I should of course apologise for being quite so bad tempered about my cycle ride - there are of course some good points to the policy even if it is let down in the detail. In mitigation I have just come back from Belgium (near the boarder with Holland). What a joy it was being a cyclist there. Cycle lanes on almost every road and a good attitude towards the cyclist. What was telling was that almost no one wore I helmet. I saw two old boys on serious racers with helmets but that was it - nobody else. That says something about how safe they feel riding around. In fact I took my two 4 year-olds on the road to their friend's school (admittedly one on stabilisers) and they loved it - very proud of themselves too being proper cyclists. If I could get a job out there I would leave in an instant - a much better, healthier way of life.
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