Thunderclap - Stop the California Mandatory Helmet Law

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Chris Bruntlett Is a Criminal, according to Vancouver's Mandatory Helmet Law

Chris Bruntlett, blogger, writer, bike advocate from Vancouver, B.C. has some insight regarding the effectiveness of a mandatory helmet law for cyclists, as is currently proposed in California. We can learn from the failure of this law in Vancouver. This article first appeared in Hush Magazine on August 7, 2012. Please note: statistics cited may be outdated.



Take it away, Chris.

“When it comes to the big helmet debate, I believe in choice. Much like many other things in life, such as; smoking, drinking, eating fast food, and having unprotected sex. All of which affect our health care system far more than riding your bike around the seawall without a hideous mushroom cap on your dome. Are we going to make it the law to wear a condom or give out tickets to fat people? I am not opposed to wearing helmets, especially for children, and if one often takes long rides in traffic or along the highway, but for a leisurely ride around Vancouver? I choose to not wear one, and I think people should decide what’s right for them, like most places around the world.” -Mimi Lauzon, Bicycle Babes



I have a confession to make: I consciously and blatantly break the law on a daily basis. Every morning, I kiss my wife and children goodbye, and ride my bicycle slowly along a 5-kilometre stretch of protected bikeway to my office, where I work as a Residential Designer. It is a simple act. One that should be encouraged and celebrated, as it is in 99% of the world’s great cities. But rather, because I choose to do this without a piece of Styrofoam on my head, I am labeled a criminal, and face being charged by the Vancouver Police Department under Section 184 of the Motor Vehicle Act (as I have twice). This despite the fact I am not riding a Motor Vehicle, that I feel perfectly safe riding the city’s plentiful bike lanes, that I am statistically safer than a pedestrian crossing the street or even a driver sitting into a car, and that my choice of transport is far more economically and environmentally beneficial to the city.



When British Columbia first passed its adult bicycle helmet law in 1995, it was widely accepted as a sensible initiative to promote and increase road safety. The City of Vancouver followed suit shortly thereafter, passing a by-law that made it illegal to ride on city paths and seawalls without a helmet, under punishment of a $100 fine. Now, seventeen years later, it is undeniable these laws have not resulted in any of the benefits that were promised. They have not saved lives. They have not reduced healthcare costs. They have not increased road safety. It is therefore not surprising that only a handful of jurisdictions (BC followed Australia and New Zealand; the Maritime provinces followed us; then nothing) have since instituted such laws, while the rest of the world has recognized them for what they are: a complete disaster.



The most significant impact of criminalizing cycling without a helmet is the simple fact that the majority of people won’t bother. In particular, short, slow, utilitarian pedestrian-like bicycle trips to the grocery store or restaurant become a rarity. In a province facing the growing healthcare costs of 1.5 million obese or overweight people, this is of grave concern: especially when it is abundantly clear that the health benefits of cycling far outweigh the risks. Almost every study on the impact of mandatory helmet laws show a 30%-50% decrease in cycling rates, and up to 80% in some demographic groups, such as young females. The cost of this inactivity to society, in both lives and dollars, is monumental. It has been estimated that New Zealand’s helmet law contributes to 53 premature deaths per year, while Australia’s costs the taxpayer around $301-million in healthcare expenses annually.



Bike-share systems are another area where mandatory helmet laws become extremely problematic. Since the Vélib’ launched in Paris five years ago, the City of Vancouver has been studying the idea of a bike-share of our own. The lengthy delay has been down to one factor: how do you force people to wear helmets for a spontaneous, short trip on a shared bicycle? Meanwhile, over 300 cities around the world have passed us by, including such cycling hotbeds as Omaha, Houston, and Kansas City. Only three have attempted to do so under a helmet law: Melbourne, Brisbane, and Auckland, all of which were colossal failures. Vancouver tentatively plans to launch a system in spring of 2013, which will be significantly smaller than its Montreal and Toronto counterparts, and (laughably) includes helmet-dispensing and sanitizing machines. All of this notwithstanding the fact bike-share programs have proven to be incredibly safe; London, with far fewer traffic-calmed streets than Vancouver, hasn’t experienced a single serious injury after 4.5 million trips.



