On your head is the easiest place to carry it.

I've just been informed that there was an incident last school year when a couple of students on bicycles were hit by a car, so there has been some recent debate about the safety of cycling to school.
by iviehoff
10 Sep 2017, 11:56am
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: School requires helmets on journey to school
Replies: 36
Views: 4356

School requires helmets on journey to school

I've put this here, not in the helmet forum, because of the similar recent topic on an employer doing the same. Please keep the discussion to matters that keep it out of the helmet forum.

My daughter has just started at secondary school (generally believed a very excellent school) and, would you know, in the first week we get this email from the school Nazi saying that they do encourage cycling to school, but the following is now a school rule (I paraphrase):

- A student entering or attempting to leave the school by bicycle and not in possession of a helmet will have the bicycle confiscated until they are in possession of a helmet.

It is relevant to note that the school has no other rules in this area. There is no rule preventing the student departing on bicycle if it is not in a legal condition to ride - for example does not have working and effective lights when conditions demand, or if bicycle has ineffective brakes, or is otherwise mechanically unsafe, etc. (Nor are they enforcing the other common obsession, Hi-Viz clothing.)

I would in principle actually support a rule preventing departure if the bicycle was not in a legal condition to ride, if they proposed that, because that is actually illegal. But at the same I think it is probably impractical for the school to be able to take responsibility for such things, because you can't tell at a glance if a bike is in a legal condition to ride.

I suspect that it is therefore legally foolish to have taken on this helmet rule, because there is a risk that the school has now admitted a responsibility for ensuring that students leave with their bicycles in safe condition, but the school is actually in no position to assess that. I also wonder if it also implies similar responsibility for students leaving on foot- maybe they also should have arrangements to reduce the risk of accidents for pedestrians given that the fatality rate per mile for pedestrian mode is actually higher than for cyclists in the most recent DfT data. I am also in general suspicious of the legality of impounding a student's property, given the student proposes to use it in legal manner that has no effect on the conduct of school business.

My daughter having only just joined the school, I am unaware if there has been any consultation on-going over the introduction of this rule last academic year, or whether they have any legal advice this is a good idea, though I am trying to find this out.

This isn't actually going to affect us, because it isn't actually practice for my daughter to cycle there. But clearly there are important principles.
by iviehoff
30 Mar 2017, 9:00am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Portugal with a 3 speed folding bike
Replies: 4
Views: 1050

Re: Portugal with a 3 speed folding bike

Never seen a campsite in Portugal, and I've done about 5 cycle tours there. That's probably because they are along the coast rather than inland where the better cycling is. One of the horrors of cycling in the coastal strip is eucalyptus plantations. For the first few hundred metres you think this is going to be OK, but after not much further you start to hate them with a growing hatred.

From somewhere between about Figueira da Foz (near Coimbra) and Nazaré, to Lisbon, the coast apparently has some reasonably interesting cycling. And with your folding bike you have a better chance of using public transport to get from Porto to Coimbra (it is easy to get from Porto to Aveiro with any bike on the commuter train - though you'll probably need a GPS, or at least a smartphone with mapping, to get out of Aveiro with a bicycle without being thrown onto a major road, such are the paper maps and signposts). I also learned that there is a new cycle route, largely segregated, along the coast from Viana do Castelo to Porto.

The best paper maps of Portugal are the Turinta ones, but although they are the best, that doesn't mean they always correspond very well to the roads you find on the ground, and they don't have the resolution to reliably get you out of a town onto a minor road, and you are always going to have problems being sucked towards major roads whenever they are in the vicinity. So these days it is good to have a GPS or smartphone to get an accurate local view, find that unmapped local road, work out what the hell is going on when the road goes somewhere different from what the map said.
by iviehoff
29 Mar 2017, 9:29pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Norway
Replies: 10
Views: 1495

Re: Norway

You'll find there is still extensive snow cover at low level if you go to northern Norway in May. The snow doesn't usually melt in Tromso until some time into May, and Tromso is far from being the coldest place. Early June can still be pretty cold too, even in the south.

