Cycle helmets are potty, says Norris

Steven Norris, the Government's cycling czar, has angered safety campaigners by saying it is "potty" for adults to have to wear helmets and claiming he never wears one - despite being caught in the act.

Mr Norris, chairman of the National Cycling Strategy Board, said helmets were for children and he had a right not to look like a "Martian".

His comments are at odds with safety advice on the NCSB website and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents criticised him for not setting a "better example".

The former Conservative transport minister made his remarks to a BBC reporter in York, where five times as many people cycle to work compared with other parts of Britain.

Mr Norris said: "I never wear a helmet for the same reason I never wear Lycra. The idea you have to dress up like a bloody spaceman to ride a bike is just completely potty. [Cycling is] something normal, fat, middle-aged men like me do. If you are a child you wear a helmet. My four-year-old does. I don't. I am not some kind of Martian."

RoSPA spokesman Rodger Vincent said: "To have someone who is supposed to have influence saying this is counter-productive. [He should] set a good example to cyclists rather than treating them in this cavalier fashion."

But Peter Lewis, from the London Cycling Campaign, said: "I agree with Steven Norris. There's conflicting evidence about whether wearing a helmet is good for you or not."

Mr Norris could not be contacted for comment but a NCSB spokesman said: "If Mr Norris says he doesn't wear a helmet, that's fine by us."