Trouser Pole

I work in the city and go home from Paddington, east to west. I used to go through Oxford street years ago but it was a nightmare of buses and oblivious pedestrians. Then I found the cycle superhighway and never went that way again. It’s really easy not to use Oxford street. Why are the council being such twats?

@andystow and was it sold with pedal reflectors?

@Mr Blackbird ah, but you've no idea how badly decapitated they would have been if they hadn't been wearing a helmet!

@mark1212123 "you’ll have to dispense with thinking your small thing is a massive thing while cycling to work in the winter?’" I find things tend naturally to shrink in the cold... Having "the big debate" with any given person is almost always pointless. We've all got our to-do list for that day/week/year that we're struggling to get through, using the familiar transport tools we spent time and money to acquire. And if we could really introspect we might find out that a shocking amount of life is delegated to autopilots or essentially reacting to external prompts. But - *given* that someone is at a point to actually discuss (rare!) - I think the Chris-Boardman-style works eg. "are you happy with (the congestion / your kids not being able to get themselves to school / all the cars parked all over your road and the pavement / hearing that the local authority can't afford to fix stuff)?" And "if you are, fine - your area, you own the consequences, good or bad (but ... it likely won't get better). If you're not, tell us about one of those pain points and let's work together to explore some solutions". (And no, those aren't going to be a personal bypass which takes you in your car past all the other traffic and yet doesn't cause your nice street to become a motorway. Because everyone else wants that *their* way not yours and anyway we can't afford it).

One definite conclusion to be drawn from the lab tests is that no cycle helmet can protect against decapitation.

Unless I missed it, it doesn't seem clear if he locked his bike or not. If he just left it propped against the window it probably wasn't the smartest of moves. Still a crappy thing to happen and hope he is reunited with it.

@chrisonabike Great points from both of you. I'll imagine a conversation with one of the many drivers at my delivery depot. "Err, Brian mate....can you spend 2 minutes considering the possibility that you might drive less and err...get your lazy arse into some permanent exercise, like feeling better and stuff...some planetary atmosphere might need your help? Oh, you'll have to dispense with thinking your small thing is a massive thing while cycling to work in the winter?' 'WTF you on about?' Most people know some of the debate. They deploy selective listening and irrationality, if the primary concern is convenience or money, or ideology, or whatever's floating their boat presently, whilst ironically harking for the past. I am currently in mock mode. It gets past the junk. Sometimes in the canteen I shout, "Cyclists are the best...." they love hearing the sentence it informs them they are in love with dissonace.

@Xenophon2 I"m pretty convinced that my solution is an MTB light and take my chances with the police (I'm in Austria where StVZO applies). Too many light reviews give good scores to lights that just do no put enough light where I need it. And give too much credence to safety features like dimming, dipping and beam cut off.

@andystow I'll second that, but only when used in a public place.

E-bike is an undefined term that is used by all & sundry as they see fit. That is not going to change anytime soon. It is often the use that is illegal, not the object. Words and context matter. Poor journalism and confusing legislation combine to muddy the waters.