Wednesday's RG-Dash-Mobile Mommy

[Richard Hughes]

Just in case you missed the RG-Dash,(click HERE ) it features GEARs member Emily Swenson, her family and her main mode of transportation for her and two children on a Dutch-made Workcycle. If you shop at Costco and believe you need a car to bring back your provisions, you may want to check out this inspiring story.

 The next monthly Kidical Mass (click HERE) is on May 19. GEARs does not have Critical Mass rides.
--
Richard Hughes

President
Greater Eugene Area Riders Cycling Club(GEARs)

http://eugenegears.org/

PO Box 5506

Eugene, OR 97405

541-933-5542

 

[David Gizara]

I notice these feature articles often feature people without helmets. Does Emily truly bike with her kids without a helmet?

David Gizara

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[Shane MacRhodes]

Did you look inside? The one of her riding she was wearing her helmet.

Do you always wear your helmet standing next to your bike posing for pictures? 

The helmet is a red herring. Yes, it's important in a crash but should not be the main thing to focus on here in an inspiring story about biking! If your always checking for helmets in photos your missing the big picture. This is a story about a mom discovering cycling and changing her life because of it. 

Sorry- just a pet peeve: the hang up on helmets as the main focus for safety. Its an easy knee jerk response and band-aid to throw. It's a level of protection (the last one) and we should advocate for it's use akin with much more.  More cyclists on the road will make us safe too...plus education and better infrastructure. People pictured with helmets or not- this kind of coverage of everyday kind of cyclists is great and should be praised and encouraged in my opinion. 

Shane

[pwdeegan]

Thank you, Shane. That Emily is doing so much positive work in the
community (and with her family) should far outshine a simple photo-op.
For my own point of view, I'd personally take a whole pasel of
bicyclists without helmets rather than one SUV with the latest safety
airbags any day. Let's keep our perspective on the situation.

And let's give a round of applause for Emily and the other families
that have chosen to make a difference by bicycling day-in and day-out
with their children. Knowing how hard it can be, it's something I have
a great deal of respect for. Seeing them do it all through the winter
doubles my respect.
-Patrick

On May 4, 2:50 pm, Shane MacRhodes <shan...@mac.com> wrote:
> Did you look inside? The one of her riding she was wearing her helmet.
> Do you always wear your helmet standing next to your bike posing for pictures?
> The helmet is a red herring. Yes, it's important in a crash but should not be the main thing to focus on here in an inspiring story about biking! If your always checking for helmets in photos your missing the big picture. This is a story about a mom discovering cycling and changing her life because of it.
>
> Sorry- just a pet peeve: the hang up on helmets as the main focus for safety. Its an easy knee jerk response and band-aid to throw. It's a level of protection (the last one) and we should advocate for it's use akin with much more.  More cyclists on the road will make us safe too...plus education and better infrastructure. People pictured with helmets or not- this kind of coverage of everyday kind of cyclists is great and should be praised and encouraged in my opinion.
>
> Shane
>

> On May 4, 2012, at 1:10 PM, David Gizara <davidgiz...@epud.net> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > I notice these feature articles often feature people without helmets. Does Emily truly bike with her kids without a helmet?
> > David Gizara
> > On May 4, 2012, at 8:54 AM, Richard Hughes wrote:
>
> >> Just in case you missed the RG-Dash,(click HERE ) it features GEARs member Emily Swenson, her family and her main mode of transportation for her and two children on a Dutch-made Workcycle. If you shop at Costco and believe you need a car to bring back your provisions, you may want to check out this inspiring story.
>
> >>  The next monthly Kidical Mass (click HERE) is on May 19. GEARs does not have Critical Mass rides.
> >> --
> >> Richard Hughes
> >> President
> >> Greater Eugene Area Riders Cycling Club(GEARs)
> >>http://eugenegears.org/
> >> PO Box 5506
> >> Eugene, OR 97405
> >> 541-933-5542
>
> >> --
> >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "GEARs" group.
> >> To post to this group, send email to Greater-Eugen...@googlegroups.com.
> >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to Greater-Eugene-Area...@googlegroups.com.

