Levels of cycling falling in Australia, according to national survey

I've never worn a helmet for cycling and don't understand why any recreational or commuting cyclist ever would. The wind in your hair is half the point of doing it.

I'd already been cycling for 20+ years before Halfords started selling these new-fangled 'cycling helmets', presumably to newbies who had been told by the salesperson that cycling was a really dangerous activity.

I find it bizarre that Australia made helmets compulsory for their citizens when at the time most pro riders in Europe didn't wear them. It was a full decade later before that became mandatory.

I assume most road riders wear helmets today because they want to look like pro's and adherence to The Rules, written by some Californian pussies.

I returned to Australia last year after many years living in Europe and Asia:

1. Cycling is seen as a sport first and almost exclusively by Australians. There is no concept amongst the wider population of cycling as an alternative transport option.

2. Australian parents are obsessive about their children. These parents hardly let their children use public transport because of safety concerns . . .how then do you expect them to allow kids to ride a bike on a public road? It's crazy, but can be explained by the fact that 35% of Australian children go to private schools and are therefore a real cash investment for families.

3. Aussie roads are poor for road cycling due to
rough surfaces.

4. Drivers in Australia are super aggressive. I spent two years in Singapore and thought that was bad until I returned to Australia. The car culture is very strong and somewhat arrogant. If you're not in a car you're considered some type of plague carrying hippy . . . never mind the fact that your bike is worth more than 40% of cars on the road.

Surprised to see Christian Haag "only" calling for 40 km/h speed limits. Why not dare to aim low? Realism about the prevailing political conditions will only take you so far. Sometimes you have throw reason out the window and go for big visions instead. 30 would make much more sense on a good 70% or so of urban roads. Once you get 30 limits in place in more or less all residential areas (except the "Children Playing" streets where lower limits apply!) you can then start explaining to people that it actually means that you have to content yourself with chugging along at 10 or 15 km/h when you don't have enough space to overtake vulnerable child cyclists or elderly cyclists safely.

Most trips by car will only involve a few traffic-calmed streets with low speed limits at the very beginning and end of journeys,so traffic calming wouldn't make much of a difference to overall journey times. Some journeys would even be shorter, since modal shift to walking and cycling would relieve congestion. Others would take fractionally longer, but the overall effects would be worth it: more neighbourly encounters, livable cities, more relaxed walking/cycling/driving, lower healthcare costs, fewer elderly people losing their mobility and becoming dependent on others decades too early because they daren't venture out into traffic, increased economic productivity, and a collection of other economic, social and environmental benefits.

Even more medal opportunities in the future for the England squads in the Olympics!!

Dear Road.CC

If you read the Austroads report you linked to you would have seen this warning in the covering article about differences between the survey in 2011 and the current one:

"These changes, while improving accuracy and consistency with other surveys, mean that comparison between years should be treated with caution."

Why doesn't your story above mention that?

Either cyclists are being discouraged by the laws or they aren't Sakura. Stop trolling.

Out of curiosity, out of the above posters who is Australian? I know that the helmet law is a touchy issue on this British website but being a 32 year old Australian who has lived and cycled in many cities I never come across this helmet hatred. And those that don't cycle that I talk to never bring up the helmet issue as their reason not to. Fear of cars, lack of confidence, poor changing facilities at work, general car culture all pop up but I never hear 'I would if I didn't have to wear a helmet.' The law has been in place for so long that now that it is just a norm.
In reply to Simon_MacMichael's post I would say that a bigger reason would be the places where the new parents are living. The building of new suburbs in Australia over the past twenty years has done nothing at all to promote cycling. There are generally tight streets, no real cycling infrastructure, and, apart from if you've got a friend nearby, no reason to cycle anywhere. It is only over the past five to ten years that cities have been actively promoting cycling as an alternative to cars and also improving the infrastructure.
Melbourne, where I live, is making an effort to improve it's cycling infrastructure and it appears to be paying off in regard to the numbers.

"While Australia’s nationwide compulsory helmet laws are often singled out as being a deterrent to cycling, Bicycle Network Victoria spokesman Garry Brennan told the Guardian that it was the perception of danger on the roads that discouraged people from getting on a bike."

Gee Garry, you don't suppose there could be a connection do you ? Crazy thought, but I'm just throwing it out there...

A helmet is another thing to carry that doesn't fit in any but the biggest bags, or that gets nastily soggy if you lock it to your bike, thanks to the police pushing to remove shelters from parking. Too much pain for a debatable small gain in protection against falling off the bike. They're not designed to do much if a car hits you, remember. Not a surprise that cycling is falling in the most famous country for helmet- forcing.

Odd. At least Darwin is very friendly. I am working at Darwin and come from Mexico. While things are not perfect, this is a really good place for cycling. Many people go around on bikes.

But then, this is a mostly flat place, with hot but bearable temperatures all year long and relatively short distances. So moving on a bike here is easy peasy. The cycle paths help a lot.

For those not familiar, helmets are mandatory under 14 (IIRC) and if you ride on an actual road. If you ride cycle paths and are over 14, you don't need a helmet. At least in the Northern Territory.

Besides, speaking about myself, I have never understood the helmet argument. It's not a big deal. As for my kid... I use it everytime I ride a bike, he can't think about riding without one. It's natural to him to wear a helmet.

Quote:

small but significantly significant

I love it when statisticians get asked for a soundbite, bless their multicoloured socks. Anyways, big for Anna Meares. She's a class act as a competitor, and from her comments, sounds like a class act generally.

Predictably, the helmet issue popped up it's ugly head early doors. But that's only part of the problem - both in Oz and Blighty alike. Build an infrastructure - physical, legal, and perceptual - designed with bikes in mind, and they will come.

In some civilised countries, roads are designed for cars and bikes, there's strict liability, and the monarchy rides bikes. And they understand jokes about not throwing bikes in the air.

In poor old Blighty, we get a confused, dangerous muddle of road design marred by a tick box mentality of "let's do something nice for the funny people on bicycles", a legal system that all but legalises the killing of anyone with the temerity to ride a bike, and, er Boris Johnson. Let's be grateful for small mercies, eh? Sounds like it's not much better in Oz either.

I'm painting with a very broad brush here, but to paraphrase again, build an infrastructure for bikes and they will come.

Gman - and I don't understand why it's so difficult to understand or why anyone would reply to anyone else's post without making their own point.

Still..thanks for that insight into your mind, really helpful.

If you want to dress up like a goon to pop down the shops fill yer boots son but I will just hop on a bike and ride...and do a lot.

I read that Mike Hall, when he broke the "round the world" cycling record, cited Australia as the most dangerous place to cycle on his entire trip.

I ride a bike everyday, my kids ride their bikes everyday, if we had to wear helmets we wouldn't ride so much.

Might as well get an obligatory rant about compulsory helmet laws in early.
Helmets indicate cycling is a potential dangerous activity instead of a potentially fun and liberating one.
As much as kids love doing dangerous stuff they love doing fun, liberating and impulsive stuff even more.
As kids we would go out from dusk til dawn, dicking about on bikes, doing all sorts of crazy stuff.
No one died.

Two words

Helmet Law

#getspopcornready