Helmets; The Paramedics View

[glenn forger]

Threats of violence? That's a serious escalation, who did that? I've been watching your twitter and facebook and saw none, post them here with the twitter name.

 

[diagnosisLOB]

I've apologised for calling any of you idiots, said my piece and held my hands up to what I agree I could have approached differently. You're welcome to accept my apology or disregard it. Have a good day.

 

[Markymark]

Is that a record breaking flounce time?

 

[ianrauk]

At no point on twitter or my blog have I ever identified who my employer is or where I work. Coming on here was to have a conversation without abuse, and say my side of things. That's all.

You mean you come on here to try justify all your bullshit, lies and anti cyclist hatred as you got a right royal deserved asswhipping.
I hope you read Sara's post and take in what she had to say. But I very much doubt it.

I look forward to reading a full retraction and apology to cylists on your blog so all your 'millions' of readers can see it too rather then just us Cycle Chatters.

 

[theclaud]

At no point on twitter or my blog have I ever identified who my employer is or where I work. Coming on here was to have a conversation without abuse, and say my side of things. That's all.

I can't stand half-arsed apologies. Toning down or withdrawing the 'idiot' stuff isn't an apology - it's a bit of damage limitation. You didn't engage your brain before you typed, and you assumed a cosy common-sense coterie would share your thinking and that you wouldn't be challenged on it. And now you're on here whinging and acting wounded. If you want to apologize, then you'll need to admit you were talking utter cobblers in the first place, and have been acting like an arse ever since.

 

[diagnosisLOB]

Threats of violence? That's a serious escalation, who did that? I've been watching your twitter and facebook and saw none, post them here with the twitter name.

They come through on my blog comment from 'Anonymous', like much of the abuse I got. My complaints about abuse was not aimed at anyone who had identified Them self and left a comment. This is why I came on here.

 

[User6179]

I've apologised for calling any of you idiots, said my piece and held my hands up to what I agree I could have approached differently. You're welcome to accept my apology or disregard it. Have a good day.

You still don't get it !! , Try an apology for inciting hatred towards cyclists !

 

[diagnosisLOB]

[QUOTE 3319659, member: 9609"]Thanks for joining this thread and putting your side of thing, I think you are very brave coming in here, I think you'll find we aren't monsters either, and I would be very surprised if any of the vile or threatening comments have come from any of the regulars in here.

Why not take up cycling, join in some of the threads, I'm sure you have much to add and you will find you will be very welcome.[/QUOTE]
I will stay, and I do cycle! Always wear my helmet to! I will read all the threads about helmets too!

 

[ianrauk]

I will stay, and I do cycle! Always wear my helmet to! I will read all the threads about helmets too!

and the full retraction and apology on your blog?

 

[Sara_H]

They come through on my blog comment from 'Anonymous', like much of the abuse I got. My complaints about abuse was not aimed at anyone who had identified Them self and left a comment. This is why I came on here.

Part of the reason I'm reluctant to believe that is that I've seen you make reference to a post on your facebook page as abusive, which was nothing of the sort and accuse one twitter user, who had posted three times, perfectly courteously of harassment.
These false accusations, along with the other nonsense you've been spouting has whipped your followers into a cyclist hating frenzy.
I appreciate that you may have received some unpleasant blog replies that you haven't posted, but your initial response to those of us who posted perfectly politely was quite rude.

 

[glenn forger]

They come through on my blog comment from 'Anonymous', like much of the abuse I got. My complaints about abuse was not aimed at anyone who had identified Them self and left a comment. This is why I came on here.

Ok.

Can you post the threats here? I posted as anonymous but all I said was it's a bit rich to complain about online abuse when the abuse you dole out is much, much more serious.

Apart from not wearing a helmet I don't do any of the stuff you mention that makes you hate cyclists, but I still suffer abuse, threats, close passes etc. You explicitly encourage this. It would have taken you two minutes to research why cyclists don't gutter-hug but instead you used cyclists trying to stay alive as a weapon against them. Cycle lanes are more dangerous for cyclists but you encourage abuse against cyclists who choose not to use them. It's crazy, it doesn't have to be like this, I'm not trying to annoy anyone, I'm just trying to get to work.

Your mate posting implied death threats and photos of Johnny Hoogerland's legs ripped up by barbed wire is very much your target audience, legitimise aggression and you get creatures like him crawling out from beneath his rock. Think about it, he must have Googled "injured cyclist" or something. What sort of person does that?

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

I will stay, and I do cycle! Always wear my helmet to! I will read all the threads about helmets too!

There are not enough hours in the day for that.

But, while you're here, have a look around at the advice people give each other and mutual support and you'll begin to appreciate why we get fed up getting knocked around by the press, the media (including blogs) and worst of all the dangerous driving that such contempt for cyclists helps encourage. You'll also be lucky to find any trace of anybody encouraging risk taking but you will find a whole heap of stuff about abiding by the laws of the road. It's just that, while many of us wear helmets, very few support compulsion when the evidence in favour of it is so scant.

 

[jefmcg]

@diagnosisLOB , I'm really interested in the claim you have been at the scene of 5 RTC where the cyclist died, and you believe that their life might have been saved by a helmet. I've done a little research. There's been around 70 cycle fatalities in London in the 6 years since you became a paramedic. Presumably many of them died in hospital or ambulance and not at the scene. Reading reports of cycle fatalities, many of them involve the victim being crushed under a large vehicle, when it would be clear that no protection could have saved them. There are around 1,800 paramedics with LAS, which means most have never attended a single cycling fatality.

So have you really witnessed 5 deaths where you truly believe a helmet would have saved a life?

 

[jefmcg]

Your mate posting implied death threats and photos of Johnny Hoogerland's legs ripped up by barbed wire is very much your target audience, legitimise aggression and you get creatures like him crawling out from beneath his rock. Think about it, he must have Googled "injured cyclist" or something. What sort of person does that?

No, he didn't need to google it. He just got it from his collection. His twitter feed (153 posts in 6 days!) is full of strange sexual references, bare arses, 1970s style "you're a poofter" type of homophobia and fat shaming.

I'm sure he treasures that image

(weirdly, he seems to have set up the twitter account to launch his event medic business, but anyone who found it would go somewhere else)

 

[Mugshot]

I will be posting another blog about cyclists / helmets / injuries, but I will ensure it's balanced, and has evidence posted for both sides of the argument.

Good luck with that.