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Video: BBC Breakfast’s Naga Munchetty hits back at anti-cyclist comments on live TV

Presenter takes issue with Ian Collins' claim that "There’s nothing a cyclist likes more than jumping a red light”...

Presenter Naga Munchetty gave a guest on BBC Breakfast short shrift yesterday after he made anti-cyclist comments.

Fellow BBC broadcaster – and daily cycle commuter – Jeremy Vine was among those to tweet footage of the exchange on Saturday morning’s show.

Vine said, “I don’t know who this guy is” – in fact, it’s another radio show host, Ian Collins of LBC, who certainly has a bit of previous when it comes to criticising cyclists and investment in infrastructure for them.

Reviewing the newspapers on the sofa on the BBC Breakfast set at Salford's Media City, Collins was discussing an article published in The Times yesterday with the heading Bike bells could become mandatory under safety drive.

“There’s nothing a cyclist likes more than jumping a red light,” claimed Collins.

“Well as a cyclist who doesn’t jump red lights,” Munchetty replied – drawing a sarcastic “You sure?” from Collins, the BBC presenter said that she was in favour of bells on bikes because of the need to alert pedestrians to her presence when using shared-used paths.

That prompted Collins to return to a criticism he has voiced in the past related to cycling infrastructure.

“In London where they’ve spent like a hundred trillion pounds on cycle lanes and you can be driving your car but the cyclist isn’t actually in the lane, they’re on the road, I have no understanding of that.”

“I’ll tell you why,” Munchetty responded. “Potholes.”  

“Potholes? What, in the cycle lane?” retorted Collins, sounding fairly disbelieving.

“Yes,” said Munchetty, “and lots of rubbish and road debris ends up in the cycle lane and they’re not cleaned.”

“Are you sure that’s what it is?” retorted Collins.

“Yes. Sure thing,” Munchetty responded.

“Not just abject inconsideration?” the LBC presenter asked, prompting Munchetty to say, “Are you anti-cyclist?”

“No, I do cycle,” said Collins, greeted by laughter and a comment of “Are you sure?” from Munchetty.

At that point, her co-host, Steph McGovern chipped in with, “I did get sworn at by a cyclist yesterday, but I did deserve it,” going on to explain that she had stepped out into a cycle lane without looking.

Munchetty is undertaking a series of cycling challenges this year to raise money for the charity Action For A-T.

In May, she spent four days riding from London to Paris and later this month will tackle the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 later this month.

Finally, in September, the 43-year-old will undertake a three-day ride from Bedford to Amsterdam.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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37 comments

Avatar
IanR | 5 years ago
1 like

Please don't make me put a bell on my road bike.

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don simon fbpe replied to IanR | 5 years ago
2 likes
IanR wrote:

There seems to have been no disagreement about making bells mandatory.  On the road, a polite 'tingaling' from a bell is hardly likely to bring the traffic to a shuddering halt.  On the cyle path or shared cycle/pedestrian way, I find that "Excuse me please" followed by "Thank you" seems to work well enough. 

No disagreement =/= agreement.

Avatar
IanR | 5 years ago
2 likes

There seems to be no disagreement in previous postings that cycle bells should be mandatory.  On the road, a polite tingaling from a bell is not going to bring the traffic to a halt.  On a cycleway or a bike / pedestrian shared lane, a polite "Excuse me please" followed by "Thank you" seems to work well for me.  

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NPlus1Bikelights | 5 years ago
1 like

Good toasting by Naga. Ian, should go back to local radio. He should not be given national exposure. 

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zanf | 5 years ago
2 likes
Quote:

Ian Collins of LBC

Says it all. Shitgibbon from a right wing shitgibbon radio station.

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Pushing50 | 5 years ago
2 likes

Naga Haggar?

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StraelGuy | 5 years ago
1 like

The Naga Viper.

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don simon fbpe | 5 years ago
2 likes

The Munchetty?

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Pushing50 | 5 years ago
7 likes

Naga has gone from curious crush to number1 pin-up xxxheart

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StraelGuy replied to Pushing50 | 5 years ago
1 like
Pushing50 wrote:

Naga has gone from curious crush to number1 pin-up xxxheart

 

Indeed. She's so hot they named a chilli after her .

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hawkinspeter replied to StraelGuy | 5 years ago
1 like
StraelGuy wrote:
Pushing50 wrote:

Naga has gone from curious crush to number1 pin-up xxxheart

Indeed. She's so hot they named a chilli after her .

She has also been known to play a round:

Quote:

Munchetty also plays golf, with a handicap of nine in 2015. In October 2012, Munchetty, playing under her married name, Haggar, won the Hertfordshire de Paula Cup at Bishop's Stortford Golf Club.

Avatar
Pushing50 | 5 years ago
13 likes

There's nothing a cyclist likes more than watching a fat prick motorist fall on his arse

 

 

 

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brooksby replied to Pushing50 | 5 years ago
2 likes
Pushing50 wrote:

There's nothing a cyclist likes more than watching a fat prick motorist fall on his arse

(illustration)

Oh, I'd forgotten that film clip  yes Thanks for the reminder

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burtthebike replied to Pushing50 | 5 years ago
3 likes
Pushing50 wrote:

There's nothing a cyclist likes more than watching a fat prick motorist fall on his arse

Actually that's his face, but I take your point.  Either is good.

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C-Baron-Roger | 5 years ago
5 likes

There's nothing a cyclist likes more than MOTOR CAR LANES

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brooksby | 5 years ago
7 likes

You'd think that if you were going on to do a TV interview that you'd perhaps research who was going to be interviewing you: if you find out that your interviewer is, for example, a regular and vocal cyclist, maybe you'd find a different way of making a fool of yourself...

Good on you, Naga! yes

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Doug.F. | 5 years ago
3 likes

      I think having a cycle bell or horn is a good idea.

      P.s. strangling Ian Collins is also a good idea.

     Well done Naga.

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leqin | 5 years ago
3 likes

There's nothing a cyclist likes more than a road with no other vehicles.

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Yorkshire wallet | 5 years ago
2 likes

There’s nothing a cyclist likes more than (insert joke)

winner gets nothing at all apart from Road.cc adulation.

Here's my opener

There's nothing a cyclists likes more than YO MOMMA!

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hawkinspeter replied to Yorkshire wallet | 5 years ago
4 likes
Yorkshire wallet wrote:

There’s nothing a cyclist likes more than (insert joke)

winner gets nothing at all apart from Road.cc adulation.

Here's my opener

There's nothing a cyclists likes more than YO MOMMA!

There's nothing a cyclist likes more than their bike, unless it's their bike with coffee and cake.

Avatar
iandusud | 5 years ago
3 likes

Surely his comments are inciting hatred. If he had said something as equally untrue and biggoted about say black people, "there's nothing a black person likes to do more than...", he would be out on his ear and up before a court. I don't see this as any different. In the same way that racist comments encourage hatred towards racial minorities among prejudiced idiots, so his comments only encourage hatred towards cyclists among the prejudiced idiots that we have to put up with. 

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Martyn_K | 5 years ago
6 likes

I think Naga was very restrained to be honest. I know that if that if i was on the sofa listening to that crap i would have taken the prick down hard. In fact, he would probably have been holding his breath in the Salford Quays with my foot on his head.

As already noted the biggest law breakers on the road are motorists. Speeding, red light jumping, drink driving etc etc........  The standardised and almost what feels like compulsory hatred of cyclists is merely a deflection tactic from that demographic group.

As a recreational cyclist i ensure that i follow laws of the road as long as my safety is ensured while following them. We all know that some road laws are heavily weighted against us and we have to make judgement calls 'in the moment'. Sometimes those decisions look to be wreckless or dangerous to the uninitiated but more often that not it is the only solution to a problem.

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burtthebike | 5 years ago
13 likes

Ian Collins is a dangerous man, broadcasting his hatred of cyclists to many drivers who then, consciously or unconciously, use it to justify their appalling driving.  I've said it before, but if cyclists were a racial group, people like Collins would be prosecuted for hate speech.  If it's against the law to hate someone because of their skin colour, religion or nationality, why isn't is also against the law to hate someone because they ride a bike?

Doesn't LBC have rules about being balanced and not spreading ignorance and hate?

Well done Naga for slapping him down, but why should it be necessary for individuals to do this?  The organisations these hate-mongers work for should be doing it.

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yupiteru | 5 years ago
7 likes

Ian collins is an arsehole - full stop. Gave up listening to his radio show many moons ago because of his ridiculous anti cycling rantings.

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cidermart | 5 years ago
9 likes

£100 trillion spent on cycle lanes in London? No wonder this country is in massive debt, I think someone needs to audit the books though as I'm fucked if I can see that amount was spent.

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handlebarcam | 5 years ago
7 likes

Very un-BBC of her to slap down a liar like that. Wouldn't be surprised if she gets emails on Monday morning inviting her to partake in some "balance" training.

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joe24737 | 5 years ago
18 likes

“No, I do cycle,” said Collins"

So, by virtue of that assertion, he also jumps red lights and is in no position to criticise.

Why do people who clearly hate cyclists claim to cycle?  Do they think it validates their argument?

Avatar
PRSboy replied to joe24737 | 5 years ago
4 likes
joe24737 wrote:

“No, I do cycle,” said Collins"

So, by virtue of that assertion, he also jumps red lights and is in no position to criticise.

Why do people who clearly hate cyclists claim to cycle?  Do they think it validates their argument?

Its just like bigots who preface their views with "one of my best friends is a [insert minority group of choice] but..." in the hope that you won't think they are a bigoted idiot and will give their views some merit.

Its interesting how often one comes across "casual cycleism" to coin a phrase... even if people know I cycle, I frequently get diatribes about riders two abreast, not wearing helmets etc.  I even had someone having a pop because someone had left a sportive direction sign up in her village.

I've given up being polite now.

Avatar
wycombewheeler replied to PRSboy | 5 years ago
1 like
PRSboy wrote:
joe24737 wrote:

“No, I do cycle,” said Collins"

So, by virtue of that assertion, he also jumps red lights and is in no position to criticise.

Why do people who clearly hate cyclists claim to cycle?  Do they think it validates their argument?

Its just like bigots who preface their views with "one of my best friends is a [insert minority group of choice] but..." in the hope that you won't think they are a bigoted idiot and will give their views some merit.

Its interesting how often one comes across "casual cycleism" to coin a phrase... even if people know I cycle, I frequently get diatribes about riders two abreast, not wearing helmets etc.  I even had someone having a pop because someone had left a sportive direction sign up in her village.

I've given up being polite now.

Just keep a l8nk to the video if the cyclists being taken out when riding single file tight to the kerb handy.

This is exactly why 2 abreast is correct particularly when there is a steady stream of oncoming vehicles.

Avatar
maviczap | 5 years ago
13 likes

My opinion of Naga had gone up 1000%

Well said!!!

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