Factsheet - Cycling to School

Simon Brooke wrote:

That isn't actually true. Any cyclist on the road, according to DfT
figures, is safer than their pedestrian friend; a skilled cyclist on the
road is considerably safer.

While I realise this I don't want to overdo figures and over-use
statistics which will, I think, just be a turn off and reason to
distrust what is said. The really key point is that cycling is no more
dangerous than something you're already happy with.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

2nd Draft

Front Page

==========
CYCLING TO SCHOOL
a factsheet for parents



[photo of a parent, with a todler in a handlebar carrier, accomanying
a young child to school (I know just the family!)]



==========

Inside page 1

==========

Cycling to school allows you to avoid the congestion of the school
run, and helps your children to become healthier, happier and more
independent and confident.

Some parents may be worried about the safety of their children cycling
to school because there is a belief that cycling is particularly
dangerous, but this isn't the case and looking at the figures
carefully shows that road cycling is comparably safe to journeys on
foot. A confident cyclist on the road is just as safe as their
pedestrian friend.

[Note: I've used the word confident instead of skilled which sounds
elitist]

Increasingly schools are promoting cycling for children over 8 years
old, and National Standard cycle training is often part of the
curriculum. Once a child has completed an on-road National Standard
cycle training course you may like to consider them cycling to school
independently.



[Photo of two children cycling to school, on the road just outside a
school]



Facts:
- children will be more alert for the day ahead
- long term health benefits including a lower risk of heart disease
- children are able to socialise with other children who live locally
and form connections within their community
- gives the children responsibility and independence
- reduced traffic around the school

==========

Inside page 2

==========

Cycle Training

[Photo of instructor on-road with children]

National Standard cycle training is the best way to prepare your child
for cycling to and from school. Good on-road courses will cover all
the following.
* maintenance - how to carry out a daily bike check
* road positioning - how to see and be seen
* traffic awareness - how to look all around including behind
* communication - getting eye contact with other road users
* making intentions clear - how to signal left and right
* cycle facilities - how and when to use on and off road cycle lanes
* security - how to secure a bike with a lock

Depending on local conditions you child may be offered further
training including some or all of the following:
* mini roundabouts - turning left, right and going ahead
* built roundabouts - how and when to use and when to walk across
* pedestrian lights - where to stop and when to move on
* junction lights - when to use and when to walk across
* cycling at night - extra care needed and using lights
* busy roads - how to use and how to cross

[I can't think of a wording for a safety reassurance message that
wouldn't make driving appear safer. The main objective is to convert
drive-to-school to cycle-to-school, not walk-to-school to
cycle-to-school, although the latter is OK too.]

==========

Back Page

==========

The Right Bike

All your child needs to start cycling is a bike in good working order
and a strong lock.

There are several different types of bike on the market, and selecting
the best one for your child can be very confusing. The very cheapest
use poor components and and may not survive the rigours of childhood
cycling.

[Some advice of the different types of children's bikes, with
diagrams. Someone help, please]


Fitting the bike

The child should be able to stand astride the bike with both feet on
the ground and be able to touch the ground with the toes of one foot
when sitting on the seat. As with any bike you should make sure the
bike is in good working order and is fitted with a bell and
reflectors.


Clothing

If the weather is cold your child should dress warmly; simarlily in
the summer don’t forget to protect your child against the sun. It is
also a very good idea to wear high visibility clothing such as
reflective vests, armbands and leg straps. Cycle gloves protect the
hands with padding and help when changing grip shift gears.

Some people choose to wear helmets but their importance is widely
misunderstood and their effectiveness often over-stated. Parents and
children need to understand that the minor injuries helmets guard
against are no more common for a road cyclist than a pedestrian, and
that there is no clear evidence that helmets have any effect against
serious injuries or save lives, so helmets are a choice not a
necessity. Like a pedestrian, a cyclist's safety is best served by
avoiding collisions using skill, knowledge and awareness. These
factors, emphasized in training, are key to safety, helmets are
not. It is important for children to understand that helmets do not
make them invulnerable, they do not prevent collisions but can reduce
the severity of a head injury. If you are choosing a helmet it should
be neither too loose nor too tight. Helmets should be replaced after
an impact such as being dropped or hit.

