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I was just letting readers know that it is the law here in Paris. I don't like this restriction, I would love to wear my earbuds in transparent mode. I do think it is dangerous to not be able to hear at all. It is all part of self awareness leading to effective defensive riding.

If the bike infrastructure is excellent they’re not an issue. But if sharing the road where cars vastly outnumber bikes and high car traffic with vehicles as big as tanks (like the pickups and SUVS in USA) then it’s dangerous.

But I take it that motorists can still have stereo systems?

This is rooted in the deeply held belief that it is the responsibility of vulnerable road users to stay out of the way and not get killed.

As a bicyclist who used to wear a Walkman while riding, I’d weigh in that wearing any headphones or earbuds while biking is dangerous. You won’t hear vehicles coming from behind. I now have rear mirrors on both sides of my handle bars and a motorcycle horn for cars and a bell for peds.

Should cars have radio and stereo systems?

I hope they are going to Tom's Dublin talk bsky.app/profile/tomf...

I think that installing average speed cameras *everywhere* is the only way to improve driver behaviour.

…to detect #Fatal5 offences etc, central implementation of urban 30kph (rather than patch work council led), designing our streets for the traffic we want tomorrow rather than for today, holding AGS accountable… so much they could do but instead we have a nonsense side show!

because Ireland doesn't work on evidence. We have a Road Safety Authority that has spent decades pushing and spending 100,000's euro buying hi-viz jackets and saying pedestrians should wear them. While also admitting they have no research evidence that hi-viz provide a benefit and make things safe

Over head noise cancelling headphones shouldn't be used when cycling or running on roads. Its beyond stupid to isolated yourself in such a manner. But equally they should not be used when driving either and there is an increasing trend for motorists to use them too.

We have some of the stupidest motherfuckers ever.

Why is it my job to hear you rather than your job to not drive into me? Why are politicians wasting so much time on this nonsense?

I ride with over the ear headphones and I can actually hear better with them. Less wind noise and I can differentiate the sound of various cars rather than just hearing a constant blend of car noise behind me. Even if I can't hear something, it's not like I don't look around.

Great, so perhaps just use a single earphone, like a security or tv presenter earpiece?

Definitely far less distracting than motorists making or receiving a hands free call, as the article rightly points out, but I choose never to use headphones on my bike because 1) I'm easily distracted 2) I always like to pay attention when people are trying to kill me

Oh ... and the daft b@gger, by extension, will obviously want to criminalise deaf folks who ride bikes.

"These cyclists speeding around are a menace!" "Bloody cyclists! Slowing the whole place down!"

"They don't pay motor tax" "Their in the middle of the road"

Driver behaviour is better in a ‘friendlyer’ street. Of course is 20 mph a first step. Also in the Netherlands.

Traffic is people, not cars. Wearing helmets, headphones or earphones should not be needed !! Cycling is as easy as walking. When it is dangerous in the streets remove the danger! No one should adapt to the cars. Come and have a look in the cities in the Netherlands.

Are we back to the Sony Walkman Moral Panic of 1979???? We passed legislation that drivers can't wear ear phones while doing fuck all about drivers with loud stereos or the sound dampening car designers were building into the passenger compartments of cars.

To avoid looking like an obnoxious, entitled, oblivious idiot, I choose not to use any sort of earphones for my daily cycle commute. My commute is a gauntlet-run in itself, and I’ll leave it to car drivers to openly advertise a disdain for paying attention. YMMV of course. Do what you like.

Should drivers be banned from listening to music and made to drive with the windows open?

Funny how the duty of care to protect the vulnerable cyclists is forgotten about when it comes to reducing the speed of motorists. This is a distraction tactic, inventing a problem to be solved to avoid dealing with the real problems.

Should deaf people be banned from biking?