6 Minute English – Road safety for cyclists

Jennifer: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com. My name is Jennifer and I’m joined in the studio by Neil.
Neil: Hello. In this programme, we look at a story in the news and teach you some new vocabulary and expressions along the way.
Jennifer: In this episode, we’re going to be talking about cycling and how to keep safe on the road. Do you cycle, Neil?
Neil: Yes I do. I use my bike to commute, or travel to work. It’s quite a long journey, but it’s much cheaper than taking the Tube or the train. What about you, Jen?
Jennifer: Well I’ve just bought a folding bike – that’s a bike that you can take apart, fold up and carry if you don’t want to ride it. For me, it’s a good way to get fit.
Neil: A folding bike is very handy. But they are very expensive.
Jennifer: You can hire bicycles for short journeys in London. It leads me on to today’s question.
Neil: OK, what is it?
Jennifer: A record number of bikes were hired on one day during the London Olympic Games in 2012. But how many times were bikes borrowed on this day? Was it:
a) 15,000
b) 31,000
c) 47,000
Neil: Well, those are all very high numbers, but I’m going to guess c) 47,000.
Jennifer: We’ll find out if you’re right at the end of the programme. So, let’s go back to our story about cycling. We’ve said that the advantages are that it is a good way to get fit and a cheap way to travel. But, are there any disadvantages?
Neil: I suppose that it can be a dangerous way to travel if you’re cycling in a city centre, especially in heavy traffic. Heavy traffic means lots of cars or other vehicles on the road.
Jennifer: Many cyclists now wear helmet cameras – a device attached to their cycling helmet – so that they can film people who drive dangerously.
Neil: Listen to this clip of London cyclist Ben Porter. Why did he start using a helmet camera?
Ben Porter, cyclist
I first got the camera because I’d had trouble convincing friends and family of what actually happened on the roads, and I’d thought that having a camera and footage would be a good way of explaining what it’s like to be a cyclist on the road. I always saw it as some form of insurance and it did feel like, as a cyclist, I didn’t have as much behind me as, say, a car driver with an insurance company.
Jennifer: So, that was cyclist Ben Porter. He said he thought that having a camera and footage would be a good way to explain what it’s like to be a cyclist on the road.
Neil: Footage is what a video camera records. When the camera is attached to your head, the footage shows the journey from your point of view.
Jennifer: Ben Porter gave another reason why he started to use the camera. Did you hear what it was?
Neil: He said it was a form of insurance. That means it gives the cyclist a form of protection.
Jennifer: Let’s hear that clip of Ben again. Listen this time for the words ‘footage’ and ‘insurance’.
Ben Porter, cyclist
I first got the camera because I’d had trouble convincing friends and family of what actually happened on the roads, and I’d thought that having a camera and footage would be a good way of explaining what it’s like to be a cyclist on the road. I always saw it as some form of insurance and it did feel like, as a cyclist, I didn’t have as much behind me as, say, a car driver with an insurance company.
Neil: So, Ben got the camera so that he could show what it’s like to be a cyclist on the road, and also to protect himself from blame if there was an accident.
Jennifer: Having a camera can give you peace of mind – it can make you feel safer in terms of the law – but it can’t stop you from being hit by a car. How do you think cyclists could be safer, Neil?
Neil: I think that both cyclists and drivers need to pay attention to The Highway Code. The Highway Code is a list of rules that drivers and cyclists must obey – or do. How do you think cyclists could be safer?
Jennifer: I think it’s important to be visible – for other road users to know you’re there. Many people wear fluorescent clothing which is very bright and reflective…
Neil: And don’t forget – a helmet could save your life!
Jennifer: Time now to get the answer to the quiz. I asked how many bicycles were borrowed on one day in London during the 2012 Olympics. Was it:
a) 15,000
b) 31,000
c) 47,000
Neil: And I guessed c) 47,000.
Jennifer: And you were right!
Neil: Aha!
Jennifer: On that day alone, bikes were hired 47,105 times.
Neil: Well, that is a lot of cycling. There must have been lots of tired people in London that day.
Jennifer: I’m sure! Do join us again for another edition of 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. Bye!
Neil: Bye!