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24/03/2008, 6:56 PM Suffolkboy Joined on 24/01/2008 Posts 25 Re: Cycling Along Esplanade Cycle helmets can only be a good thing, common sense must tell us this. I remember all the controversy regarding motor-cyclists. Now it is accepted practice to wear one. Why do you need a bell to cycle on the Esplanade LesJ? It should be up to you to avoid pedestrians, not to expect them to move out of the way for you, however loud your bell is!!!!!      Report

24/03/2008, 9:30 PM Flix Joined on 06/12/2007 Lowestoft Posts 16 Re: Cycling Along Esplanade  LesJ wrote: I'd agree with compulsory bells if also pedestrians were not permitted to plug their ears with Ipod earphones. Excellent point, Les. Enjoy your visit to Lowestoft!      Report

31/03/2008, 2:03 PM Suffolkboy Joined on 24/01/2008 Posts 25 Re: Cycling Along Esplanade I see the No Cycling signs are still up on the Esplanade. This can only cause confusion to everybody. Maybe most local people understand that cycling is allowed but how about visitors? Are the Council serious in promoting cycling? Why does it take so long to remove these signs? Is it alright to cycle on the lower Esplanade where the beach huts are? It is all very confusing.    Report

12/04/2008, 6:39 PM Suffolkboy Joined on 24/01/2008 Posts 25 Re: Cycling Along Esplanade  Flix wrote: I have just witnessed a head-on collision between 2 cyclists near Claremont Pier. At the risk of sounding 'naggy', could I please remind cyclists to wear helmets. What a great pity this person did not wear a cycle helmet, it may well have saved her life, http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/news/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline&category=News&tBrand=edponline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED11%20Apr%202008%2017%3A58%3A43%3A727 I do not understand the reason why cyclists do not wear helmets.    Report

31/07/2009, 8:55 PM tommo Joined on 31/07/2009 Posts 6 Re: Cycling Along Esplanade I'm sorry but this is the usual argument from those completely uninformed about helmets, cycling accidents generally and misconceptions about cycling. The main misconception is that when cyclists fall off there is a natural tendency to fall on their head. Of course they sometimes do but nothing could be further from the truth to say that they nearly always do. It is not appropriate to make a comparison with motor bike helmets. Cycle helmets are not effective at speeds exceeding 13mph. Pedestrians suffer about three times more head injuries than cyclists so at the speeds helmets have some effect there is a stronger argument for pedestrians to wear them. Conversely, if they were effective at higher speeds as car users suffer about thirteen times more head injuries than cyclists there would be a stronger argument for car users to wear them. How ironic is that?. An Australian company has produced a helmet for car users. Will you write in the same way for car users to wear them? There is evidence that at high speeds hemets can exacerbate injury (particularly increasing the chance of serious neck injury) because of the rotational forces, the extra weight and effectively increasing the size of the head. That could be exacerbated in children who are not fully developed. Another misconception is the argument that as the helmet cracked what would have happened to the head? All that happens is that depending on the exact nature of the accident and the forces involved the helmet can't take the strain. That increases injury risk. I know of one cyclist who's cracked helmet embedded in his skull and another who only just missed it going into her eye. Finally, there is anecdotal evidence that children get a false sense of security wearing a helmet and actually have more accidents. Go to www.ctc.org.uk    Report

31/07/2009, 8:58 PM tommo Joined on 31/07/2009 Posts 6 Re: Cycling Along Esplanade I'm sorry but this is the usual argument from those completely uninformed about helmets, cycling accidents generally and misconceptions about cycling. The main misconception is that when cyclists fall off there is a natural tendency to fall on their head. Of course they sometimes do but nothing could be further from the truth to say that they nearly always do. It is not appropriate to make a comparison with motor bike helmets. Cycle helmets are not effective at speeds exceeding 13mph. Pedestrians suffer about three times more head injuries than cyclists so at the speeds helmets have some effect there is a stronger argument for pedestrians to wear them. Conversely, if they were effective at higher speeds as car users suffer about thirteen times more head injuries than cyclists there would be a stronger argument for car users to wear them. How ironic is that?. An Australian company has produced a helmet for car users. Will you write in the same way for car users to wear them? There is evidence that at high speeds hemets can exacerbate injury (particularly increasing the chance of serious neck injury) because of the rotational forces, the extra weight and effectively increasing the size of the head. That could be exacerbated in children who are not fully developed. Another misconception is the argument that as the helmet cracked what would have happened to the head? All that happens is that depending on the exact nature of the accident and the forces involved the helmet can't take the strain. That increases injury risk. I know of one cyclist who's cracked helmet embedded in his skull and another who only just missed it going into her eye. Finally, there is anecdotal evidence that children get a false sense of security wearing a helmet and actually have more accidents. Go to www.ctc.org.uk It is not easy to fall off a bike if you're careful and that's what we should be teaching children through the 'Bikeability' scheme.    Report

07/08/2009, 8:47 AM Flix Joined on 06/12/2007 Lowestoft Posts 16 Re: Cycling Along Esplanade I live alongside the Esplanade & so encounter the various cyclists who use it on a daily basis. However I'm now so confused as to whether they should be doing so at all? About 3 weeks ago I was talking to one of our Community Support Officers who'd called in to introduce herself. During the conversation she mentioned that one of the CSO's main priorities here was to stop cyclists using the Esplanade as 'it wasn't allowed'. However some 8 or 9 days later, the Council chaps arrived to blank out the 'No Cycling Allowed' signs on the ground!! I personally have no objections to cyclists using the Esplanade, providing they do so safely. After such a hot day yesterday, I strolled along the Esplanade to enjoy the cool evening breeze. I hadn't gone far when 5 lads were zooming up & down doing wheelies, sending young families scattering in all directions.    Report

04/11/2009, 1:18 PM K Lo Joined on 18/06/2004 Posts 438 Re: Cycling Along Esplanade So what's the official line on cycling along the "Esplanade"? I cycled from Gorleston to Lowestoft late last summer and walked all along what I think is the Esplanade (just south of bridge to Clarmont Pier and then past beach uts on towards Kessingland) because of the signs and also because it was such a sunny day(!) it was very pleasant. As for wearing cycling helmuts... I discussed this with the head of crash at a well known automotive engineering consultancy. Being a structural engineer myself, we both concluded that it would be highly unlikey that you'd be worse off wearing a helmut. The ability for the helmut to disipate point-forces (i.e. high pressures) is, in our opinion, a life saver. All arguments against wearing them highlight what can only be a very small minority of cases. Safety is about covering the majority of dangerous situations as best as is possible. Personally, I head wearing a helmut but I still do.    Report

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