Comments on: Sue heads for court.

By: Tom

Tom — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 01:19:49 +0000

Yes, if such a law is implemented in britain, I too will not adhere to such a law, I taught myself to cycle during the mid 1960;s in inner South London, without the nanny infuence, a couple of falls, and haven’t looked bacl since, over forty years of free from health and safety nonsense and till the day I pass away it will be, I have been to australia way back in the early 1980′s when it was a nicer un nannyfied place to be, and thought to cycle across it, but I’d end up being pulled up by police, because of my liberty singleminded way of cycling, no lycra, no helmet, I love cycling casual, it’s my life, Tom, Crystal Palace, London

By: Tony

Tony — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 10:44:05 +0000

Just a quick note, riding down a suicide lane (bike lane) in Sydney, an unthinking motorist, that just parked, opened his door onto me. I don’t see how, having a helmet on would of stopped that accident, what I am trying to illustrate is that it’s not what’s on your head that makes it safe, its where we ride. I would rather not where helmet, but have somewhere to ride which was safe. What are the statistics of accidents in these lanes?, I think we would have a lot less accidents if in the city metro, we could just ride on the footpath. A quote I like “about a global warming “I think what’s lunacy is a nation of SUVs telling a nation of bicycles that they have to change the way they live before we’ll agree to do something about greenhouse emissions.”” Lets become a nation of bicycles.

By: liriquinha

liriquinha — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 18:03:27 +0000

I want to quote your post in my blog. It can?
And you et an account on Twitter?

By: Herve

Herve — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:42:12 +0000

Interesting story. I liked the video. You seem to know how to put together an interesting video Mike. Well done.

Coming from Europe, I never understood the logic behind compulsory helmets in Australia either. It doesn’t make any sense at all. All it does is discourage people from cycling, without improving safety. What’s the benefit in that?

If the govt was serious about improving cycling safety, they would build separate bicycle paths. The helmet law seems to be a smokescreen to pretend to be doing “something” about safety, while neglecting the far more important issue of building infrastructure.

It’s a shame really. More cycling usage would mean less traffic jams, less pollution, healthier people having fewer medical problems. This would lower the medical bill and road maintenance bill for the govt. The govt chosen way probably ends up being more costly than building a few bicycle paths where it is most needed.

A sad story to see the quality of people’s life damaged because of such a pointless law.

By: Milo Hurley

Milo Hurley — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 07:54:27 +0000

Mike,

I, too, loved the film. But I fear it’s too late for Australia. Oz has spent too much time being distinctly itself, which means too far away from Northern Europe for too long. What I find so humiliating is the conviction among our rulers that their nanny-state interventions are A GOOD THING, something for which we are supposed to be grateful.
CS Lewis described our present dilemma very well: “Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated, but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the full approval of their own conscience.”
I rode a bicycle everyday to work in Whyalla, SA, from 1974 to 1987 then moved back to Ireland and later the US. I’ve never worn a helmet, anywhere. I love the bike culture of Copenhagen Cycling Chic precisely because it is ordinary, normal, humane and profoundly sane. Also, joy of all joys and greatest of all strengths, Scandinavian cycling is too well-etablished as part of European culture and folk-memory to be destroyed by well-meaning dummies, be their castles located in Canberra or Brussels (EU).
Milo.

By: MaryJan

MaryJan — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:54:33 +0000

Yes, northwest US (which is rather a country of its own) and the biking here is not so bad as I gather it is points east. And yes, bike obsessed *is* delightful!

By: datillo

datillo — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:55:02 +0000

Thanks maryJan. I your country the US? There better be improvement s in less than 50 years or I’m not going to get much out of them. In any case, I’m having a huge amount of fun right now.

Being bike obsessed is delightful. I don’t know why it too me so long. Mike datillo Rubbo

By: MaryJan

MaryJan — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 18:09:41 +0000

Enjoyed your film! (I watched it on Copenhagenize) I like to imagine what my country and yours will be like 50 years from now if more people ride like Sue. thanks!