Most people say Nordkapp is a big let down. The worst kind of tourist trap. Also, the only thing it is the northernmost point of is the road system. The real northernmost point of continental Norway is a feature called Knivskjellodden, which is about 10km up a footpath from a point about 10km from Nordkapp, and apparently a very nice walk (google will tell you about the walk), but due to snow cover you usually can't walk there until late in June, and even then you'll be walking over snow from time to time.

If you need an endpoint for motivation, then Kirkenes might be a better one. The north of Norway east of Nordkapp is worthwhile. Also, you can fly home from there.

In terms of wild camping, despite the generous permission, it is quite tricky in practice to find suitable wild camping locations, especially south of about Trondheim. This is because there is very little flat land in that part of Norway, and what there is and is not either covered in tall vegetation, rocks or bog is already in use for something. Lofoten is also difficult as there is very little flat land there. There are plenty of organised campsites and, except in the vicinity of the main cities, they are pretty reasonably priced and don't need booking. So you will probably end up using them from time to time.

Don't cycle up the E5 so far as you can avoid it. Apart from the fact that you can't, because of all the tunnels closed to you, it is dangerous and unpleasant for the cyclist.
by iviehoff
12 Mar 2017, 8:17pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Argentina and South America route advice - Carretera Austral?
Replies: 9
Views: 1104

Re: Argentina and South America route advice - Carretera Austral?

Bonroute wrote:Thanks for both you replies. I hadn't realised the ferry service was not running at that time and I am not so keen on retracing routes. Going to do more research!

The Austral region of Chile has weather like Norway. Would you go cycling in Norway in the winter? As it happens there's more ferries in the winter than there used to be, but this is irrelevant, you really don't want to be there out of season.

On the other hand, southern winter is perfect time to go cycling in NW Argentina, Bolivia and Peru. Cold at night, but nice and sunny in the day.
by iviehoff
19 Jan 2017, 6:22pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: Tactile Paving Slabs
Replies: 40
Views: 5523

Re: Tactile Paving Slabs

[XAP]Bob wrote:They aren't unnecessary - the cycle track is part of the pavement, and it is therefore perfectly permissible for a pedestrian to use that space. If there was nothing there then the VRU would be unaware that this wasn't simply a normal pavement.

The Dutch don't find it necessary. [Sarcasm] Must be really terrible being a visibly impaired person walking around in the Netherlands with all those heavily used cycle lanes and no tactile markers where pedestrian crossings go across them. [/Sarcasm]

What the Dutch actually do is put drempels, ie cyclist-suitable slow-you-down speed humps either side of pedestrian crossings over cycle routes. It is a much safer and more effective method of addressing the issue.

If you want to know how to do something with cycle lanes, just do what the Dutch do and in nearly all cases it will be a lot better than what we already do. Unfortunately we seem to be incapable of "doing what someone else does" without making some fundamental misunderstanding that destroys the whole point of it.
by iviehoff
18 Jan 2017, 8:58am
Forum: On the road
Topic: Are flashing cycle lights safe?
Replies: 23
Views: 2878

Re: Are flashing cycle lights safe?

Part of the issue with flashing lights is that the government's daft regulations actually requires lights of certain types to be flashing. Not that many of the lights you can buy in fact comply exactly with the regulations, which are written on the assumption we mostly use carbon filament lights.

There are superbright lights and superbright lights. I have a couple of sets of superbright lights, though at 200-400 lumen they fall well short of being the very brightest. My cheaper superbright lights are much more dazzling than my expensive ones (twice the price). The expensive ones are well designed and ensure that you are spotted from at least 100yds without excessive dazzle.

I think the underlying reason for cyclists using superbright lights is SMIDSY. Cyclists reasonably wish to ensure that there is no possible excuse for SMIDSY. No one could possibly overlook you, even in a busy street scene with numerous other lights. After I had had several complaints about my cheaper back light from taxi drivers and other cyclists, my reaction was, well at least there was no chance that they would overlook me. However I do now use that light on a different, non-flashing, setting, and I haven't had any more complaints, rather I have had cyclists ask me to advise them what it is so they can get one too.