Unfortunately, neither the BC Liberals nor the NDP want to revisit this law, which also remains popular amongst the motoring majority: drivers who are freely allowed to smoke, drink, and eat as much fast food as they want, with no thought of the healthcare costs they impose. Even more disappointing has been the lack of leadership from Vancouver City Council, with Mayor Robertson and Councilor Deal both calling the law “appropriate”, and insisting the long-delayed bike-share program will proceed without any exemption.



However, there is a small but growing number of local activists who are speaking out against the law, calling themselves “The Church of Sit-Up Cycling” (in reference to one exemption from the BC helmet law: “conflict with an essential religious practice”) and launching a call to action: http://www.helmetchoice.ca. I stand proudly with the “Church”: the adult helmet law is a direct contradiction to our city’s goal of becoming the “World’s Greenest” in eight short years. It’s time to abandon the idea of helmet regulation, and try something new: increasing cycling safety through numbers and infrastructure, as they do in Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Tokyo, Montreal, and New York City. Then, and only then, will the bicycle stand a chance of becoming a viable and widely accepted mode of transportation in Vancouver. I, for one, can’t wait.

All photos and words by Chris Bruntlett, unless otherwise noted.

Dear Senator, I'm Pro-Choice and I Vote!

Let's talk about safety. I ride a bike everyday in San Francisco. Mostly I ride without a helmet.



When I go on a long bike ride, or bust out my road bike with skinny wheels and clipless pedals, I'll often don a helmet because I might be riding at faster speeds, or in windy conditions where the bike might fall over with me on it, without enough time for me to put my foot down and get my balance.



But when I ride my everyday-bike to get from point A to point B, like commuting or running errands or meeting friends, the only headgear I'll wear is a warm hat, or my Giants cap if I'm going to a game.



I do this for three reasons. First of all, I ride really slowly, in control of myself and my surroundings at all time. I ride slowly enough to avoid potholes. I'm a defensive rider so I anticipate the behavior of drivers and avoid them. Secondly, I am making a social statement. I'm telling the world out there that riding a bike is not dangerous. It's safe, especially when there are more people on bikes on the road. So when a driver yells at me from the car window that I need a helmet, I usually tell them that they actually need one because you're far more likely to get injured or die in a car than on a bike. This leads me to my third point: I'm making a political statement. Our lawmakers must realize that it's not bike helmet laws that we need, but bike infrastructure, and lots of it. In our cities, in our suburbs, across the whole state of California, across the entire nation, continent, hemisphere, world.

Cities like Copenhagen understand this. When I was visiting in November, what was in abundance was a connected network of separated bike lanes that were used rain or shine by all types of riders of all ages, genders and classes. It felt as safe as safe can be, whatever hour of the day, even during commute hour. Street traffic flowed seamlessly, and not once did I encounter an altercation between a cyclist, a pedestrian and a motorized vehicle. Everyone had a place on the road. We coexisted in an urban harmony.

And just when it seemed that the conditions for cyclists in California were beginning to improve, when more people are choosing a bike as their primary means of transportation in urban environments, Senator Carol Liu throws a wrench in our spokes: SB 192 would make it mandatory for all Californians of all ages to wear a helmet while riding a bicycle.

And The Great Helmet Debate begins once again. Pro-Helmet people will tell you that helmets save lives and protect your brain from injury. Pro-Choice people will tell you that wearing a helmet does little to nothing to make cycling safer on our streets.

Lawmakers are not scrutinizing the real issue - WE NEED SAFER STREETS. And by safer streets, I mean we need BICYCLE INFRASTRUCTURE on our streets, including protected bike lanes, bicycle traffic lights, bike boxes, and more. Cars have infrastructure. Pedestrians have infrastructure. Bicyclists need infrastructure too. And bicycle infrastructure, just like the helmetless riders in Copenhagen will tell you, will protect you much more than a piece of plastic on your head.

The true problem is that California is a car-centric culture. The entire state was built in a way that favors car transportation. Even in places like Davis, Berkeley, Palo Alto and Long Beach, where bike infrastructure is pretty good, we still have a long way to go to make all types of cyclists feel safe enough to use bikes as an everyday transportation choice.

