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news
White cycle helmetMalta to scrap compulsory cycle helmet law since it hinders efforts to get more people cycling
Malta is to scrap its compulsory cycle helmet laws after finding that it hinders efforts to get people riding bikes and discourages uptake of bike-sharing schemes, reports Malta Today.
A number of European Union member states have laws requiring children below a certain age to wear a cycle helmet, including France, which introduced such a law for under-12s last year.
Meanwhile, Spain requires all riders outside towns and cities to wear a cycle helmet, except in extremely hot weather or when they are going uphill.
However, Malta is the only European Union member state that has a blanket helmet law that requires all cyclists to wear a helmet, irrespective of their age or the type of area they are riding in.
That is set to change, however. A spokesperson for Transport Malta said it is currently drafting legislation that will “bring Malta more in line with countries where bicycles are regularly used as a commuting mode of transport.”
The spokesperson continued: “Transport Malta has been at the forefront in promoting bike sharing, enacting legislation to make this possible and is in constant dialogue with potential service providers to make this service more popular,” he said.
“The Authority recognises the fact that obligatory helmets can be of hindrance to the promulgation of such initiatives.”
Other legislative changes are also being introduced to encourage sales of e-bikes with a power output of up to 250W.
At present, such bikes need to be registered due to an existing law that was primarily aimed at people who converted push bikes with the aid of a petrol-fuelled motor.
“A number of individuals had resorted to install small fuel engines on regular bicycles, endangering themselves and other road users,” said Transport Malta.
“The legislation was in fact very effective in removing these potentially dangerous irregular bikes from our roads.
“Pedelec and e-bike owners can ride them on our roads without registering them or paying any licence fees, the same as one would with a traditional bicycle.”
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
Latest Comments
- stonojnr 37 min 5 sec ago
crazy that his own brief describes it as "his long suffering partner" also how come the two blokes he collected from the snooker club to assist in...
- stonojnr 45 min 13 sec ago
but in cases where you report other cyclists close passes, you literally are the witness to it, not the victim ?...
- S.E. 48 min 31 sec ago
1. It's obviously more aerodynamic, even a small backpack or hydration pack can help, there are studies about this....
- stonojnr 53 min 21 sec ago
theres an attitude I encounter alot locally, and demonstrated in bucket loads by drivers on my commute home tonight, that cyclists shouldnt be on...
- FionaJJ 1 hour 13 min ago
When I was a student it was virtually unheard of for someone to have a car. It wasn't even that it was considered a luxury that almost no-one could...
- Keesvant 2 hours 12 min ago
If the chains snap that is lack of build quality or material.....
- Hirsute 3 hours 8 min ago
"Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good."
- Jaijai 3 hours 33 min ago
His life was only worth shy of 7 years ,that's too lenient in every book .Let alone drugged up and leaving him to die
- webbierwrex 3 hours 38 min ago
I came here to basically write the same thing, the floating bus stop near me has a very narrow cycling lane between a very narrow pavement and a...
- AS52 4 hours 1 min ago
It wasn't an official consultation meeting - see my comment above.
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74 comments
Good response.
Well, gosh but the Maltese government has always been considered as paragons of virtue ready to make the right decision and not take payments from organised crime. Allegedly.
Doesn't change that this one is a correct decision IMO.
The opinion of the Maltese government regarding helmet use is not worth the paper it is written on. Road sense in Malta is in very short supply and they are very proud of their reputation of being the worst drivers in Europe !
And mass bird killers. Backwards place.
You've clearly never had an angry wasp get stuck in the foam keeping it right in the corner of your eye as it tried to sting its way out leaving you with a swollen face, neck and shoulder.
Twice.
There was a 300% increase in RSCH since headgear was introduced, I'd say that's pretty good evidence of greater concussions/TBIs due to wearing headgear!
That's perhaps because you're not looking at the science and focusing on what you want to see. I don't have an axe to grind either way, maybe that's why it's easier to just consider all the evidence.
Ooooh the statistical genius tag teaming with the racist bigot, wow!
What you might find, Valerie take note, is that people who work may have similar times of the day when they have some down time. Maybe lunch, after work, late evening with a beer. I know bigots operate in a stealth mode just waiting for the next false fact, oh maybe that's you too Rich; perhaps you're the same person or heaven foribd eh Val, co-habiting?
For fuck sake.
People who want to wear helmets will wear them. People who do not want to wear helmets will not. Some will be injured. Some won't be. Some will derive pleasure from berating those from the other camp reagarding thier choices. Some won't. Some will even go as far as to call those who have an opposing view silly names, like cunt, cockwomble, fuck face and so on. Some will be more civil in their debating. Maybe.
The UK Government will continue to encourage, not legislate, helmet use. Allowing the public in general to make their own choices regading headwear. The Maltese have now assumed the same position. Freedom of choice is a good thing.
Furthermore we have ascertained that seat belts are not bicycle helmets, Malta does some nasty things to small migratory birds, Leviathan has listened to Radiohead at some point, Valbrona is the product of a council estate, BTBS likes to write (but not necesarrily read) and that punching someone in the head will hurt your hand, probably.
