It seems that the UK Government is keen to consider the idea that cyclists should be forced to wear a helmet.

As things stand, it is not illegal for you to take to the roads on a bicycle without a helmet – although there are obvious safety implications to consider.

Some folk think it is only sensible that, if you are riding a bicycle, you should wear a helmet. For others, they don’t see the need.

Perhaps some may think that, if you are not riding in traffic, then the risk is much reduced – but what happens to those who may have balance issues, wobble off their bike and strike their head on the hard kerb?

Then again, would a helmet be much use if you were run over by a lorry?

There is no doubt there are issues over road design and cyclists and lorries being in close proximity to each other.

We are told that cycling is good for you, reduces obesity and is better for the environment than vehicles pushing out all sorts of pollutants.

So why is it that when wearing a helmet became compulsory in Sydney, Australia, recently, there was a 90 per cent drop in the number of teenage girls cycling?

Should we really be surprised by that? After all, if they were cycling to work or school, how many of these facilities really cater for those cycling?

How many offices, factories etc have changing rooms and showers so that cyclists can get changed for work?

There are also calls for compulsory wearing of high-vis clothing and/or a high-vis vest. Also, all bikes must have a working bell or horn, which seems very sensible, so why are some cyclists still not making themselves seen?

Maybe the solution would be for more cycle paths to be built everywhere, provide more bikes that can be rented and a lot more courtesy being shown to each other by both cyclists and those in vehicles – because, until more cycle paths are available, we all have to use and share the same road space.