HedgehogCycling.co.uk

Yorkshire cycling website

Dutch organisation calls for end of crossbar

16th August 2017

Men's bike with crossbar, photo by HedgehogCycling

The crossbar should be scrapped, according to a Dutch road safety organisation.

NOS reports that Veilig Verkeer Nederland (which roughly translates to 'safe traffic Netherlands') and youth organisation Team Alert are calling for an end to the classic men's bike design, for safety reasons.

The organisations say, on the basis of research done in Sweden, that men's bikes are more dangerous than bikes without a high cross bar which allow the rider to 'step in'. In the event of a fall from a men's bike, the head hits the ground before the shoulder; plus, older people find it more difficult to get on and off bikes with a high crossbar.

Team Alert says that the crossbar is no longer necessary to bike design. 'That idea comes from the C19th, when construction in that way was still necessary to ensure that bike frames were strong enough. Since then, ladies' bike frames have become as strong as men's.'

5 thoughts on the N-S Cycle Superhighway

I visited London on a work trip in November, and it was the opportunity to test out the North-South Cycle Superhighway (CS6). My impressions are necessarily superficial - those of a two-journey Big Smoke bicyclist, not a local. Read my 5 thoughts on CS6, and the experience of cycling in London.

UK clean air plan July 2017

26th July 2017

DEFRA today published its latest clean air plan, designed to combat illegal levels of NO2 pollution caused largely by diesel vehicles. The headline-grabbing feature of the document is a re-announcement of an intention already made public in 2011, to end the sale of conventionally-powered vehicles by 2040. Is there anything practical in the plans which will reduce pollution now? 

Read about the UK clean air plan July 2017.