Can I just go ahead and mention the Nazis and get it over with?
/thread
they all wore helmets, and where are they now?
IMG_1391.JPG
We could try that, but then it just tends to chaotically spill over into other threads like a Web-debate version of Blazing Saddles. Better to contain it in here, like a Web-debate version of Fight Club.
By page 7 you'll have your shirt off and be oiled up.
Already there, old boy.
The first rule of Helmet Debate Club is do not talk about Helmet Debate Club
Crampy, you're post was sucking all the fun out of the thread, so I polished it a bit. You're very welcome, anytime.
Post of the year.
Admittedly it's early in the year, so might be the same as the first out of the start house being in the hot seat, but still; Post of the year
Why do Alan and Davel often comment within minutes of each other?
I noticed it on that 400+ thread the other day, whatever time of day it was they'd usually both reply at almost the exact same time.
Do they live together? Do their carers only switch on the WiFi at certain times?
What other explanation could there be...?
They take it in turns to come up for air ...
Ohh ... I get it. THEY ARE THE SAME PERSON.
You do like your spurious connections, dontcha, Mulder. Was your sister kidnapped by aliens while not wearing a bike helmet or something? Why go for the simple explanation like we both spend too much time posting on here when there's a completely unfeasible conclusion to jump to?
Maybe we both just post too much on here. But no, obviously we're the same person, at least until a mod confirms we're not via confirming IP addresses. Show us a couple of unrelated graphs, picture boy.
You need a good slicing with Occam's razor, you do. You'll never get that, though, because you think you're a damn sight more intelligent than you actually are.
Also... Almost siding with Valbrona. Bet that makes you feel nice and clean. Oh wait, no... You must BE Valbrona. What other explanation could there be..?
I guess it's about time for shit-posting on another helmet thread.
knDprjs.jpg
Your picture reminds me: does Malta still allow nay encourage mass shooting and trapping of migratory wild birds?
Malta, you must be bloody joking! A helmet certainly won't help reduce injuries in Malta and Gozo as they are the worst drivers in Europe if not the western world and their traffic law enforcement is almost non existent. The state of the roads are appalling to boot. I know this because I go there sometimes twice a year . It's a great place for a holiday but stick to the buses if you need to get about or return home in one piece !
You are all missing my point . This decision was made by the MALTESE government who can't be arsed to implement or police the compulsory helmet law. The standard of driving is appalling as is their attitude towards any other road users especially cyclists.
They still shoot everything out of the sky that flies overhead despite it being illegal in the rest of the EU so why should they bother about cyclists.
Jesus, if you're not convinced of the potential benefits of wearing a seatbelt and a helmet on your motorbike, you are indeed, an idiot.
Someone please give Burt a lift in your car, slam the anchors on as he sits there no belt, or maybe take him pillion on a motorbike and pull a top wheelie and laugh as he rolls off the back, safe in the knowledge his head WILL NOT get hurt. It's magic, see.
My mate highsided and his full face helmet ground along the floor. Burt's face would have ground a hole in the tarmac because he's a believer and that's enough to save you.
Do motorbikes come with seatbelts?
Kickstarter beckons, my friend.
Some do, although hardly any were sold: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_C1
Tell me, who is the idiot? The one who has read the research about helmets, seatbelts and risk compensation or the one who just opines from a position of blissful ignorance?
Still, if you really are from Yorkshire, presumably a village, that would explain it.
You've clearly never been hit in the face by a fly at 70mph!
I ride a reasonably powerful motorbike and I wouldn't consider going out on that without at least a helmet, jacket, gloves and boots, because sh!t happens. I once attended an RTI on the M4 where a motorcyclist, doing absolutely nothing wrong, had a rear tyre blow out - could have been anything that caused it, but he went several feet in the air before sliding down the road at about 70mph. He was fortunate not to be hit by any other vehicles and both him and what was left of his bike ended up on the hard shoulder. He was ultimately ok, mainly bruised, but his leathers were pretty scrubbed up and, without a helmet, he wouldn't have had much face or hair left.
I've had an over-the-bars moment on a mountain bike where, had I not been wearing a helmet, I would have made quite a mess of the front of my head.
So, I will ride my various bikes while wearing appropriate helmets, in the full knowledge that they won't protect me from every eventuality, but will, in some instances, reduce injuries and give me a fighting chance.
And every time I climb aboard the motorbike, draped in ~£1,000 of leather and plastic body armour, it occurs to me that one of the most vulnerable bits of my body, my neck, has nothing more substantial than a Buff wrapped around it - and that's what keeps me from riding like a complete idiot.
I'm not arguing in favour of mandatory helmet wearing, just pointing out the stupidity of Valerie.
However, speed limits, a massive health and safety exec, building regulations and on and on are all examples of you paying the government to ensure that people don't hurt themselves...
Here's the perfect helmet for the village idiot, it's even got a penis protector.
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