Mixed Messages 04/02/09

One of the most heated debates in the cycling community is over whether to wear a helmet. It’s so intense that even the mile-long bike lane I ride in every day changes its mind every few yards or so.

In one direction, in a Goofus-and-Gallant like opposition*, stand two figures. The first logo shows a bicycle rider who’s helmetless and free, separated from traffic, legs posed at a jaunty angle (might want to do something about that front wheel, though).

Helmetless and free

But just a few feet ahead, I encounter a more cautious rider, one who knows a door could be opened in front of her any second, or perhaps is simply attempting to set a good example for the students at the university she’s stationed in front of.

Look at the wheels on that baby!

(Interesting how the helmeted rider is poised to enter traffic, while the one without the helmet is heading toward the sidewalk.)

Still, both of these images are fairly neutral, and the fact that they are both on the same side of the street gives a sense that the city is not taking sides, just presenting the options and letting the responsible cyclist decide which suits her circumstances best (just like our blog!).

Not so on my way home, where I can only assume that the appearance of this logo after a parade of helmetless rider logos is meant to send a clear message:

Oops! The determined cyclist pedals on despite all obstacles, it seems.

The work of helmet activists or just plain anti-cyclist forces? You be the judge.

*yes, I read Highlights in the 80s…