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Emma Way tweetUpdated: Norwich Police seek driver who tweeted about collision with cyclist
Norwich Police are today seeking a motorist who tweeted yesterday about knocking a cyclist off their bike. The driver, Emma Way, said of the collision, "Definitely knocked a cyclist off earlier - I have right of way he doesn't even pay road tax" and signed off with the hashtag #bloodycyclists.
The tweet was quickly picked up by various twitter users, some of whom took a screen grab of the offending tweet (including jymdyer whose image we've used at the top). The Police were alerted via the social network, and two hours later Norfolk Police suggested that Ms Way contact them regarding the incident. "we have had tweets ref an RTC with a bike", they explained. "We suggest you report it at a police station ASAP if not done already & then dm us". Since the tweet Ms Way has been identified via her twitter account (which she subsequently deleted) and her facebook profile. Other online posts from Ms Way suggested that she took pictures with her mobile phone while driving and tailgating other vehicles, and she also posted a picture of her car's speedometer showing a speed of 95mph.
The level of ignorance of the law, and the assumption of the right to forcibly remove a cyclist from the road, is pretty shocking. Anyone who follows the Cycle Hatred twitter account will be familiar with this kind of might-is-right mindset, and it's also fairly common for these comments to originate from new drivers, and particularly young women. Whether that's symptomatic of their greater dislike of cyclists of simply down to the demographics of twitter users it's difficult to say.
Obviously there's much for the Police to discuss with Ms Way, should the tweet refer to a genuine incident - which we are reliably informed it does (see update below). For a start you're generally breaking the law by leaving the scene of a road traffic collision without stopping to check if the other party has suffered injury or damage to property. Obviously there's also the right-of-way issue: no road user has any right under law to force another from the road, and to do so is also an offence. As for road tax, most cyclists are only too aware that there's no such thing as road tax and roads are funded from general taxation. Vehicle Excise Duty is paid on vehicle emissions; were cyclists to pay it they'd pay the same rate as other zero-emission vehicles: nothing.
Update: We've spoken to Toby Hockley, the rider involved in the collision, to get a bit of background on the incident. He's pretty sure it was him, anyway. "The police said it was me", he told us, and the time and location fit the bill.
"I was riding on a country B-road with a friend, and descending a hill on a blind right hand corner", Toby told us. "I was sticking to the left as the corner was blind. A car came round in the opposite direction going much too quickly to make the corner safely. It missed the rider in front of me but hit me, my right leg caught the front right wing. I was thrown up onto the bonnet, I hit the side of windsrceen and the wing mirror. I bounced back off the car and went through a hedge for about 20 metres. I managed to keep control of the bike; the back brake had locked on but I managed to rejoin the road and stop in the middle of it"
Amazingly Toby made it through the incident with only minor damage to himself and the bike. "I have a sore elbow, a bruised knee, nettle stings from riding through the hedge, but nothing serious", he told us. "The headset of the bike is loose from the collision, one of the levers got knocked round the bars and there's bits of nettle in the chain, but I think the bike is intact."
"Myself and my friend burst out laughing when we finally came to a stop, more out of shock than anything else", he said. "You count your limbs and carry on".
In response to the incident Ms Way's employers have also made a short statement, both in response to emails from road.cc readers and also in the comments below. "Please be assured that this is not a view held by the firm and we most certainly do not condone this behaviour", they told us. "We are taking the incidents very seriously, and a full and detailed investigation will be carried out and appropriate action taken. We have already spoken to Norfolk Police."
Dave is a founding father of road.cc, having previously worked on Cycling Plus and What Mountain Bike magazines back in the day. He also writes about e-bikes for our sister publication ebiketips. He's won three mountain bike bog snorkelling World Championships, and races at the back of the third cats.
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102 comments
Ian Fitch, please sack her.
And don't give her a reference.
Words are not going to teach this individual anything.
With things like this happening we all need to sign the gov petition to promote safer roads.
see the link and make sure you get other people to sign it.
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/49196
If she does escape a ban hopefully she'll just collide with a tree next time out and not involve anyone else.
"descending a hill"? I thought Norfolk was flat
It's beyond depressing to think that people can mow others down on the road in what clearly had the potential to be a fatal incident, and just carry on as if nothing happened. It takes a really special kind of arsehole to do that.
Thus speaks someone who's never ridden it!
The fens in the south west of Norfolk are flat, but there's a chalk ridge runs up through Norwich and along the north coast. Local radio says it was near Snettisham, which is near the west end of the ridge.
She should lose her job, she'll be in court for motoring offences and the press will cover it. Her ignorance and her arrogance has just turned her whole world upside down.
And she has already had tons of hate messages no doubt, some probably quite sick, but that is not something I approve of. Report it, share it, discuss it by all means but leave it there people...
If all is as it seems then this is a terrible thing. If. But we need to wait and see. This is starting to sound like a lynch mob and is making me feel queasy. Let's not be the pitchfork wielding peasants in the Hammer movie.
