Illegal to wear headphones

[Mark T]

Before anyone replies read this bit:

I Can Still Hear the Traffic Perfectly Well When Wearing Headphones

That should stop any pointless witterings.


My local council is doing this as part of Bike Week (Theme: "Freedom for
the Family"

" a.. Cyclists wearing oversized earphones riding around the city centre
with a t-shirt saying 'It is illegal to wear earphones whilst cycling'.
This is to highlight that it is illegal to ride wearing earphones, which
many people may not know."

Is cycling with headphones really illegal?

 

[calum]

On Apr 2, 10:43 am, Mark T
<pleasegivegenerously@warmail*turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com.invalid>
wrote:
> Before anyone replies read this bit:
>
> I Can Still Hear the Traffic Perfectly Well When Wearing Headphones

Me too.


> Is cycling with headphones really illegal?

No.

If in doubt ask your local council, or the person wearing the
misleading t-shirt, to specify the Act contravened.


Calum

 

[Slark]

Mark T wrote:
> Before anyone replies read this bit:
>
> I Can Still Hear the Traffic Perfectly Well When Wearing Headphones
>
> That should stop any pointless witterings.
>
>
> My local council is doing this as part of Bike Week (Theme: "Freedom for
> the Family"
>
> " a.. Cyclists wearing oversized earphones riding around the city centre
> with a t-shirt saying 'It is illegal to wear earphones whilst cycling'.
> This is to highlight that it is illegal to ride wearing earphones, which
> many people may not know."
>
> Is cycling with headphones really illegal?

Not to my knowledge. It's a red-herring anyway.

Graham

--
aghillo.blogspot.com <http://aghillo.blogspot.com/>

 

[dkahn400]

On Apr 2, 10:43 am, Mark T
<pleasegivegenerously@warmail*turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com.invalid>
wrote:
> Before anyone replies read this bit:
>
> I Can Still Hear the Traffic Perfectly Well When Wearing Headphones
>
> That should stop any pointless witterings.
>
> My local council is doing this as part of Bike Week (Theme: "Freedom for
> the Family"
>
> "  a.. Cyclists wearing oversized earphones riding around the city centre
> with a t-shirt saying 'It is illegal to wear earphones whilst cycling'.
> This is to highlight that it is illegal to ride wearing earphones, which
> many people may not know."
>
> Is cycling with headphones really illegal?

No. I'm not sure, however, whether it's illegal for the council to
spend your money spreading misinformation. Probably not.

--
Dave...

 

[Rob Morley]

In article <[email protected]>, Mark T
pleasegivegenerously@warmail*turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com.invalid
says...
> Before anyone replies read this bit:
>
> I Can Still Hear the Traffic Perfectly Well When Wearing Headphones
>
> That should stop any pointless witterings.
>
>
> My local council is doing this as part of Bike Week (Theme: "Freedom for
> the Family"
>
> " a.. Cyclists wearing oversized earphones riding around the city centre
> with a t-shirt saying 'It is illegal to wear earphones whilst cycling'.
> This is to highlight that it is illegal to ride wearing earphones, which
> many people may not know."
>
> Is cycling with headphones really illegal?
>
No more so than it is illegal to drive a car with the windows shut and
the stereo on. Although I wouldn't recommend wearing closed-back over-
ear headphones turned up loud. The relevant part of the Highway Code is
in the general advice section, and it's not even a 'should', let alone a
'must':

//
148

Safe driving and riding needs concentration.

Avoid distractions when driving or riding such as

* loud music (this may mask other sounds)
* trying to read maps
* inserting a cassette or CD or tuning a radio
* arguing with your passengers or other road users
* eating and drinking
* smoking
//

If the council says it's illegal to wear earphones, why are they
arranging for headphone-wearing cyclists to ride around?

 

[Simon Mason]

"Mark T"
<pleasegivegenerously@warmail*turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com.invalid> wrote
in message news:[email protected]...

>
> Is cycling with headphones really illegal?

No, otherwise it would be illegal to ride in very windy conditions or when
deaf.


--
Simon Mason
http://www.simonmason.karoo.net/

 

[JNugent]

calum wrote:
> On Apr 2, 10:43 am, Mark T
> <pleasegivegenerously@warmail*turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com.invalid>
> wrote:
>> Before anyone replies read this bit:
>>
>> I Can Still Hear the Traffic Perfectly Well When Wearing Headphones
>
> Me too.
>
>
>> Is cycling with headphones really illegal?
>
> No.
>
> If in doubt ask your local council, or the person wearing the
> misleading t-shirt, to specify the Act contravened.

Indeed, it can't be, since if cycling with one's hearing impaired were
an offence, deaf people would be prohibited from cycling. And they're not.

Exactly the same applies to driving.

 

[Ekul Namsob]

Mark T
<pleasegivegenerously@warmail*turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com.invalid>
wrote:

> Before anyone replies read this bit:
>
> I Can Still Hear the Traffic Perfectly Well When Wearing Headphones
>
> That should stop any pointless witterings.
>
>
> My local council is doing this as part of Bike Week (Theme: "Freedom for
> the Family"
>
> " a.. Cyclists wearing oversized earphones riding around the city centre
> with a t-shirt saying 'It is illegal to wear earphones whilst cycling'.
> This is to highlight that it is illegal to ride wearing earphones, which
> many people may not know."
>
> Is cycling with headphones really illegal?

No. I wouldn't wish to ride while unable to hear ambient noise, not
least because I find that headphones make me less willing to properly
turn my head, but almost every day of my school life involved me riding
on a dual carriageway while listening to music on my not-Walkman.

