Just came back form Vienna...

[Markymark]

...and in my un-scientific guestimate I would say that roughly a similar percentage wore helmets as my native London (40-50% ish). No doubt people can give a more definitive answer. City was quiet with cars compared to London and there appeared to be reasonable segregated lanes. Definitely far more than I expected given the often cited European difference to helmets though Austria may be an exception.

 

[srw]

I was in Munich last week, and saw much the same (though I didn't bother to do a formal count) - this is a small city with an extensive network of segregated paths. I think that's a really big change from when I first went over 10 years ago or so.

http://www.spiegel.de/international...cture-threatens-german-cyclists-a-767522.html
That article is a couple of years old, but contains all the usual bits of prejudice and also the surprising statistic that in Germany in 2009 462 cyclists were killed - about 4 times as many as in the UK.

 

[oldstrath]

Just back from Amsterdam, where I saw exactly 5 people with helmets, and I know 2 were American tourists because I spoke to them.

 

[oldstrath]

I was in Munich last week, and saw much the same (though I didn't bother to do a formal count) - this is a small city with an extensive network of segregated paths. I think that's a really big change from when I first went over 10 years ago or so.

http://www.spiegel.de/international...cture-threatens-german-cyclists-a-767522.html
That article is a couple of years old, but contains all the usual bits of prejudice and also the surprising statistic that in Germany in 2009 462 cyclists were killed - about 4 times as many as in the UK.

Denominators would be handy though.

 

[StuartG]

A theory from Copenhagen on a connection between helmets and riding. Bit tenuous methinks but then so is most helmet 'data' for or against:
http://www.copenhagenize.com/2014/04/copenhagen-is-cycling-up-or-down-or-what.html

 

[Markymark]

To further to my European travelogue of cycle helmets I've just come back from Bruges in Belgium and as excepted, very few helmets. Those that did (maybe <10%) were either children or MAMILS. What did strike me was the near arrogance of the cyclists. The centre of Bruges has a fair percentage of shared roadspace. Very few cars, probably allowed deliveries only, lots of pedestrians (mainly tourists) and plenty of cyclists. Most bikes were very upright ridden quite slowly and where they chose. My problem is that they didn't have much respect for pedestrians. For example, quite often in areas of shared space they would ride quite fast between me and my 5yo daughter which freaked her out. They would not be at walking pace but what would be on foot running pace and as close as nearly brushing her as the passed. They'd happily weave around all pedestrians whether young or old in places were pedestrians should be.

Maybe it is infuriation with tourists wandering but same could be said for motorists infuriated with 'slow' cyclists in London and whizzing passed them - it's still inexcusable. I'm not sure what accident rates are but we didn't like the mix and there were enough cyclists to make it quite an issue of safety with my 2 young children walking about. It's hard as we're on a path, wandering between shops and I'd have to tell my kids to watch of for cyclists and stay close.

I'm unsure whether the dominance of cycling has created a culture of cyclists come first of whether this is something cultural of the Belgiums and nothing to do with cycling but I was impressed and annoyed at the same time with the system (more impressed than annoyed as it looked great for cyclists and the danger was probably minimal).

 

[Markymark]

Was only there a short while and majority of pedestrians I think were tourists. I wasn't the only concerned as I heard others mentioning it too. Maybe I'm being over protective but cyclists going close passed by my 5 and 2 year olds on the paths at much faster than walking pace is an issue for me whether I saw an accident in my 2 days or not.

 

[Markymark]

I saw that a lot too which seemed to work pretty well. Everything seemed to flow, cars and cyclists weren't travelling too fast or aggressively, didn't see any conflict between them - just didn't like cyclists weaving around pedestrians faster than I felt was considerate as though the cylists took priority over pedestrians.

 

[User169]

I saw that a lot too which seemed to work pretty well. Everything seemed to flow, cars and cyclists weren't travelling too fast or aggressively, didn't see any conflict between them - just didn't like cyclists weaving around pedestrians faster than I felt was considerate as though the cylists took priority over pedestrians.

Belgium is cool!

 

[snorri]

Sometimes when cycle touring I do a head count of helmet wearers and non wearers and stop counting when the total reaches 100, this gives you the figures in percentage terms which is more meaningful than "a lot" or "not many". No, the figures are not to hand!

 

[User169]

Akshully, Belgians love their children...

 

[midliferider]

...and in my un-scientific guestimate I would say that roughly a similar percentage wore helmets as my native London (40-50% ish). No doubt people can give a more definitive answer. City was quiet with cars compared to London and there appeared to be reasonable segregated lanes. Definitely far more than I expected given the often cited European difference to helmets though Austria may be an exception.

Were you cycling?

 

[Markymark]

Nope.

 

[Ern1e]

Belgium is cool!
View attachment 43135

Just a shame it's not a ride through type lol.

 

[srw]

I was in a European city too this weekend. Chock full of thousands bikes being ridden and pushed by people in ordinary clothes. Almost no-one in lycra; almost no-one wearing a helmet (I'd guess fewer than 1 in 20). There were bikes all over the place, spilling out of enormous racks of bike stands and parked up against just about every wall. There were several pedestrianised and nearly pedestrianised streets where bikes and pedestrians were - mostly - happily getting along. The motorised traffic was respectful of the bikes. All this despite dreadful (really terrible) road surfaces and almost no facilities to speak of. I see from the official stats that it's a pretty safe place to ride too - the KSI rate is no worse than many similar cities with much smaller cycling populations.

The name of this European city?

Oxford.