We heard yesterday of the tragic news that a cyclist had been knocked down and killed by a bus outside the Olympic Park within 24 hours of Team GB road cycling winner Bradley Wiggins collecting his gold medal at the Olympic Games.
Wiggins took the opportunity to raise awareness of road safety for cyclists calling for helmets to be made compulsory.
'It's dangerous and London is a busy city with a lot of traffic. I think we have to help ourselves sometimes' Wiggins said.
'I haven't lived in London for 10 to 15 years now and it's got a lot busier since I was riding a bike as a kid round here, and I got knocked off several times.'
'But I think things are improving to a degree - there are organisations out there who are attempting to make the roads safer for both parties. But at the end of the day we've all got to co-exist on the roads.
'Cyclists are not ever going to go away, as much as drivers moan, and as much as cyclists maybe moan about certain drivers they are never going to go away, so there's got to be a bit of give and take.'
Headway, the brain injury association has campaigned for many years for cycling helmets to be made compulsory organising annual events such as 'Hats for Headway' work days where everyone is encouraged to wear a hat to work and help raise awareness of their campaign to change the law to make cycling helmets compulsory.
It is unfortunate that it takes a tragic death on the day when cycling should be seen in a positive light to create awareness for cycling safety, however if this tragic death results in a change of the law then the legacy of the poor cyclist who died at the Olympic Park will live on through saving the lives of many cyclists.
Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the cyclist.
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