Do you listen to music whilst cycling? If so this is for you ...........

[ComedyPilot]

I don't think the people up for a serious debate are saying that at all, that aside listening to music whilst cycling can be safer than not, it's all in the attitude of said cyclist.

Exactly.

A cyclist riding with total disregard to their surroundings and not listening to an IPOD is more likely to come into conflict with another vehicle than a competent, safe cyclist listening to 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik'

 

[slowmotion]

Wearing headphones is choosing to remove your sense of hearing rather than having it imposed on you because of environmental / medical conditions. You have intentionally and wilfully reduced your ability to hear traffic noise.

I wear welders goggles when riding. They greatly enhance my spatial awareness.....

 

[BentMikey]

Just as many people are still spieling out the irrelevance of "well, you can do it in a car", a vehicle which generally has three mirrors and travels at the same speed as other traffic and...

...You have intentionally and wilfully reduced your ability to hear traffic noise.

Again, a sweeping and incorrectly judgemental post. You are this: Wrong.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

Again, a sweeping and incorrectly judgemental post. You are this: Wrong.

+1

 

[Norm]

Again, a sweeping and incorrectly judgemental post. You are this: Wrong.

Come on, then, tell me how, or are you just being a ?

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

can't be bothered with this thread anymore, you have started getting personal.

 

[Number14]

Just amended the original article a bit:

“If cyclists/drivers had to take a test, like all other road users do, and pay insurance, then perhaps there would be a lot less idiots riding their bikes/driving cars, wearing their iPod or mobile phone earphones and expecting everyone else to not only give way to them but to also read their minds as to their next action,” said one blogger :

If only ....

 

[Arch]

Come on, then, tell me how, or are you just being a ?

Come on norm, you're normally more sensible than this. When I wear earphones, I have the volume at such a level that I can still hear traffic just as well. That is our point. If I have the radio on at home, are you suggesting that I am willfully reducing my abillity to hear the doorbell?

 

[Norm]

Come on norm, you're normally more sensible than this. When I wear earphones, I have the volume at such a level that I can still hear traffic just as well. That is our point. If I have the radio on at home, are you suggesting that I am willfully reducing my abillity to hear the doorbell?

I think that it could reduce your ability to hear the doorbell, yes. For instance, if you are somewhere in your home where the doorbell isn't heard clearly, then having the radio on could make it inaudible, just as listening to music in my office means I can't hear the pinger on the oven, even though it's in the next room.

Not necessarily remove but, as I have said all along, under certain circumstances, I think that using headphones could reduces your ability to hear other things.

 

[ComedyPilot]

This point is being looked at in isolation, but in real life we have eyes, and some of us also have mirrors.

I notice no-one has made the point that people who willingly do without a mirror are neglecting their responsibility to see what's behind them?

 

[neslon]

I only once wore earphones while riding and realised pretty rapidly that if I was paying attention to them (it was the Archers) I missed a lot of what was happening around. If I concentrated on the traffic etc, I had no idea what had happened to the Grundy's. Perhaps I can't multitask, but that was enough for me to decide that riding fast in traffic need full attention, which makes aural input dangerously distracting or irrelevant.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

It could be that it just affects cyclists differently. I don't listen to music when I'm cycling because I enjoy the peace and the scenery. I also find that being muffled to my surrounding with headphones a distraction under any circumstances, but then that's just me I guess.

What's going on with Matt then Nelson and that shop idea will never work...

 

[Glow worm]

A number of posters are spieling out the nanny-state line of Ipod listeners being fools, but no-one will accept my challenge to creep up on me on the bike.


That's because you are dead right. Maybe some folks are just crap at doing two things at once (cycling and music) while the rest of us have never had, and never will have a problem.

 

[BentMikey]

If you want an example of how much attention I pay my music, I quite often pause the music, and it might be 20 minutes later before I realise I've not restarted the player.

 

[hackbike 666]

If you want an example of how much attention I pay my music, I quite often pause the music, and it might be 20 minutes later before I realise I've not restarted the player.

That's true'sometimes I forget to turn it on.