Cheers,
Luke


--
Red Rose Ramblings, the diary of an Essex boy in
exile in Lancashire <http://www.shrimper.org.uk>

 

[dkahn400]

On 2 Apr, 15:30, David Lloyd <[email protected]> wrote:

> In last week's Cycling Weekly, there was a review of a pair of
> waterproof headphones with in-built MP3 player. These fully covered
> the ears. I was horrified that they suggested that they could be worn
> under a helmet, thus implying that they were suitable to use on the
> road.

Or at least implying they were suitable to use while racing.

--
Dave...

 

[PhilD]

On Apr 3, 7:13 am, Paul Weaver <[email protected]> wrote:
> On a related subject, is it actually illegal to ride a bike if you're
> blind?

I hope not, as blind people seem to get on fine stoking tandems, and
if you're stoking you're riding.



PhilD

--
<><

 

[Rob Morley]

In article <dbac8ff0-7cea-4fc5-85a1-0eb184ce0d3d@
24g2000hsh.googlegroups.com>, Paul Weaver
[email protected] says...

> On a related subject, is it actually illegal to ride a bike if you're
> blind?
>
AFAIK it's not explicitly stated anywhwere, but general stuff like
Stopping distances
105. Drive at a speed that will allow you to
stop well within the distance you can see to
be clear.
(from Section 6 - This section should be read by all drivers,
motorcyclists and cyclists) pretty much precludes it. Otherwise you
could have a visually impaired person controlling a tandem, with a
sighted stoker giving instructions so they obeyed all the other
requirements. OTOH if they never cause any problems it probably isn't
technically illegal.

 

[Rob Morley]

In article <[email protected]>, Adam Lea
[email protected] says...
>
> "JNugent" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...

> > So is any deaf cyclist automatically guilty of contributory negligence in
> > the event of a collision he might have been able to avoid had he been able
> > to hear?
>
> No because it is not his/her choice to be unable to hear.
>
I don't suppose stupid chavs can help what they are - does that make
them less responsible for other people's safety?

 

[dkahn400]

On Apr 2, 10:43 am, Mark T
<pleasegivegenerously@warmail*turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com.invalid>
wrote:

> My local council is doing this as part of Bike Week (Theme: "Freedom for
> the Family"
>
> "  a.. Cyclists wearing oversized earphones riding around the city centre
> with a t-shirt saying 'It is illegal to wear earphones whilst cycling'.
> This is to highlight that it is illegal to ride wearing earphones, which
> many people may not know."

Mark, could you mention which council this is and, if you know it, who
is in charge of the Bike Week campaign? I would like to ask them why
they are taking this approach. Bike Week is supposed to be about
encouraging and promoting cycling rather than persecuting cyclists. I
suppose it's what we've come to expect from councils, though, who who
seem to spend their cycling budgets on cycle lanes and h*lm*t
campaigns.

--
Dave...

 

[lardyninja]

On Apr 4, 11:41 am, dkahn400 <[email protected]> wrote:
> Mark, could you mention which council this is and, if you know it, who
> is in charge of the Bike Week campaign?

Looks like it's Dudley:

http://www.dudley.gov.uk/transport-and-streets/road-safety/cycling

LN

 

[Mark T]

dkahn400 writtificated

> Mark, could you mention which council this is and, if you know it, who
> is in charge of the Bike Week campaign? I would like to ask them why
> they are taking this approach. Bike Week is supposed to be about
> encouraging and promoting cycling rather than persecuting cyclists.

Thankfully it's all turning into an anticlimax.

The headphone thing is part of the proposals for bike week and they haven't
yet been commented on by the council's Cycling Forum[1]. The cycling forum
will chuck out the headphone bit[2], after commenting that it's Bollocks.

Looks like it'll be a case of the System works. I'll report back if it
doesn't.


[1] Made up from council peeps and cycling activist peeps. I presume one
of the reason it's there is to stop this kind of nonsense.

[2] Well, they'd better! I'll be checking they will do - some chaps in the
local cycle campaign sit on the forum.

 

[Mark T]

lardyninja writtificated

>> Mark, could you mention which council this is and, if you know it, who
>> is in charge of the Bike Week campaign?
>
> Looks like it's Dudley:
>
> http://www.dudley.gov.uk/transport-and-streets/road-safety/cycling

This one is in Manchester. I think Bike Week is held in lots of different
cities. Turns out the headphone thing is in their initial proposals for
bike week, and won't make it into the wheel thing.

 

[dkahn400]

On Apr 4, 3:48 pm, Mark T
<pleasegivegenerously@warmail*turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com.invalid>

> The headphone thing is part of the proposals for bike week and they
> haven't yet been commented on by the council's Cycling Forum[1].  The
> cycling forum will chuck out the headphone bit[2], after commenting that
> it's Bollocks.
>
> Looks like it'll be a case of the System works.  I'll report back if it
> doesn't.

OK, thanks for that. I won't pester them in that case.

--
Dave...

 

[Adam Lea]

"Rob Morley" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>, Adam Lea
> [email protected] says...
>>
>> "JNugent" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>
>> > So is any deaf cyclist automatically guilty of contributory negligence
>> > in
>> > the event of a collision he might have been able to avoid had he been
>> > able
>> > to hear?
>>
>> No because it is not his/her choice to be unable to hear.
>>
> I don't suppose stupid chavs can help what they are - does that make
> them less responsible for other people's safety?

In what sense can chavs not help what they are in relation to other peoples
safety?

 

[Rob Morley]

In article <[email protected]>, Adam Lea
[email protected] says...
>
> In what sense can chavs not help what they are in relation to other peoples
> safety?
>
They can't help driving around in nasty little modified cars at the
mercy of their own testosterone and social inadequacy.