This will cheer you up...

First read this from the Bike Biz site...

Is this man fit for his job?

Think carefully before buying a child a bike for Christmas, is the
message from Calderdale's road safety officer, reports the Huddersfield
Daily Examiner. RSO Peter Shepherdson blames the child cyclist victims
involved in RTAs. Peter Shepherdson, Calderdale's road safety officer,
said:

"Pre-teenagers, bicycles and roads are a cocktail for disaster. We warn
young children away from knives and fire, yet we give them bikes
knowing that in most cases they will be ridden on the road without
supervision or any regard for the Highway Code."

Shepherdson told Huddersfield Daily Examiner that in the last five
years 74 Calderdale children had been hit by vehicles, nine seriously.
The newspaper reported that Shepherdson said "it was impossible to
think of anything else which was given to children which had such an
unenviable safety record."

The great majority of road safety officers in other areas will be
shocked by Shepherdson's victim-blaming stance but it's a sad fact that
a small minority of RSOs would love to see less cycling on their patch
because the easiest method to reduce cyclist injury statistics is to
reduce the numbers of people who cycle.

Britain suffers from an epidemic of 'Health & Safety' measures yet the
step that would have the greatest impact on injury reduction for all
vulnerable road users - the taming of cars - is a measure beyond the
ken of some RSOs.

OK, now read this press release from Calderdale MBC...

4 November 2005

Killer Bikes

Every Christmas it seems that there are stories of dangerous and
defective toys, but can there be any bigger killer and crippler of
children than the humble bicycle?

http://www.calderdale.gov.uk/council...8844&ref=index


You may, if you wish, contact the Calderdale transportation team on



Or the newspaper ....

Huddersfield Examiner
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Fax - 01484 437789

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Address -
Huddersfield Daily Examiner,
PO Box A26,
Queen Street South,
Huddersfield,
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