Being Pro-Choice is not being Anti-Helmet. I'm not saying you shouldn't wear a helmet. Do it if you feel safer wearing one on your bicycle, but don't make me or other Californians who don't want to wear a helmet wear one. A Pro-Choice California would turn the discussion back to the root of the issue - real bicycle safety through real bicycle infrastructure.

Please read this fantastic list of facts about SB 192 presented by the California Bicycle Coalition. And when you're done reading the facts, please sign their petition to stop SB 192.

Tomorrow I will post an article from Chris Bruntlett, bike-advocate and one of the masterminds behind Modacity. Here's a pic I took of Chris and his daughter Coralie.



Chris lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, a city with a mandatory helmet law. Chris will tell you why the helmet law isn't working in Vancouver and why California shouldn't adopt it. STAY TUNED!

Outsmarting the Bicycle Thief - a short film by Laura Lukitsch

My friend and "fellow" female film director/bike gal Laura Lukitsch has published a new webisode of her ongoing bike tips series on Youtube. This one is called "Outsmarting the Bicycle Thief." The film runs down all the do's and don'ts of locking up your bike, on the streets and in your garage.

I see a lot of bikes that are locked up carelessly in San Francisco, and I hope everyone watches this fun short film to gain some valuable insight to keep your valuable ride safe and sound.



Here's what Laura has to say:

Last week I launched the latest of my Tips for Urban Biking Series where I am covering ten questions or roadblocks for people new to urban cycling.  

I started the series because five years ago, when I was first contemplating but fearing urban cycling, the majority of the cycling videos on YouTube were either of bikers doing stunts, riding messenger style, or talking about something technical.

I didn’t intentionally set out to create my series for women, but looking at viewership statistics now, I’m surprised that upwards of 90% of the audience is men. I thought being a woman director and casting a wide variety of non-technical riders, I’d get a larger female audience. I would love for my web series to reach more women who have chosen the bicycle as their main form of transportation.

The latest episode looks at tips and techniques for keeping your bike safe in the urban environment.  Although this topic has been covered in numerous videos, Outsmarting the Bicycle Thief features a diverse cast of characters, including an Asian actress in the role of "The Thief." I hope you enjoy my perspective on this issue.  

Also, I’ve included tips on a frequently overlooked aspect of parking: where you park and lock your bike. More and more bikes are being stolen from garages and back yards, and we need to be aware of how to ensure our bikes remain safe.

Please share Outsmarting the Bicycle Thief with your friends - bike gals and bike dudes alike!

Drivers beware!

Please don't yell at me from your car window and tell me to wear a helmet, get off the road, be careful, get a headlight, etc.



You're not offering "advice." In fact, you're being rude, annoying and you're not paying attention to the road.

Actually, you're being a dangerous driver.

Keep your eyes on the road and keep your opinions to yourself.

We know what we're doing, ok?

#RideOfSilence on KQED

Remembering Slain Cyclists, In Silence from KQED News on Vimeo.

KQED did a great job covering the ride. We had 14 police escorts from SFPD blocking intersections so we could safely pass through.

Stop the Slow Lane!

It's ok to go slow in the bike lane, but it's not ok for the FCC to slow down access to certain sites.

Protected Intersections - an animated video demo

In the words of Lauryn Hill, "It could all be so simple, but you'd rather make it hard." This fantastic animation by Nick Falbo shows how some simple bike infrastructure could demystify how we could all pass through intersections in harmony, bicycles, automobiles and pedestrians alike, each with their own infrastructure.

Protected Intersections For Bicyclists from Nick Falbo on Vimeo.

Biking in urban areas doesn't have to be hard. But we need help from our city governments to give this idea for coexisting a fair chance.

Oppressed Majority - Everyday Sexism

I have a lot of friends who feel threatened and annoyed by catcalls from random men in the street while riding their bikes.

This film from France should resonate with all women, whether cyclist or pedestrian, or just in life, period.