[I think that writing so much about helmets make them appear more
important than they are and would prefer just a short line: If a
helmet is worn it should fit correctly with the straps neither too
loose nor too tight; helemts do nothing to help avoid collisions. For
further information visit www.cyclehelmets.org]

Tom Crispin wrote:

snip

[Note: I've used the word confident instead of skilled which sounds
elitist]

While technically you can be confidently riding in a dumb manner that
will get you killed, I think your reasoning is basically good and this
is better.

Facts:
- children will be more alert for the day ahead
- long term health benefits including a lower risk of heart disease

For some reason something still nags at me here. Maybe along lines of
"Fitter, healthier children that will become fitter, healthier adults".
I can't pin down what I don't like about it, mind you...

[I can't think of a wording for a safety reassurance message that
wouldn't make driving appear safer. The main objective is to convert
drive-to-school to cycle-to-school, not walk-to-school to
cycle-to-school, although the latter is OK too.]

Since I'm not doing any better, point taken!

Some people choose to wear helmets but their importance is widely
misunderstood and their effectiveness often over-stated. Parents and
children need to understand that the minor injuries helmets guard
against are no more common for a road cyclist than a pedestrian, and
that there is no clear evidence that helmets have any effect against
serious injuries or save lives, so helmets are a choice not a
necessity. Like a pedestrian, a cyclist's safety is best served by
avoiding collisions using skill, knowledge and awareness. These
factors, emphasized in training, are key to safety, helmets are
not. It is important for children to understand that helmets do not

"everyone" rather than "children", perhaps?

make them invulnerable, they do not prevent collisions but can reduce
the severity of a head injury.

"...do not make wearers invulnerable and do not prevent accidents, and
can only be expected to reduce the effects of a /minor/ head injury like
a graze"

Otherwise it can be inferred that they're worth a damn in a serious
injury situation. I put in "like a graze" because without some context
"head injury" screams out an emotive "serious", even with the "minor" in
front of it :-(

[I think that writing so much about helmets make them appear more
important than they are

But unfortunately we're in the position where other agencies have
already made them appear more important than they are, so we've got some
remedial balance to address. That's why my first attempt very
specifically said it was not there because helmets are important but
because the false perception that they are needs to be addressed.
Without some active counter-propaganda a parent is, I think, entirely
likely to take the ambient "helmets are a really good idea!" from the
ether (and posters, and apparently TV ads now as well, and journalism,
and the BMA, etc.) rather than read up further references. Why wouldn't
they? It is because the wrong message is already in place and pervasive
that in this case more is needed than either of us would like. Without
that already pervasive message I'd agree entirely that it's more than
needed. But...

A reference to cyclehelets is worth putting in for people that do want
to read further.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Tom Crispin wrote:
2nd Draft

snip
Some parents may be worried about the safety of their children cycling
to school because there is a belief that cycling is particularly
dangerous, but this isn't the case and looking at the figures
carefully shows that road cycling is comparably safe to journeys on
foot. A confident cyclist on the road is just as safe as their
pedestrian friend.
change "Some parents" to "You" for sense, and consistency with the rest
of the doc

best wishes
james

"David Martin" wrote ...


Bosch and Hilti seem to be the preferred brands, and one party did get
into
a fair bit of trouble with the US National Park Service for taking a
power
drill up an El Cap route (Salathe Wall?) a few years back and making very
liberal use of it.
IIRC it wasn't so much the use of a drill, or the drilling, but the
fact that it was a power drill. Such things are aparently illegal above
a certain height in Yosemite (as are bicycles? ) spurious attempt to
drag subject back on topic

..d


You are correct, it was the fact that it was a power drill that made it
illegal. Power tools and motor vehicles are illegal in wilderness areas,
which in Yosemite means off the roadway and above a certain elevation. I
believe that using power drills to place bolts on climbs is specifically
forbidden anywhere in Yosemite National Park, whether or not the crag is in
a designated wilderness portion of the park.

