Boris bikes and helmets

My admiration for the work of Brake has just diminished:

Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act, show there have now been a total of five people who have injured themselves after hiring the bikes since the scheme's inception on July 30.

A spokeswoman for road safety charity Brake insisted helmets should be introduced before a cyclist is killed on London's busy roads. She said: "We recommend all adult cyclists wear one as well as children, whether you are cycling on or off road.

But demanding that cyclists wear helmets is simply demanding that they adjust and conform to dangerous road conditions. Brake simply hasn’t understood that the key to safe cycling is not helmets or high viz gear but a safe cycling environment, and the only way that is going to be achieved is by imitating the Dutch bicycle master plan, rather than pursuing the catastrophically failed policy of attempting to ameliorate the conditions of vehicular cycling.