Since I have had 25 years of cycling to learn that motorists often take no notice whatsoever of my outstretched right arm, even in broad daylight when they can certainly see it, I'm not really too bothered if they can't see it too well. Much more important that they can see me.
by iviehoff
18 Jan 2017, 8:48am
Forum: On the road
Topic: Cyclist punched unconscious in road rage
Replies: 32
Views: 3750

Re: Cyclist punched unconscious in road rage

661-Pete wrote:Hopefully, even with a lenient sentence, he's learned a salutary lesson.

Out in the world of pub punch-ups in rough parts of town, I guess you'll find a first offence of ABH on an otherwise clean record will only get you a suspended sentence. If they learn to keep out of pub punch-ups as a result, knowing that 12 months is hanging over them if they don't, then the justice system has done its job. Putting them straight into prison, where they will meet plenty of hardened criminals, is probably unhelpful. A criminal record for violence is also exceedingly unhelpful for anyone trying to follow a respectable career, indeed many respectable employments are simply unavailable to such people.

We can't really treat a City man in his Chelsea Tractor or Audi any differently, entertaining as it may be.
by iviehoff
13 Jan 2017, 8:48am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: How to travel the world with no money?
Replies: 32
Views: 4936

Re: How to travel the world with no money?

Bmblbzzz wrote:Why would you find it unacceptable to accept hospitality?

That's not what I said. I have accepted hospitality while travelling. What I found immoral is, knowing that people are sometimes moved to give hospitality to interesting passers-by, maximising the opportunity for it. It's a bit like what conmen do.

Put it this way, some of the people who gave me hospitality became friends, I remained in contact with them for many years afterwards. It was rare and special. When you have taken hospitality from 100 people in a few months, that's not going to happen.
by iviehoff
9 Jan 2017, 4:35pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: Speeding Penalties in Switzerland
Replies: 39
Views: 4276

Re: Speeding Penalties in Switzerland

reohn2 wrote:
iviehoff wrote:
Vorpal wrote:In the Nordic countries, penalties for speeding are based upon the driver's income.

A similar scheme was enacted in Britain, with an initial pilot period to check it worked before full roll-out. The pilot study, which took place in south Wales, indicated problems. So rather than fix the clearly fixable problems, which clearly can be fixed because other countries do it, they just canned it.

The main problem was that it relied on people disclosing their income. If you didn't disclose, you got the maximum fine. Many people failed to disclose and got maximum fines. Mostly the people who failed to disclose their income were just inadequate people who didn't really understand what was going on, or else were refusing to cooperate. Typically they then failed to pay the fine also because they couldn't afford it. There was a particularly notorious case of a littering fine, which looked a bit like heavy-handed policing in the first place, and the plaintiff was refusing to cooperate in protest. Obviously a system that relies on people disclosing their income without an external check also suffers the risk that people will just lie.


Simple answer,any correspondence with the court authorities requires a P60 or tax return copy,failure to do so earns the offender top fine.
Totting up of points should be an absolute, 9 points banned,banned twice earns a retest

That's basically what they tried and found it doesn't work. The underlying problem is that most of the people going through our legal system are inadequate people, who fail to comply with such requirements, and imposing the maximum possible fine on them doesn't work because it is unenforceable. Clearly it is an effective method on Chelsea Tractor drivers, but these are a minority of people going through the system, and the system has to work for all, not just the rich.
by iviehoff
9 Jan 2017, 4:14pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Cyclists demonised in paper, todays metro
Replies: 44
Views: 5396

Re: Cyclists demonised in paper, todays metro

Meanwhile:
Motorist assaults Jeremy Vine as he cycled down a street http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-37223235
Motorist assaults two men http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ttack.html
Motorist assaults pedestrian http://sfist.com/2016/12/21/pedestrian.php
Passerby shoots motorist who was assaulting deputy http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/11/15/pa ... -stop.html

People who are driving a car when an altercation leading to an assault occurs are frequently described as "motorists". Sometimes also pedestrians. So I think we have to look at how others are described before claiming demonisation.
by iviehoff
9 Jan 2017, 3:15pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: How to travel the world with no money?
Replies: 32
Views: 4936

Re: How to travel the world with no money?

