- Location
- Glasgow
Today was a rare beautiful sunny morning in Glasgow. On emerging from the local park, heading towards the segregated path on the riverside, I see my friends from the Glasgow Bike station doing a Doctor bike, looking forward to say hi and have a wee chat.
From afar, I see lots of hi-viz, must be the police doing their bike marking.
No! Got stopped, asked "where is my helmet, do I own one, the police recommends wearing one, not a (bright pink btw) woolen hat"
Ok, fair enough, had a chat with Mr. police man about "cannae be bothered on the commute to work because I don't really ride in traffic, feel quite safe on the whole segregate route, of descending Mt. Ventoux I would wear one, blah blah, have you ever looked into the actual testing of cycling helmets, and so on". All the while my friend the bike mechanic was killing himself laughing.
Now, this is not about the helmet, or I would have put it in the proper section.
What annoyed me to no end was that he started on me not wearing a hi-viz jacket or vest.
I pointed at my bright red cycling jacket, and the pink hat, and the bright daylight.
He said, no matter, drivers will always not see you, unless you wear hi-viz, look at me - he was wearing lots of reflective, of course.
That really made me fuming, told him to then go tell drivers to go to Specsavers if they cannot see a cyclist in a bright red jacket on a sunny morning.
Then he asks me if I want a map and my bike made safe by the bike doctor!
No thanks, could you make my local dual carriageway safe by on the spot speed checking instead?
This approach by the police to new commuters - I presume the campaign is aimed at them - is all wrong.
The impression the police conveys to inexperienced cyclists is that cycling is dangerous to no end, hopping on a bike to ride to your work could result in you being squashed and brain damaged even if you only do 5 miles on the segregated path.
Drivers will not see you!
Yeah, that's why I choose to share this path with joggers and dog walkers, could you please do something about the blind drivers, then I will don my yellow gear and ride the road instead.
Harumph, rant over
From afar, I see lots of hi-viz, must be the police doing their bike marking.
No! Got stopped, asked "where is my helmet, do I own one, the police recommends wearing one, not a (bright pink btw) woolen hat"
Ok, fair enough, had a chat with Mr. police man about "cannae be bothered on the commute to work because I don't really ride in traffic, feel quite safe on the whole segregate route, of descending Mt. Ventoux I would wear one, blah blah, have you ever looked into the actual testing of cycling helmets, and so on". All the while my friend the bike mechanic was killing himself laughing.
Now, this is not about the helmet, or I would have put it in the proper section.
What annoyed me to no end was that he started on me not wearing a hi-viz jacket or vest.
I pointed at my bright red cycling jacket, and the pink hat, and the bright daylight.
He said, no matter, drivers will always not see you, unless you wear hi-viz, look at me - he was wearing lots of reflective, of course.
That really made me fuming, told him to then go tell drivers to go to Specsavers if they cannot see a cyclist in a bright red jacket on a sunny morning.
Then he asks me if I want a map and my bike made safe by the bike doctor!
No thanks, could you make my local dual carriageway safe by on the spot speed checking instead?
This approach by the police to new commuters - I presume the campaign is aimed at them - is all wrong.
The impression the police conveys to inexperienced cyclists is that cycling is dangerous to no end, hopping on a bike to ride to your work could result in you being squashed and brain damaged even if you only do 5 miles on the segregated path.
Drivers will not see you!
Yeah, that's why I choose to share this path with joggers and dog walkers, could you please do something about the blind drivers, then I will don my yellow gear and ride the road instead.
Harumph, rant over
