TfL said to have approached researchers over headphones and cyclist safety

A profoundly deaf person is perfectly entitled and safe to cycle or drive although they cannot hear any ambient sounds. Thus hearing ambient sounds (although useful) is not a requirement to drive or cycle on the roads.

I think that distraction is really the issue here and the crux of this issue is not the wearing of headphones but what, if anything is being played through them and at what volume. The exact same issues relate to the use of car stereos or headphones in cars.

For example very loud music may be likely to distract more than quieter music. But then surely playing something like language learning packages or audio books can really involve the listener and may be equally or more distracting.

Note my use of words like "may" and "likely" - I'm not quoting facts here but suggesting some likely hypotheses.

Shay

So they pass a law which says it's illegal to cycle with headphones in, but currently they don't effectively police cars in bike boxes, speeding, red light jumping, it seems from the lorry stopping exercise a good percentage of those aren't road legal, so the solution is to pass another law which they can't police and that draws resource from policing the aforementioned, how does that help? What of course it will do is give another excuse if someone dies, oh they were wearing headphones, much like, they weren't wearing a helmet, or they weren't in a high-viz jacket. Find this all so depressing.

There is evidence that the noise of traffic is actually loud enough to damage your hearing. As a result, I ride year round with cotton wool in my ears, just to protect them a little. Having said that, on the odd occasion where I've forgotten my cotton wool I will instead use earphones (plugged into nothing). I would actually argue that all cyclists should be using some form of protection for their ears whenever they are out cycling on busy roads.

As for the effects of listening to music... well surely that would be similar to the effects of music in a car? I know that when I used to have a car I didn't like loud music because I found it difficult to fully concentrate. If the evidence is that music causes a distraction the same rule should be applied to all road users.

It would be a shame though if there did end up being a ban on using headphones. This morning I rode in with a headphone in one ear listening to Test Match Special. Certainly not a distraction as far as I'm concerned.

Can we just stop finding ways to blame cyclists for just using the roads. Cars reduce all your senses so much more than riding a bike does; you can't see much, hear much or feel much. That is the problem.

More victim blaming.

Is TfL also looking at banning hands free mobiles in vehicles, as recommended by charity Brake?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24982173

& if TfL pass this law (?!) banning headphones they are effectively saying "Sorry deaf people, your bike ride to the shops just became illegal"

I've been hit twice when NOT wearing headphones, NEVER when wearing them. You can't argue with science.

I would be in favour of a ban on headphones whilst cycling. For me, my ears act as an extra eye particularly where traffic coming from behind is concerned. To be honest I don't really like wearing a cycle helmet as I feel it deadens my auditory awareness. When you are in a car, you don't need to be as hyper-alert to noise as you do on a bike so the car stereo argument is a fatuous one.

The example the girl that sadly rode into the back of a stationary vehicle, isnt that just anecdote. Correct if I'm wrong but didnt a time-trialler recently die near Hull because he rode into the back of a stationary caravan, I dont recall him wearing earphones.

The reason they don't want you to wear headphones is so they can try and bully you in their motor vehicles off the public highway which they are deluded enough to think they own, wake up people.

They don't even own their motor vehicles.

Just diversion tactics, cycling with headphones is 100% safe, fight this rubbish.

Talking about headphones is simply a cowardly political tactic of avoiding talking about the real issues. Sure, distractions and the dulling of spatial awareness can certainly contribute to incidents but focusing on distractions and the dulling of spacial awareness in vehicles would almost undoubtedly save far more lives. Talk of banning headphones is about as useful as talk of banning children in cars.

btw I choose not to wear headphones when I ride but I often wear them when I'm running. I use small Koss over-ear ones which slightly amplify outside sounds too, so you can listen to music at the same time as being aware of bird song, or traffic, or whatever else is around you

I wear dark sunglasses whilst cycling at night. Its my right to do so regardless of the fact that in an accident I'm the one who'll get hurt.

Knowing I'm acting within my rights takes all the pain away.

Tricky one, who would deny that wearing headphones whilst cycling in heavy traffic is Moronic.

But its the fact that you have to cycle in heavy traffic which is dangerous, not the headphones. If there were no trucks and cars bearing down on you whilst you rode then it wouldn't be a problem.

Boris is using this as a smoke screen to cover up for his lack of progress and will power to sort out cycling;but a lot of fairly important people seem to be calling him to task (probably for their own political ends though).

Wearing headphones blunts your perception. It makes it very hard to know if there is a vehicle over your shoulder. If you are having to pull out to move around parked cars into the path of traffic you had better be good at looking over your shoulder to know if it safe. The problem is that most people who wear ear phones while cycling that I see aren't. It is the height of stupidity on a commute.

I see a number of vehicle drivers and cyclists wearing headphones / ear buds.
Is every one listening to music or are they hands free waiting for that next most important phone call?
How long will it be before the motorists quote "sorry mate I didn't hear you"

TfL ignored consultants over several junctions that their redesigns were dangerous and would result in casualties so what does TfL do?

This!

Its a bullshit move to misdirect people from seeing that they have absolutely fucking failed with their shitty transport policy.

Pedestrians and cyclists are being killed daily and the city is choking with the worst pollution in Europe.

Are they going to take steps towards a ban on car stereos then...