Alastair Humphreys' http://www.alastairhumphreys.com/ initial cycling around the world was done at about 50p a day for food and lodging. When he ate from his own funds, it was pasta or rice with nothing on, and he just stealth camped if he had to, so actually most of what he did spend money on was food. He was very good at making people feel happy at inviting him in as a guest, feeding him, accommodating him, etc. He never resorted to open begging like these people because he did have the rice and the campstove if he needed it and he used it quite often. Personally I would find even "accepting hospitality" on such as large scale as AH did unethical. But deliberately setting out to travel without funds, in developing countries, is quite immoral.
by iviehoff
9 Jan 2017, 2:53pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: Lord Heseltine gets five points?
Replies: 42
Views: 4878

Re: Lord Heseltine gets five points?

mercalia wrote:
661-Pete wrote:..and is fined £5000 after knocking down and seriously injuring a cyclist:
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... agistrates
Is this a just penalty, bearing in mind that the politician showed considerable remorse for his action?
Or would a driving ban have been more appropriate?

and does the cyclist get the £5000? should do :idea: :?:

In this country we make a distinction between sums removed from villains to punish them, and compensation to victims. In the US, courts can sometimes order punitive damages greater than the assessed damage to the victim - triple damages can be assessed in some cases - and the victim gets them all. The triple damage orders are, of course, part of the reason that there is so much suing in the US, so on the whole I think I prefer the UK method.
by iviehoff
9 Jan 2017, 2:31pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: Speeding Penalties in Switzerland
Replies: 39
Views: 4276

Re: Speeding Penalties in Switzerland

Vorpal wrote:In the Nordic countries, penalties for speeding are based upon the driver's income.

A similar scheme was enacted in Britain, with an initial pilot period to check it worked before full roll-out. The pilot study, which took place in south Wales, indicated problems. So rather than fix the clearly fixable problems, which clearly can be fixed because other countries do it, they just canned it.

The main problem was that it relied on people disclosing their income. If you didn't disclose, you got the maximum fine. Many people failed to disclose and got maximum fines. Mostly the people who failed to disclose their income were just inadequate people who didn't really understand what was going on, or else were refusing to cooperate. Typically they then failed to pay the fine also because they couldn't afford it. There was a particularly notorious case of a littering fine, which looked a bit like heavy-handed policing in the first place, and the plaintiff was refusing to cooperate in protest. Obviously a system that relies on people disclosing their income without an external check also suffers the risk that people will just lie.
by iviehoff
1 Jan 2017, 7:21pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: IMPORTANT - APPCG 2017 Justice for Cycling Inquiry!!
Replies: 16
Views: 3838

Re: IMPORTANT - APPCG 2017 Justice for Cycling Inquiry!!

thirdcrank wrote:To spell it out, this is a self-selected committee, rather than one appointed by Parliament.

My vote would go for delegating cyclists' response to Martin Porter QC AKA the Cycling Silk who seems to have a generally good grasp of the legal issues and the ability to articulate them.

Such committees can nevertheless be influential.

Martin Porter is an amazing guy, and I have learned an awful lot from reading his articles. He has also been through some very interesting learning experiences in cases he has been involved in, some successful, some unsuccessful. Another interesting learning experience was his article in the Guardian which attracted an awful lot of flak, including from some very posh lawyers. Some of it was due to wrong suppositions other people made, which was because of what he unfortunately omitted to say, but some of the criticisms were also justified.

When it comes to "what should we do about it", his main recommendation has been to take juries out of all motoring trials, including those that result in death. I, like many other sensible people, think this is utterly wrong. The problem is not the jury, but what the jury is asked to do in a motoring trial. It is no surprise they come to the conclusions they come to. The reason for that is a very obvious flaw in the construction of the law. It is capable of being fixed. Unfortunately, it is not one of the issues the committee has mentioned. Ultimately, fixing motoring law so that it was actually effective has so far been too radical a step for this country, it might be seen as "anti-motorist". I have suggested it to the committee they do it, but I don't hold out much hope for it. Nevertheless, I think it is a more realistic ambition than abolishing the jury.