P.s This story has had an update over on the BikeBiz site
http://www.bikebiz.co.uk
UPDATE: TSO's shock comments were "official"
When the Calderdale road safety officer blamed child cyclists for being
hit by vehicles, BikeBiz.com thought Peter Shepherdson may have been
selectively misquoted by his local newspaper. It turns out the story
was based on an official press release entitled "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?" asks the release.
Er, yes. Motor cars hitting them.
The release starts badly and gets worse as it goes on. According to
Calderdale metropoltican borough council, when children put bicycles on
their Christmas wish lists, this creates a "terrible burden of
responsibility for their parents".
RSO Peter Shepherdson plays the scare card: "Too often parents say, 'Go
and play on your bike.' not thinking that their child will race out
onto the road and could be killed or seriously injured. It can and does
happen all too frequently here in Calderdale."
Incredibly, the stand-out quotes from the newspaper story, carried on
BikeBiz.com earlier in the day, are from the official press release:
In the last five years 74 Calderdale children have been hit by other
vehicles and injured, thankfully none fatally, but 9 seriously. Many
more bumps and scrapes go unreported. It is impossible to think of
anything else we give our children which has this unenviable safety
record.
Council Road Safety Officer, Peter Shepherdson is emphatic 'Pre
teenagers, bicycles and roads are a cocktail for disaster.' He added,
'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.
The rest of the release contains some basic, common sense advice but
that will be lost on those parents who may now be convinced that
bicycles are death-traps, a message that local bicycle retailers are
incensed about.
http://www.calderdale.gov.uk/council...8844&ref=index