> >> For more options, visit this group athttp://groups.google.com/group/Greater-Eugene-Area-Riders?hl=en.

[Hugh Prichard]

Right, Shane.   I don't generally put on my PFD 'til I'm getting in my kayak....

[Emily Swenson]

Hi, folks:

Thanks, Richard, for sharing the article with the GEARs listserve.  I was really flattered that the R-G contacted me and thought that Chris did a lovely job on the story.  Collin's photos were excellent as well.

Yes, I do wear a helmet while riding.  There is, indeed, a picture of me riding with a helmet in the story.  Apparently, someone wrote a letter to the editor asking a question similar to yours, David.  I respect your interest in safety and in parents modeling behaviors they expect of their children.  I was thinking of blogging some photos of myself wearing my bike helmet in funny places while just THINKING about bicycling (cooking dinner, getting out of the shower, etc.) in response to that letter to the editor, just for fun.  I'm really busy with work right now and don't have much time for blogging, though.  I think that the helmet issue can be a divisive one, and I find it less interesting than issues like safe and fair bike/ped infrastructure.  But again, I respect your question.

Also, did any of you see the article about Monica Adkins in MOM Magazine?  Monica is one of the most charming, intellingent, and beautiful women I know.  Plus she is an awesome bike mom, with four kids and a busy life.  You should read it.  Talking with Monica and Paul, and Shane and Missy absolutely helped me make the decision to sell our family's second car and start riding my bike around town with the kids.

http://www.mommag.com/local/eugene-springfield/2012/4/2/aprmay-2012-issue

While I'm taking a moment to write this, let me just clear the air about a couple of little inaccuracies in the story that I fear may hurt my bicycling street cred, or just confuse people.

My bike is from Clever Cycles in Portland, not Costco (my first graders all asked me this one).  Also, I have done plenty of long-ish rides to the Costco neighborhood with heavy cargo and kids, but the cargo in question was many gallons of raw, organic milk, not frozen entrees.  I use my Costco card for purchasing contact lenses, mostly.

I absolutely, 100% of the time, haul my own dog food.  And straw bales, bulk food orders, giant plastic tubs of books, etc.  Why else own a cargo bike?  When I was first getting started on a mountain bike with a front child seat and tandem/tagalong attachment, I ordered dog food to be delivered from a local fella who also delivers dog food to my neighbors (longtime bicyclists who recommended the service).  I wasn't able to attach a Burley to the type of tagalong we purchased.  I think that mom and pop delivery services are a sign of a thriving active transportation culture.

I've never ridden with Critical Mass.  I was trying to plug Kidical Mass!

I wish that the Lane Area Commission on Transportation was "a county advisory body that helps ensure the inclusion of bicyclists' interests".  It's an organization that prioritizes funding for state highway projects.  Hopefully I'll be able to help make sure that these projects also consider the needs of bicyclists and pedestrians.

And nobody but me probably cares about this, but I've lost around 12 pounds by riding my bike.

Okay, air is cleared!

Hopefully it won't seem like news someday that a mom in Eugene rides her bike, takes the bus, or catches the train most of the time.  I know so many moms who are doing this, some of whom inspired me to get started.

Emily

[Tom Giesen]

Thanks, Emily.

You are awesome!

Tom Giesen

Tom Giesen

1698 Adkins #3

Eugene, OR 97401

(541) 554-4162 

[Marc Schlossberg]

I'm with Shane on the immediate negative reaction to people not wearing bike helmets.  As Shane said, the safest thing you can do for bicycle safety is to get more people riding bikes.  And the best way to do that is to actually build a comprehensive system of separate facilities (like Alder near campus) that allows all kinds of people to ride without exceeding their own personal stress thresholds (per Peter Furth's lecture the other night).

