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.
I don’t know who this guest is, but watch what happens when he tries all his boring anti-cyclist garbage on the brilliant @BBCNaga of @BBCBreakfastpic.twitter.com/v3TkUPdoJn
— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) July 15, 2018
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.
-1024x680.jpg "“Clear anti-cyclist bias”: Lawsuit filed against Toronto police after cop doored cyclist… before ticketing rider over incident")
37 thoughts on “Video: BBC Breakfast’s Naga Munchetty hits back at anti-cyclist comments on live TV”
Quote:
I think that I can confidently say that every set of traffic lights I come to at least one, sometimes two or three, car(s) jump the red. That’s every set of traffic lights I come to cars jump the red. I was told by a Manchester taxi driver to fuck off after he was the third to run the lights on Friday as I gave a toot on the horn, he might actually know me though…
Go Naga.
don simon wrote:
I think that I can confidently say that every set of traffic lights I come to at least one, sometimes two or three, car(s) jump the red. That’s every set of traffic lights I come to cars jump the red. I was told by a Manchester taxi driver to fuck off after he was the third to run the lights on Friday as I gave a toot on the horn, he might actually know me though…
Go Naga.
Just because they happen to be driving doesn’t mean they’re not cyclists, lots of cyclists drive. Cyclists driving, that’s who jump red lights.
You know I’m right.
FrankH wrote:
Oh bollocks!
don simon wrote:
It’s quite simple really. If you ride a bike you’re a cyclist. If you drive a car you’re a motorist. It doesn’t matter if you do both it’s what you’re doing when you jump the red light that counts.
I know you’re wrong.
fizrar6 wrote:
Whooosh!
Allez Naga, Allez.
Allez Naga, Allez.
“You sure?” What a
“You sure?”
What a patronising twat faced sad excuse for a man. Unbelievable!
My opinion of Naga had gone
My opinion of Naga had gone up 1000%
Well said!!!
“No, I do cycle,” said
“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?
joe24737 wrote:
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.
PRSboy wrote:
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.
Very un-BBC of her to slap
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.
£100 trillion spent on cycle
£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.
Ian collins is an arsehole –
Ian collins is an arsehole – full stop. Gave up listening to his radio show many moons ago because of his ridiculous anti cycling rantings.
Ian Collins is a dangerous
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.
I think Naga was very
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.
Surely his comments are
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.
There’s nothing a cyclist
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!
Yorkshire wallet wrote:
There’s nothing a cyclist likes more than their bike, unless it’s their bike with coffee and cake.
There’s nothing a cyclist
There’s nothing a cyclist likes more than a road with no other vehicles.
I think having a cycle
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.
You’d think that if you were
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!
There’s nothing a cyclist
There’s nothing a cyclist likes more than MOTOR CAR LANES
There’s nothing a cyclist
There’s nothing a cyclist likes more than watching a fat prick motorist fall on his arse
Pushing50 wrote:
Oh, I’d forgotten that film clip
Thanks for the reminder 
Pushing50 wrote:
Actually that’s his face, but I take your point. Either is good.
Naga has gone from curious
Naga has gone from curious crush to number1 pin-up xxx
Pushing50 wrote:
Indeed. She’s so hot they named a chilli after her
.
StraelGuy wrote:
She has also been known to play a round:
The Munchetty?
The Munchetty?
The Naga Viper.
The Naga Viper.
Naga Haggar?
Naga Haggar?
Quote:
Says it all. Shitgibbon from a right wing shitgibbon radio station.
Good toasting by Naga. Ian,
Good toasting by Naga. Ian, should go back to local radio. He should not be given national exposure.
There seems to be no
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.
There seems to have been no
Please don’t make me put a bell on my road bike.
IanR wrote:
No disagreement =/= agreement.