Cyclists angered by AA's helmet giveaway

An AA scheme giving away 5,000 high-visibility bicycle helmets and jackets has enraged some cyclists.

The motoring organisation was handing out the items at Waterloo Place, off Pall Mall, this morning and Lincoln's Inn Fields in Holborn this afternoon after it found in a survey that less than five per cent of Boris bikers used a helmet. The Raleigh Missile helmets sell for up to £27.

But cyclists said the AA should direct its energy at improving motorists' behaviour rather than creating the impression that cycling is unsafe.

Jim Gleeson said: "Maybe cyclists could reciprocate by giving out free eye-glasses and copies of the Highway Code to drivers."

Transport for London, which oversees the Boris bike scheme, does not require riders to wear a helmet. None have died but around a dozen have reported injuries.

AA president Edmund King said: "You see some people on Boris bikes who are not proper cyclists. They need a helmet more than most. They're weaving all over the place."