Is Berlin the safest city to be a cyclist? [BBC pushing helmets again]

[Crosstrailer]

Interesting article from the BBC and bound to draw a few comments on the helmet front.....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20068083

 

[stargazer]

Thanks for the audio link.

In the radio version there is no mention of any "controversy" about helmets being rarely seen. Neither does he use the word "stupid" in the final paragraph but says "Jumping a red light is clearly a bad idea. So is not wearing a helmet.", and the tone does set this in a different context than I took from the written article.

It looks like the topping and tailing that I mentioned may have been applied by a pro-helmet editor in the UK, and those two changes really do make the article come across differently.

 

[totallyfixed]

Irrespective of the views of BBC Berlin, I lived there for many years, walked, cycled, ran and drove and the most unsafe I felt was whilst driving. Riding a bike there was, and is a joy for a city. The OP quotes about 10% wear helmets, I would say less, and why would you? Cycling in Germany as a whole is very probably the most relaxed mode of transport, all those that wear a helmet over here could do a lot worse than taking a ride without a helmet over there just to see what it feels like.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

So is it BBC policy to wear a helmet, like wearing a Poppy, sexually abusing kids, etc etc?

I ask, because I remember quite a while ago that I saw a thing where a guy was mixing some sort of foodstuff in a giant mixer powered by an exercise bike as part of an experiment, and he made a point of very deliberately putting on a helmet beforehand...... ON AN EXERCISE BIKE...... Without any hint of irony whatsoever!

Quite frankly I'd have happily given him a right good slap round the chops for that!