Bicycles are allowed on established roadways only (acknowledgement of
attempt to drag thread back on topic), no bikes on trails.
--
mark

Tom Crispin wrote:

With 11 - 26% of adults using a helmet and 7 - 15% of children*, there
hasn't been much of an impact!

That figure does not take into account all the people that won't
cycle at all because they percieve it as "too dangerous". I don't
know what those numbers are, but the amount of conversations I have
with people (often admiring the 8 Freight outside a shop) who won't
cycle any more because they think that suggests it may not be
insignificant.

The helmet issue and its promotion goes someway towards this
atmosphere of misplaced fear concerning cycling. A lot of helmet
promotion is done and it promotes the idea that cycling is
dangerous. So why cycle with a helmet if it's safer just not cycling?

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Tom Crispin wrote:
2nd Draft

This is coming along nicely.
Question. Should the title scope be widened to "cycling and your child"?

Front Page
==========
CYCLING TO SCHOOL
a factsheet for parents

[photo of a parent, with a todler in a handlebar carrier, accomanying
a young child to school (I know just the family!)]

==========
Inside page 1
==========

Cycling to school allows you to avoid the congestion of the school
run, and helps your children to become healthier, happier and more
independent and confident.

Some parents may be worried about the safety of their children cycling
to school because there is a belief that cycling is particularly
dangerous, but this isn't the case and looking at the figures
carefully shows that road cycling is comparably safe to journeys on
foot. A confident cyclist on the road is just as safe as their
pedestrian friend.
Could be replaced by:
You may be worried that cycling is dangerous. A look at national
figures shows that this simply isn't so. A British cyclist is about as
safe per mile as a British pedestrian. [source]

[Note: I've used the word confident instead of skilled which sounds
elitist]

Increasingly schools are promoting cycling for children over 8 years
old, and National Standard cycle training is often part of the
curriculum. Once a child has completed an on-road National Standard
cycle training course you may like to consider them cycling to school
independently.

Add: Training is the most effective way to make cycling even safer.

[Photo of two children cycling to school, on the road just outside a
school]

Facts:
- children will be more alert for the day ahead
- long term health benefits including a lower risk of heart disease
- children are able to socialise with other children who live locally
and form connections within their community
- gives the children responsibility and independence
- reduced traffic around the school

==========
Inside page 2
==========

Cycle Training

[Photo of instructor on-road with children]

National Standard cycle training is the best way to prepare your child
for cycling to and from school. Good on-road courses will cover all
the following.
* maintenance - how to carry out a daily bike check
* road positioning - how to see and be seen
* traffic awareness - how to look all around including behind
* communication - getting eye contact with other road users
* making intentions clear - how to signal left and right
* cycle facilities - how and when to use on and off road cycle lanes
* security - how to secure a bike with a lock

Depending on local conditions you child may be offered further
training including some or all of the following:
* mini roundabouts - turning left, right and going ahead
* built roundabouts - how and when to use and when to walk across
* pedestrian lights - where to stop and when to move on
* junction lights - when to use and when to walk across
* cycling at night - extra care needed and using lights
* busy roads - how to use and how to cross

[I can't think of a wording for a safety reassurance message that
wouldn't make driving appear safer. The main objective is to convert
drive-to-school to cycle-to-school, not walk-to-school to
cycle-to-school, although the latter is OK too.]

See above.

==========
Back Page
==========

The Right Bike
good

Fitting the bike

good

Clothing

If the weather is cold your child should dress warmly; simarlily in
the summer don’t forget to protect your child against the sun. It is
also a
delete very
good idea to wear high visibility clothing such as
reflective vests, armbands and leg straps,

though visibility is mainly achieved by good positioning.
Cycle gloves protect the
hands with padding and help when changing grip shift gears.