There is a criticism of the Cycle Chic movement that when men photograph beautiful women on their bicycles and post these photos online, it is the cyber-equivalent of ogling and catcalling. As a woman who photographs and blogs about bicycle street fashion, I do it because I respect the men and women who feel confident in themselves enough to wear whatever they want when they are on their bicycles transporting themselves to their destinations. I also believe that most of the bloggers I've met and communicated with share this same respect for fashionable cyclists, both men and women. However, as a someone who frequents Flickr, I often see photos from the same people who contribute to Vélo Vogue's Flickr pool post photos of women wearing skirts on their bicycles. The photo is composed in a way that the viewers eyes are drawn to the women's sexuality, their heads are framed out of the photo, and therefore their identity is reduced to the mere fact that these women have a vagina.

At 2:48, the man in this film is subjected to the same type of everyday catcalling and objectification that we women have dealt with our entire lives, and are asked to grin and bear it, are asked to appreciate the fact that a man finds us attractive. And at 3:56, he experiences the type of humiliation and abuse that most women have endured at least once in our lives.

The sad part about this film in relation to the bicycle community is that the bicycle industry is largely at fault for not only objectifying women, but also ostracizing us. This is why rides like Clitoral Mass and groups like the Ovarian Psycos are so important.

SO THAT ONE DAY WE WILL BE TREATED WITH RESPECT.

Period.

Bike bloggers of the world unite and stand with us.

wise words from a good samaritan

For all you newbies to securing your bike, some words of advice:



Not all cyclists know how to properly secure their bikes, even if you're keeping it in your garage. Your bike is especially unsafe when left overnight on the street. Protect your property, folks. Most stolen bike stories do not have happy endings.

Happy Day of Love Everlasting to All

Today, judy b. and I took a ride to the Castro to celebrate the failure of DOMA and the legalization of gay marriage in California.



It was a glorious day. Enjoy the photos, the San Francisco energy and share in the love.



Lotsa happy boys and girls everywhere today!

why i ride a bike - reason #3 - keeps you in shape!

A picture is worth a thousand words...



Even if you're just riding for transportation, you are getting a workout. My commute to and from work gets my blood pumping for at least 60 minutes/5 days a week. And when you go out on weekends, you burn off a little of your evening's indulgences on your way back home.

Biking gives you some basic fitness that you won't get by driving a car or taking the bus. Just remember, you won't have calves like this by sitting on your ass.



However far you want to push it is purely up to you.

why I ride a bike - reason #1 - it's good for the planet

There are so many reasons why I like to ride a bike as my principal form of transportation. And there's really no pecking order to my reasons; they are all equally important to me every time I put my butt in the saddle and start pedaling somewhere. So, because I was reminded just yesterday of one very important reason, I'm going to start this series with that very reason:

RIDING A BICYCLE IS GOOD FOR THE PLANET



Yesterday, I joined judy b. and approximately 1,000 protesters at the corner of Broadway & Divisadero to remind President Obama that the Keystone XL Pipeline is NO solution to our energy crisis and downright BAD for the environment. Plain and simple.



Just days after the horrific photos of the pipeline spill in Arkansas were released, I pedaled to the top of this hill in the chic neighborhood of Pacific Heights where Obama supporters paid $32,500 a plate for dinner at the Getty mansion. I felt a sense of pride that no petroleum products brought me to the protest against the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline. It was just me and my bicycle, and my own energy fueling my ride.



I know where my fuel comes from. It comes from the food that I eat and my own personal commitment to creating a better world for me, my community and future generations of humans, animals, plants and other forms of life.



By choosing to ride a bike instead of driving a car, you're creating fewer carbon emissions, and you're not using fossil fuels, whose production, distribution and consumption all contribute to the destruction of the environment. So do the right thing! Even if you start small! Start by making one trip per week by bike instead of using a car. Then make two trips per week by bike. You'll notice a few things - your gas bill will go down considerably, and you'll ride with pride in knowing that you are less dependent on dirty oil.

women's rights, a girl and a bike - a film called Wadjda

Seeing how the other half lives often puts our own daily trials and tribulations into perspective. Sometimes you can step into someone else's shoes through watching a film. Or hop on someone else's saddle. Take Wadjda, for example, an award-winning film about women's rights in Saudi Arabia, told through the tale of a young girl and a green bicycle.

I sure hope Wadjda comes to San Francisco. How could we make it happen?

Here's a clip from the film.



What's more, 10-year old actress Waad Mohammed not only talks the talk, but walks the walk, right onto the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival.

Wherever you are in the world, we cyclists all tell the same story: on a bicycle, you feel liberated, independent, free.