If you haven't seen this video by Ted Sweeney (from UO) of what it is like to ride around an entire city on a cycle track, please do: http://vimeo.com/29081858

You'll notice that no one has a helmet.  Because lots of people bike and the facilities are actually built for people on bikes, the area in the video has the lowest bicycle injury rate in the world.

I do wear my helmet in Eugene, but not in Denmark or the Netherlands.  The difference is an infrastructure designed for all kinds of people to ride their bike.

- Marc

On Fri, May 4, 2012 at 5:59 PM, Emily Swenson <emilyj...@gmail.com> wrote:

--
Marc Schlossberg

[Jim Wilcox]

This comment below renewed the debate on the merits and limits of wearing a helmet. Did the author imply that Emily should wear a helmet in the word "truly" or was that assumed by the readers?

I understand the ire generated when there is a bicycle injury and media reports the person was or was not wearing a helmet. The point is, not wearing a helmet is legal, so why the report on use? And does it not imply that it is the cyclist's fault?

The same thing happens when there is a drowning. Other than white water rafting and operation of a personal watercraft, wearing a personal flotation devices is optional, they must only be in the boat. But when someone drowns, the news reports if they were or were not wearing a life jacket. Even the sheriff will comment on how important they are (you don't see police saying this about cyclists).Using the same argument, does this not imply that the person who drowned is partly responsible for their fate?

So is there a difference? Have you ever found yourself thinking: "They should have had their life jackets on."  Or would a requirement that people use life jackets be a burden that would limit people from doing healthy, outdoor water activities? Would we have more kayakers if they could kayak without a helmet?

So my point is, when hear someone drowned and did not have a life jacket on, I am reminded to wear my bike helmet! (humor).

Jim

[David Gizara]

As a nurse I never think it is alright to not wear a helmet and the representation of people without them is problematic. I've taken care of too many adults and children in hospitals and ER's who did not wear one, helped rehab too many brain injuries that wouldn't have occurred had they simply been wearing a helmet while bicycling, skateboarding, rollerblading (I'm only mentioning non-motorized pursuits). The ground your skull hits is just as hard when surrounded by bicycles as when surrounded by traffic whether it is in the US or Denmark or the Netherlands. To take the statistical chance you won't be injured does not balance out the damage done when you hit the ground with your head helmetless. Safety depends on consistency. There is no room to play with this. We should make sure helmets are always seen being worn by all in bike articles. I'm willing to bet that the "lowest bike injury rate in the world" would be lower if those low rates had worn helmets. 

David Gizara RN, BSN

[Tom Giesen]

I agree. Helmets are safer than no helmets, and result in far less medical expense. I think helmets should be required, for the simple reason that we all pay for health and accident costs through insurance premiums and taxes. 

Tom 

[Steve Davis]

Should helmets be required for those jogging, running, walking? There's a chance they could fall and injure their head--correct?

This debate comes up when looking at the requirement for motorcyclists to wear helmets. Are they safer? Absolutely! But motorists in automobiles would ALSO be safer if they wore helmets. So if we're gonna mandate helmets on the basis that it makes someone safer, we should at least apply the mandate where it can produce the greatest benefit---I don't know the statistics but I'm guessing that MOST head injuries (and their associated medical costs) occur to those in automobile accidents. A silly proposition I know, but it's difficult to ignore the facts. 

Steve --who wears his helmet MOST of the time. :-) 

[Tom Giesen]

Autos have seat belts and air bags. I doubt that you are correct about head injuries per mile or hour driven. I cannot find stats. I think that logic is to protect those most vulnerable - bare-headed cyclists on roads. It is simply a statistical exercise, tho stats are hard to find. (Glenn Keiper, neurosurgeon, rates cycling THE most dangerous sport - and he is an ex-racer and 2-time Ironman.) Walkers, joggers - not high risk per mile or hour. I cannot remember seeing a head injury from walking or running...

Helmets - yes.

