“Cycle helmets aren’t the top priority for cycling in the UK”

“Cycle helmets aren’t the top priority for cycling in the UK”

Chris Boardman made the statement above some time ago and was universally criticised for it but, he’s correct.

I wear a helmet every ride, on or off road. Helmets can be purchased for as little as £9.99, why would you risk it for less than £10? You’re not just protecting yourself in the event of a collision with a car there are all manner of scenarios that you could risk even a minor head injury on a bike.  And that’s why at Grounds Cycle Centres helmets are free to use and encouraged.

The statement that helmets aren’t the top priority for cycling in the UK isn’t to undermine their use or to discourage wearing one. It serves only to identify that there are much higher priorities for cycling: creating a safer space in the first place should be the top priority. Safer spaces as a priority rather than protection against other road users.

In many instances attempts to promote cycling have simply been token gestures toward creating a cycling infrastructure –  strips of paint at the road’s edge for example, with the perverse outcome of encouraging closer overtakes.

Vast sums are spent on consultations about sustainable transport solutions that amount to nothing more than some cycle racks and blobs of paint as a part of road layout changes to accommodate the increasing traffic volumes.

A more thoughtful approach toward improving the cycling infrastructure would go many pedal miles to increasing the uptake of cycling – improving physical and mental health through exercise and environmental improvement. An active population is healthier, zero emission travel will leave cleaner air for us all.

Simples solutions can be the best.

• Re-designation of footways to shared use 
• Closing roads temporarily, one day a week for exercise, or permanently.
• Partitioning lanes along major commuter routes

Armouring up with hi-vis, helmets and all manner of retina burning lights do not create a safer space to cycle in. Wearing a helmet doesn’t limit how many close overtakes or near misses at junctions we encounter. Only a shift in policy, investment, education and environment will manage that.