Some people choose to wear helmets but their importance is widely
misunderstood and their effectiveness often over-stated. Parents and
children need to understand that the minor injuries
cycle
helmets guard
against are no more common for a road cyclist than a pedestrian, and
that there is no clear evidence that helmets have any effect against
serious
or life-threatening injuries,
so helmets are a choice not a necessity.
Like pedestrians, cyclists need to avoid collisions
using skill, knowledge and awareness. These
factors, emphasized in training, are key to safety.
Helmets are not.
If you choose to use a helmet to reduce minor injuries, it should
be neither too loose nor too tight. Helmets should be replaced after
an impact such as being dropped or hit.

[I think that writing so much about helmets make them appear more
important than they are and would prefer just a short line: If a
helmet is worn it should fit correctly with the straps neither too
loose nor too tight; helemts do nothing to help avoid collisions. For
further information visit www.cyclehelmets.org]

I've tried to shorten it - I agree it was a bit long.

Here's my version without showing new and old bits:

Some people choose to wear helmets, but their importance is widely
misunderstood and their effectiveness often over-stated. Parents and
children need to understand that cycle helmets only protect against
minor injuries, and that these are no more common for road cyclists
than for pedestrians. There is no clear evidence that helmets have any
effect against serious or life-threatening injuries, so helmets are a
choice, not a necessity.
Like pedestrians, cyclists protect themselves best by avoiding
collisions using skill, knowledge and awareness. These are the
benefits of cycle training, and are key to safety.
Helmets are not.
If you choose to use a helmet, it should be neither too loose nor too
tight. Helmets should be replaced after being dropped or hit.

Humm. That seems to have saved a line, two at the most.

HTH

Colin McKenzie

On Tue, 11 Apr 2006 22:59:34 +0100, Colin McKenzie
wrote:

Humm. That seems to have saved a line, two at the most.

HTH

Thanks Colin. I may be able to work a third draft tomorrow morning,
if not I'm unlikely to have time until 22 April. I'm off to Ireland
tomorrow for a few days hillwalking, and then its back to work next
Tuesday.

I hope some will be able to work on 'The right bike' bit.

I wonder if a table listing various types of bikes and there pros and
cons would be the way to go.

============================
Switch to a fixed width font
============================

Type of bike Advantages Disadvantages

Full suspension Fun and good for off Heavy, slow on the
road, cool looking road, often cheap
components

Racer Fast for road cycling Often expensive
Low riding postion

Colin McKenzie wrote:

This is coming along nicely.
Question. Should the title scope be widened to "cycling and your child"?

On the one hand more inclusive, which is good, but on the other perhaps
less likely to be found. But of course some suitable text and meta tags
on the referring page should sort that out...

Could be replaced by:
You may be worried that cycling is dangerous. A look at national figures
shows that this simply isn't so. A British cyclist is about as safe per
mile as a British pedestrian. [source]

Yes, I think that's better: says the same but more concisely. Perhaps
change to "slightly safer per mile", bringing Simon's point on board.

I've tried to shorten it - I agree it was a bit long.

Agree too, and probably still is. Perhaps starting afresh...

Many people assume helmets are important because they think cycling is
dangerous, but as we've already noted cyclists are comparably safe to
pedestrians. The effectiveness of helmets is also widely misunderstood
and over-stated: they can only be expected to help against very minor
injuries, nothing that's life threatening or debilitating.
If you choose to use a helmet, it should be a snug fit covering the
forehead and securely fastened. A helmet should be replaced after an
impact, and it must be understood that it won't stop a crash or save a
life. Skill, knowledge and awareness, all benefits of cycle training,
are the real keys to safety.

That's shaved a bit more, but is it any better?

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

in message , Tom Crispin
') wrote:


2nd Draft

Front Page

==========
CYCLING TO SCHOOL
a factsheet for parents

If it would be helpful, I've put this up on the autofaq, he

http://www.jasmine.org.uk/urcautofaq...CylingToSchool

This may make it easier for people to co-operatively edit. If editing,
save your work regularly, because your session times out in five
minutes!

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
; ... of course nothing said here will be taken notice of by
; the W3C. The official place to be ignored is on www-style or
; www-html. -- George Lund