Tom

[Shane MacRhodes]

This is the point in the email stream where some folks who subscribe for general Eugene bike information think about unsubscribing because it's filling their mailboxes with a back and forth discussion they might not care about....so I encourage folks to go to the GEARs Facebook page and continue the discussion there, as it allows for more back and forth without filling up folks mailboxes with philosophical discussions rather than "cycling in Eugene" focused topics.

https://www.facebook.com/EugeneGEARs

I've started a post with a link to the article where the discussion can continue.

But that's just my opinion. Carry on if you'd like.

Shane

[Bob Passaro]

I was just going to say what Tom said -- that they have mandated seatbelts and airbags and who knows what other sorts of crash protection in the structure of automobiles -- probably to the consternation of many people.

I've read and seen videos about this guy, making basically the following argument -- (excerpt from http://thecityfix.com/blog/qa-with-mikael-colville-andersen-the-controversy-over-bike-helmets/ )

"TheCityFix: Why is there so much controversy around wearing bike helmets?

Mikael Colville-Andersen: It’s all about data. It’s safe to say that there isn’t any conclusive evidence that helmets help. The scientific community has been split down the middle for two decades. There are basically two camps: those who look at head injuries and look for ways to prevent them, and those who work towards getting more people to choose the bicycle as transport.

What I find to be the most interesting – and frustrating – angle is that whenever a study favors helmets, it’s important to look at the reduction in cycling levels due to promotion and/or legislation. Everywhere helmets have been legislated or promoted, cycle use has fallen. In places where head injuries have fallen and helmets are said to be the reason, there are less people cycling, which is rarely taken into account. [Colville-Andersen refers to studies published on the Bicycle Helmet Research Foundation website, which a skeptical writer from Grist.org calls a "confounded mix of science, propaganda, and cherry-picked news stories."]

I think Colville-Andersen has many interesting things to say about cycling and how to promote it, but I've long thought he's full of crap on the helmet issue. Then again, I'm no expert on the data.

One core of his argument is that a helmet mandate discourages people from riding a bike. And that the more people there are on bikes, the safer it becomes in general -- I guess because it's more a part of the culture and because there may be better infrastructure and because motorists are more aware of cyclists and drive accordingly.

That's all well and good. But if you're not living in such a place -- Denmark, say -- are you going to say, "I'm not wearing a helmet because I want us to become more like Denmark?" Even though, in the meantime, you are riding in a totally different environment.

-Bob

On Sun, May 6, 2012 at 2:31 PM, Steve Davis <bikesa...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Richie Weinman]

The reason society has a right to mandate helmets is because we all end up paying for the very long term care of people who get head injuries.   This is especially true of motorcycle riders and to a lesser extent bicycle riders.   It's way less the case with car passengers these days.

Respectfully, 

Richie Weinman

Sent from my iPad

[David Gizara]

Very good discussion from good people thinking about what they do and how it affects the world around them. A discussion that needs as much exposure as it can get and should be in the most public place possible. This is not philosophy, it is flesh and blood reality showing proponents of active transportation sharing in the processes that help us find the beauty of the voice of truth. I am proud to be a member of a community that takes itself seriously.

David Gizara RN, BSN

BPAC

GEARS

[Seager]

You may be correct, but if you goal is to reduce head injuries than mandatory helmet laws are counter prodoctive.  Where mandatory helmet laws are put in to place ridership drops, "safety in numbers" goes away, and injuries go up.  Make helmet mandatory and people simply will just stop riding.  It's happened again and again.

First to links for evidence that I found, but there are tons of them: http://www.sfcriticalmass.org/2009/12/13/do-helmet-laws-make-biking-less-safe/
http://www.freakonomics.com/2010/01/19/do-bike-helmet-laws-discourage-bicycling/

Tom 

David Gizara RN, BSN

David Gizara

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Tom Giesen

1698 Adkins #3

Eugene, OR 97401

(541) 554-4162 

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