Yesterday we were invited to Duthie Park for a COP26 photoshoot. My contact with Aberdeen Climate Action invited me along as a representative of Aberdeen Cycle Forum so I took my cargo bike because it always looks good in photos.
When we got there the photographer took exception to the fact that I wasn’t wearing a helmet and said I wouldn’t be allowed in the photos. Apparently, their client, the government, would reject photos of cyclists without helmets. I found this a little odd since it’s not a legal requirement to wear a helmet and I’ve frequently been in cycling-related photos sans helmet including for Sustrans, a government charity.
However, I didn’t argue and stood back while all the others posed around my bike for a photo. What struck me as particularly odd is none of the others, with the exception of Daniel, had a helmet on, including the child sitting in my bike. Why couldn’t I just have stood next to my bike rather than on it? It was as though I was being punished for my views on helmets which is simply that they shouldn’t be mandatory.
When I pointed out that none of the other adults in the photo were wearing helmets he decided to take a separate photo of me with Daniel and Elizabeth. I guess it’ll end up in the trash. But the star of the show was Elizabeth anyway who had a lovely portrait taken of just her. I took this photo at the end. The “0” is meant to represent zero emissions and cycling will need to be a big part of getting us there.
rachel.blog 
Leave a Reply