Rhyl cyclist criticised for towing kids in wooden trailer

The Daily Post has published a photograph of a Rhyl man towing a baby and group of children in what looks like it could be a homemade trailer. The image was sent in by a ‘concerned reader’ but North Wales Police have yet to comment on it.

The picture was taken on Rhyl High Street and there have been questions as to whether the trailer is legal. “The youngsters, riding in a wooden trailer, appear to not be wearing any seat belts or safety restraints,” says the Daily Post.

A spokesperson for Brake, the road safety charity, said:

“A trailer may well be fine for carrying goods in, but not young children, including a baby. We’re all for encouraging people to drive less and cycle more, but the children in this picture appear not be fully secured and are certainly not wearing protective helmets.”

However, all sorts of child seats and trailers are commercially available and there is no restriction in law, the Highway Code or Road Traffic Act concerning the carrying of children in trailers.

In 2011, we reported how a father from Burton-on-Trent was fined £100 for carrying his two-year-old son on his bike, with the youngster sitting on a seat that had been bought from Halfords. Speaking at the time, Malcolm Shepherd, chief executive of the cycling charity, Sustrans, expressed surprise that the case had been brought.

“This is one of the prescribed ways of carrying a child on a bicycle. The most important thing is that it is a proper seat that has been fitted properly. We want kids on their bikes and we don't want incidents like this to put parents off carrying their children.”