Olympic gold winner Bradley Wiggins calls for new cyclist laws

After Bradley Wiggins won the London 2012 time trial on Wednesday, he ...

After Bradley Wiggins won the London 2012 time trial on Wednesday, he was quick to call for laws to make it compulsory for cyclists to wear helmets. 

The plea has divided many, especially due to its timing: Wiggins' words came just after a cyclist was knocked down and killed near the Olympic Park.

A 28-year-old man died after being hit by a double-decker bus which was taking journalists between Olympic venues just after 7.30pm. The incident has resulted in an arrest of a man in his 60s on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

A spokesman for London Organisers of the Games (Locog) said: "We can confirm that a cyclist tragically died as a result of a collision with a bus carrying media from the Olympic Park this evening. Our thoughts are with the cyclist's family."

Wiggins stated that people "shouldn’t be riding along with iPods and phones and things on and (they) should have lights and all those things."

He went on: "So I think when there’s laws passed for cyclists, then you're protected and you can say, well, I’ve done everything to be safe.

"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."

Critics, however, have claimed that if Wiggins' law plans were to be enforced a great number of would-be cyclists would cut out cycling altogether. 

One such critic was Iona Gordon, spokeswoman of Cardiff's Cycling Campaign. Quoted in Wales Online, she said: "As Bradley Wiggins says there will always be cars and bikes on roads and ‘something has to change’ – cycle campaigners completely oppose that change being a law to enforce cycle helmets.

"What has to change in our opinion is car drivers behaviour, they have to look out for cyclists and give them space. I and CTC the national cycling charity champion freedom of choice regarding helmets.

"New research from Australia, shows that telling cyclists and potential cyclist to wear helmets is almost certainly detrimental to public health. The health benefits of cycling far outweigh the risks involved.

"Political leaders like Boris Johnson present positive role models by not wearing helmets, helping to normalise cycling as a safe, everyday activity."

After Wiggins' gold and Helen Glover and Heather Stanning's female rowers' gold, team Great Britain jumped into the top 10 in the Olympics medal board. 

As of Thursday afternoon, the standing is: