Cycling Scotland aired a TV campaign telling motorists to "treat a cyclist the way you treat a horse", and ending with a helmet-less female cyclist pedalling down the centre of a road."Not a lot of people know this, but you should treat a cyclist the way you treat a horse," ran a voiceover accompanying the TV ad. "Slow down, treat them with care and give them their space on the road." The ad ended with the text: "See Cyclist. Think Horse."The Advertising Standards Authority received five complaints that the ad was irresponsible and harmful, because the cyclist had no safety gear at all and should have been travelling close to the kerb.Cycling Scotland said that wearing a helmet was not a legal requirement in Scotland, but a "personal choice".The organisation also said there are "undesirable outcomes" of wearing helmets, including not as many people wanting to ride (meaning less physical activity) and drivers being more cavalier on the road.The lack of other safety attire was designed to "reflect the accessibility of cycling and to help promote it as a viable way to make everyday journeys".Cycling Scotland also said that given the width of the road, the cyclist featured was safer riding out past the parking area where they would be clearly visible.The ASA said that the Highway Code recommended that it is good practice for cyclists to wear helmets."The scene featuring the cyclist on a road without wearing a helmet undermined the[se] recommendations," said the ASA.The watchdog was also concerned that in the TV ad the cyclist appeared to be so far toward the centre of the lane that when a car overtook them it "almost had to enter the right lane of traffic"."We concluded the ad was socially irresponsible and likely to condone or encourage behaviour prejudicial to health and safety," the ASA said. "The ad must not be broadcast again in its current form. We told Cycling Scotland that any future ads featuring cyclists should be shown wearing helmets and placed in the most suitable cycling position."Cycling organisations railed against the ad ban, calling the ASA's ruling "ill-advised, misinformed" and a blow against efforts to popularise pedal power."The Advertising Standards Agency's ruling goes against everything we're trying to do to normalise cycling as an everyday activity and make it a priority form of transport," said Martin Key, campaign manager at British Cycling. "Compulsory helmet laws drive down cycling participation numbers and do not encourage principles of mutual respect between all road users."Key said the organisation intends to write to the ASA to "ask them to rethink their misinformed position."Gordon Seabright, chief executive of national cycling charity CTC, said: "The ASA's ill-advised decision shows a misunderstanding of common cycle safety issues and risks undermining the promotion of cycling as a safe and normal activity."(theguardian.com)ANN.Az