Weathering The Storm

Vélo Vogue hopes that all you East Coast cyclists stay safe during Hurricane Sandy.



Photo by Navid Baraty

It's unbelievable that some politicians think the issue of climate change is a joke, while the media denies its existence and the powers that be continue to make the wrong choices for the environment and us. It is still up to us as individuals to make that choice to turn the tide.

13 Reasons - can you think of some more?

Yeah, YOU!



I've been meaning to write a version of this article of my own here on Vélo Vogue. Business Insider presents its 13 Reasons You Should Start Biking To Work. which includes the obvious such as, "it's cheaper," and the not-so-obvious such as, "it's good for our economy."

I'm going to put my thinking cap on and come up with at least 13 more reasons, some obvious such as, "it's fun," and some not-so-obvious such as, "a great way to meet single men."

How about you? Would you like to contribute your 13 reasons?

peace + love = coexist

I'm often disheartened by the animosity between cyclists and motorists in San Francisco, a city whose heritage is one of tolerance, openness, and yes, peace and love.

In our lifetime, in this city and in this country, I think we can achieve more harmonious shared roadways for cyclists, motorists, pedestrians and other kinds of ambulant beings, but we need to slow down and be more aware of our surroundings. We need to envision a community where we don't have to fight with others for a sliver of space on the same road. We need to envision a community where politeness comes before entitlement. We need to envision a community where each of us is responsible for the safety of all who use our public streets, instead of placing blame on the other.

I believe we can coexist. We must first start by envisioning a community of tolerance, awareness, politeness and safety for all, and then as a community, we must set those visions into motion through our actions.

What On Earth?

With all the focus on Venus this week, I thought I'd bring the conversation back down to Earth.



Signs of intelligence on Earth? Watch this film from 1966 to see how Earthlings eat, sleep, play together, and have “dispensed with sex to reproduce.”

Hmmmm... then I prefer being a two-wheeled alien.

More about this film here.

tight squeeze?

If you commute up and down busy Market Street every day like I do, you get used to scenarios such as this one:



Many cyclists eeking out their place between other cyclists, busses, streetcars, train tracks, pedestrians, autos and taxis, with a fading sharrow leading our way. Dangerous and intimidating to say the least.

But wait - has our call for help (and justice) been answered? This just in: Bikes Belong has selected San Francisco (among 6 U.S. cities) to receive a protected bike lane. Let us all rejoice (and hold our breath while biking on one of SF's worst streets for cyclists) until our prototype for future bike lanes arrives and some sense is knocked into our administrators' brains when they see how happy and harmonious all commuters are when they each have their own designated space.

And by the way, lady, cute mini!

A New Manifesto? Or No Manifesto?

What is a manifesto?



Webster defines it this way: a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer.



Now I ask, how can you assign a manifesto to a cyclist? When a bicycle represents freedom? A bicycle is a mode of transport that gives you choices. It gives you independence. It lets you turn right or left at a moment's notice. It exhilarates you. It makes you feel timeless.

The bicycle also connects you. Your senses are elevated. You notice the little details. You hear conversations on the corner. You feel the crisp wind on your face. You sense the vibrations of the earth in your bones. You smell the air - or sometimes must hold your breath. You share this unique experience with the person saddled next to you in the bike lane.

So why, when one is manifesting his or her own ability to move freely, would she want to adopt a manifesto, when she alone decides when to switch gears or turn in a new direction, wherever the wind carries her?

Perhaps the manifesto is a concept of the past. How can 7 billion people adopt one manifesto? And is that what we truly need - another set of rules to adopt? Someone else to tell us what we want?

Or is what we need the absence of a manifesto?



For much of our lives, we were told that we need to get a job. Make money. Buy a house. Settle down. Invest in things. And then we grow up, and we may not have any of them. We may have little or nothing of "value."

I've realized that once you subscribe to a philosophy of life, you should be open to the idea that your philosophy could fall short of not just your reality, but more importantly, your dreams. You need to be willing to accept the negation of any train of thought. (The earth, for example, revolves around the sun.)

Perhaps it's time to say goodbye to manifestos. It's time to not define the way things must be.

Perhaps it's simply time to create and connect.