Should iPods be allowed?!?

Dave B said:

I'm am not serious about banning iPods and the like (it's not a complete
nany state, thank God!) I'm a newbie to regular cycling so I just
wondered what views were held about their use.

OK, sorry if I sounded bristly, I didn't mean to.

It is an interesting question, though it is one that comes up
reasonably frequently (still not nearly as contentious as certain other
cycling safety-related issues that I won't mention).

I did a quick google and found lots of general advice against the
wearing of headphones while cycling, but none of it appeared to be
backed up by anything more concrete than "common sense". (Indeed,
several of the sites I visited referred to that other issue that I
won't mention - and seemed to be basing their advice on that subject on
similarly feeble grounds. But let's not go there.)

Quoted message said:

Although there may not be any published evidence from my experience (yes
it is an n of 1!) the cyclists wearing of an iPOD did result in an
accident, albeit a minor one. This suggests to me that there is a risk,
albeit a small one.

Apart from the issues of whether or not you can justifiably call the
incident an "accident", and whether or not the wearing of an ipod
really was entirely to blame, you also have to consider that it is
purely anecdotal evidence with negligible statistical significance.

Quoted message said:

I think headphone use can also be dangerous for pedestrians

I have a feeling that it is probably considerably more dangerous for
pedestrians than it is for cyclists. But I don't really have anything
to back up this notion, so please take it with a pinch of salt.

d.

TooSore said:

I don't use earphones for exactly this reason, I get a lot of
information from what I can hear and I think I'm better off without
them.

If you want to wear them then fair balls to you, like a helmet - you
make your own risk assesment.

I used to listen to a walkman years ago while cycling, but it was very
distracting, I gave up after crashing into a police van (who were very
nice about it). Plus helmets preclude wearing the normal type of
headphones and I hate the ear-plug thingies. Wouldn't be without it on
the train though, so much nicer than hearing other peoples' phone tones
and conversations, not to mention the "bing bong, we have now gone 200
yds since the last automated announcement"

Simon Mason said:

"Dave B" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Of course on a windy day it is more difficult to hear. However, I would
like to think I would take that into account when trying to pass someone.
The problem with wearing an iPod with tiny invisible earphones is that I
no idea that they are there and so I can't account for it.

Mine is in my back jersey pocket with a wire going up my back to my head, so
either I'm listening to the radio, or I'm CIA riding shotgun for George Bush
;-)

Warning, warning, black helicopter alert! Mentioning our Honourable
President of the Entire Free World and All of Space and a shotgun in
the same post will have Echelon's alarms flashing up here at Menwith
Hill. Get out your tinfoil hat, I just saw some take off ...

--
Nobby

MartinM said:

not to mention the "bing bong, we have now gone 200
yds since the last automated announcement"

Ah, yes, the announcement that tells you where the train is going five
minutes before you arrive at the next station, repeats it one minute
before you arrive at the station, and again while the train is standing
at the station and one more time for good measure just after you leave
the station - going through the whole process again at the next stop...

Anyone would think the train company took its passengers for imbeciles.
(And the prices they get away with charging us, they may be right...)

d.

Dave B said:

It was only then that I realised that he hadn't heard me coming, just
happened to go to the side and I caught him out as I passed.

If he had been profoundly deaf, he wouldn't have heard you either.
Don't rely on it.

--
Nick Kew

davek said:

Ah, yes, the announcement that tells you where the train is going five
minutes before you arrive at the next station, repeats it one minute
before you arrive at the station, and again while the train is standing
at the station and one more time for good measure just after you leave
the station - going through the whole process again at the next stop...

Anyone would think the train company took its passengers for imbeciles.
(And the prices they get away with charging us, they may be right...)

This morning I was on a train from Newcastle to Durham. The announcement
as I boarded the train was that those not intending to travel should not
board the train as it would be leaving promptly. This was shortly
followed by another announcement that those not intending to travel
should get off the train as the doors were about to close. Despite this
two people near me got stuck on the train and had to go to Durham (and
presumably back.) Their loudly overheard gripe was that no one had told
them the train was about to leave. I think the train company may have
some grounds for considering some of those aboard to be a touch imbecilic.

Colin

Colin Blackburn said:

I think the train company may have
some grounds for considering some of those aboard to be a touch imbecilic.

On my route in to work, I have several times witnessed people getting
on the train at Chatham to go to Rochester (the two stations are
walking distance apart) only to discover that the train is not stopping
at Rochester and is in fact not stopping again until Bromley South,
thus turning what could have been a ten minute walk into an hour-long
round trip by train...

However, these idiots get what they deserve and I don't see why the
rest of us should have to put up with the incessant barrage of
announcements.

d.

in message <[email hidden]>, Dave B

(') said:

This just highlighted to me the dangers of listening to iPods and the
likes when cycling. What would have happend if I was a bit of numpty
and tried to pass on the way down? Hitting the side walls or the
pedestrian barrier at 30mph doesn't bear thinking about!

