thirdcrank wrote:Taken as a whole, I'd say that the briefing document is against the promotion of helmet wearing for normal, everyday cycling. I've not ticked off every sub-clause but there's a lot about the detrimental effects of the promotion of helmet wearing and nothing going the other way. Nor do I detect any sign of it being written with fingers crossed to allow implied exceptions.
I don't know the status of the document, in particular the extent to which it binds or guides people representing CUK.
What certainly isn't clear either way is if a photo of an "everyday cyclist" wearing a crash helmet amounts to "promotion of helmet wearing". It can clearly be argued that it could be, but on the other hand not allowing yourself to depict a significant proportion of your own membership in your own magazine would be a somewhat questionable policy decision, and I suspect the pragmatic reality would not go that far.
Having said that, there does increasingly seem to be a Standard Format for parents and children of parent bareheaded and child in lid, following Sustrans down that route even after they rebuilt their helmet policy in to a sane one. I think that's bad, but again we are up against reality and significant elements of the Great British Public take a dim view of children being portrayed without helmets and will use that as an excuse to write you off as imbecilic zealots with blood potentially on your hands. And I say that as an accredited cycling instructor who insists on teaching Bikeability while not wearing a helmet myself to show that they're not necessary, and that means despite having a good teaching track record locally and being willing to do it for free, nobody will let me teach children any more, and nobody will let me teach instructors for other children either (that's Dundee City Council, Angus Council, Perth & Kinross Council and Sustrans, Cycling Scotland who actually run the overall scheme don't have a problem).
The practical reality is that if you take helmeted riders as being promotion of helmets you just rule yourself out of the argument altogether.
Pete.
Often seen riding a bike around Dundee...