Ei incumbit probatio qui dicit, non qui negat, people.
No it isn't.
Agreed. Sounds like she definitely needs an introduction to the legal process via the Police/courts, but it's not for some raving lynch mob to decide whether she has a job afterwards. That's not due process, that's revenge. Clearly, if her employers decide that the negative PR is unacceptable, they may choose to take action, but that's their business, not ours.
As a.jumper said. Only part of Norfolk is flat. There are some cracking climbs round Dereham and heading north. Short and sharp but enough to make your legs know they are there
To educate drivers like this, I propose their closest loved ones cycle on roads in similar situations. The offenders then be taken as a passenger in a car which endangers the lives of their loved ones (for the sake of waiting 30 seconds).
Or get them out on a bike to experience both the joys of cycling, and the (sometimes) terror of being buzzed/abused/hit by the minority of drivers.
Hopefully, they will wake up to the sheer idiocy of their behaviour.
This must have been the greatest feat of bike handling ever.
Or else sheer blind good luck. It's amazing she didn't kill him.
It's incredibly depressing that BBC Radio Norfolk appear to be taking this as an excuse to wheel out the usual crap about cyclists not paying road tax. Local radio in Bristol did exactly the same thing when me and a race organiser appeared on it to talk about CX racing being banned from local parks. Nothing to do with the subject at all.
I guess it's the attitude of "hey, it's causing a bit of controversy so it must be good for our listener numbers". Which is one reason (among many) that I don't listen to local radio.
Or if Ian is a cyclist and the company offers the cycle to work scheme, he could offer her some advice whilst her license holidays in Swansea and she might start to commute via bike.
The BBC's Nick Conrad is on the case now, his question...
"I have the right of way he doesn't even pay road tax" - is it time cyclists did?
https://www.facebook.com/nconrad
At least the BBC Norfolk news page on the main BBC site is addressing this - there's a paragraph separate to the story pointing out the myth of Road Tax. Although if they're still bleating about it on the radio show that probably confirms your suspicion it's all about the controversy
It seems that Emma is training to be a tax advisor. No wonder this is an embarrassment to her employer - a tax advisor.
http://www.bizea.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=967:...
Noted a fair few "well, this wasn't very good... but cyclists are a bit rubbish" style comments
"He doesn't pay road tax" so presumably deserves to be hit"
Apple take note..
no one pays 'road tax' specifically. local councils have funding for it, so if someone earns more than you and subsequently pays more tax, they contribute more towards the roads via their tax than you by default, regardless of whether they even own any sort of vehicle or not. she pays VED, unless she has a hybrid, but this is calculated by the emissions that contribute to pollution. dumb shits, i've never even had a car and know this.
We should be bombarding Nick's phone in demanding tax rebates because we pay enough tax for our roads but can't use motorways
I agree - it is irrelevant whether the company has a "cycle friendly" policy. What they should have is a policy of hiring decent people and by the actions of Ian, its pretty clear he does not approve of her alleged behaviour and hopefully will take action, based on the reputational damage she may have caused, once the police have completed their job. I think its pretty big of him to even make that announcement (how many delivery companies take such action?).
"The burden of proof rests on one who asserts, not one who denies"? She boasted about it on Social Media! I wouldn't like to see this person literally lynched or attacked with pitchforks, and agree the law should take its course, but a good cyberkicking won't do her any lasting harm.
It's hit the national media:
http://news.sky.com/story/1093752/drivers-twitter-boast-about-hitting-cy...
Happily, they also thought to include this bit (albeit at the end):
I do note, however, that it states he was taking part in a sportive at the time - no doubt this will be dragged into it as well - mass start events, racing, blah blah.
Comments on the story are not permitted - perhaps a wise move!
Again, it's not.
There are more things in heaven and earth Horatio...
Is cycle hatred confined to the UK? I've seen articles suggesting that it extends to Aussie cricketers and aged Americans in 4-by-4s - but is it as prevalent in other countries?
It's difficult to believe that someone likes to brag about something like this.
I hope the Norfolk police and Larking Gowen have the courage to show people this type of behaviour will not be tolerated.
If she loses her license and her job (and what employer would want a liability like this on their payroll?) then maybe - just maybe - some of the other f*ckwits who think it's OK to maim and kill begin to realise that it most definitely is not.
I disagree. Strongly. What you seem to be proposing is targeted cyber bullying of an individual (who is, let's not forget, yet to be found guilty of any offence). There are numerous cases where suicides have been linked to cyber bullying. What you propose is arguably as bad as the alleged crimes of this girl.
I suggest you take some time to read the Malicious Communications Act. It applies to you just as much as her, and I suspect that what you have posted breaches it just as flagrantly.
it beggars belief - we all have to cope with people like this on a daily basis - sadly I is unlikely after the drama subsides that anything effective will be done to this young woman - we see that happen too on far to regularly on these pages - lets hope that she will be more aware of others after this is over...
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