In the days when I was cycling as my main transport I used to use a
'walkman' style tape player, which I used pretty loud. These days I use
an MP3 player more quietly and less frequently. As a morale booster when
you're tired it's wonderful, and an appropriate selection of tracks can
really help with cadence. On long distance solo trips it can be an
actual performance gain.

Against this you have to set the decreased awareness of your
surroundings, which is real. It's a judgement call, but for me it's
often worth it.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
;; First they came for the asylum seekers,
;; and I did not speak out because I was not an asylum seeker.
;; Then they came for the gypsies,
;; and I did not speak out because I was not a gypsy...
;; Pastor Martin Niemöller, translated by Michael Howard.

in message <[email hidden]>, Peter Clinch

(') said:

Dave B said:

What do others think about listening to music whilst cycling?

I'd say it's Not Too Clever, but banning iPods probably isn't too
sensible either. I don't believe it's illegal to use the roads if
you're hard of hearing, and of course using hoods and thick hats

....and other things beginning with 'h' that it's unsafe to mention ...

Quoted message said:

diminishes one's hearing too.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
.::;===r==\
/ /___||___\____
//==\- ||- | /__\( MS Windows IS an operating environment.
//____\__||___|_// \|: C++ IS an object oriented programming language.
\__/ ~~~~~~~~~ \__/ Citroen 2cv6 IS a four door family saloon.

I sat next to a blind guy on the tube a couple of months ago and I asked him if he needed help with knowing which station to get off at.

He thanked me but said that he counted on five stations from Hammersmith as that was the last station prior to his that they did announce.

Ban them!

😄

Colin Blackburn said:

them the train was about to leave. I think the train company may have
some grounds for considering some of those aboard to be a touch imbecilic.

Maybe that's why too many television programs now spend 5 minutes before a
commercial break telling you what you will see after the break, and then
repeat for 5 minutes after the break what has happened before the
break, leaving around 5 minutes to actually show something new before the
next break.... targetted at people with no short term memory 🙂

Roos

"Mike" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Ban them!

😄

And AirZounds?

"Peter Clinch" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Simon Mason said:

Besides, I reckon I can hear a police car siren better than someone in a
double glazed Merc. listening to Wagner at full blast on Classic FM.

Isn't Wagner a bit noisy and full of character for Classic FM?

Pete.

I once worked for a partnership where one of the partners had blown his
stereo listening to opera and asked us to fix it. :O

"elyob" <[email hidden]> wrote in message . Going off road, I'll

Quoted message said:

happily wear in both ears, but find myself checking even more regularly
over my shoulder.

Exactly! I find the same effect as well - I end up checking more when
I'm not relying on my hearing.

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

"Nobody Here" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:430c5561$0$22910

Quoted message said:

Warning, warning, black helicopter alert! Mentioning our Honourable
President of the Entire Free World and All of Space and a shotgun in
the same post will have Echelon's alarms flashing up here at Menwith
Hill. Get out your tinfoil hat, I just saw some take off ...

It's OK - I've got enough previous in the spy world for *them* to take any
more notice :-)

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

Simon Brooke said:

Against this you have to set the decreased awareness of your
surroundings, which is real. It's a judgement call, but for me it's
often worth it.

And if you're sensible, the decreased awareness can be compensated for
very easily (assuming you don't have your walkman/ipod on so loud as to
block out /all/ ambient noise and can still hear the really important
sounds such as emergency sirens, thundering lorries bearing down on you
at speed, etc).

I think perhaps the important point is that unobservant road users will
be unobservant whether they have music to distract them or not.

d.

"Roos Eisma" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Colin Blackburn said:

them the train was about to leave. I think the train company may have
some grounds for considering some of those aboard to be a touch imbecilic.

Maybe that's why too many television programs now spend 5 minutes before a
commercial break telling you what you will see after the break, and then
repeat for 5 minutes after the break what has happened before the
break, leaving around 5 minutes to actually show something new before the
next break.... targetted at people with no short term memory 🙂

What is?

Quoted message said:

Roos

Graham

Roos Eisma <[email hidden]> wrote:

: Maybe that's why too many television programs now spend 5 minutes before a
: commercial break telling you what you will see after the break, and then
: repeat for 5 minutes after the break what has happened before the
: break, leaving around 5 minutes to actually show something new before the
: next break.... targetted at people with no short term memory 🙂

The few times I've tried to watch TV recently (not having one), I've found
that this trend has progressed to the point where I'm unable to watch
supposedly "serious" programs.

--
Arthur Clune PGP/GPG Key: http://www.clune.org/pubkey.txt
The struggle of people against power is the struggle
of memory against forgetting - Milan Kundera

If bells were banned I could just resort to what I did when I was a kid.
I would place a lolly pop stick on the bike so that it would hit the
spokes as they passed. Then I'd sound like a motor bike... so I would!! ;-)

Mike said:

Ban them!

😄