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news
Emma Way tweetTwit and run story goes viral, police question driver, cyclist's Facebook response, #bloodycyclists hashtag reclaimed
Our story yesterday about Emma Way, the Norfolk motorist who knocked a cyclist off his bike, drove away and boasted about it in on Twitter not only went viral on social media, but has also exploded on mainstream media.
The cyclist involved, Toby Hockley, told road.cc and BBC News Norfolk that he was “lucky to be alive” following a collsion and Ms Way's on a single lane country road in which he was thrown on to the bonnet of her car and then bounced off, going through a hedge and in a fine piece of bike handling managing to regain controls of his machine and stop.There’s no update yet on what action police intend to take against the motorist, Emma Way although they have spoken to her.
On Sunday, she had tweeted: “Definitely knocked a cyclist off his bike earlier. I have right of way - he doesn't even pay road tax!," complete with the hashtag “#Bloodycyclists."
From Ms Way's point of view the use of that hashtag was the culmination of a series very poor decisions, as we reported yesterday her tweet was quickly spotted by cyclists, many of whom took screen grabs not just of that tweet, but also tweets in which she bragged about the speed she drove at - and a picture of what she claimed was the speedometer of her car doing 95mph. As Ms Way was to rapidly find out there is no hiding place on Twitter and in what was to prove a social media perfect storm it was rapidly picked up by first road.cc and then other news outlets including The Guardian, Daily Mail, Independent, Huffington Post and many others… and then it went global. By the end of the day the story had broken every traffic record for a story on this site.
More pertinently for @EmmaWay20 her tweet had been brought to the attention of the police who urged her to get in touch – Way had already deleted her Twitter account, but police have confirmed they have spoken to both parties – and her employers have distanced themselves from her remarks and opened an investigation.
Had she not tweeted Ms Way would probably have had nothing more to worry about other than some slight dents to her car, Mr Hockley had decided to take no further action, "you count your limbs and carry on" he memorably told us. This being a digitally connected age though he did leave respond to Ms Way's tweet by posting a message to her Facebook page.
"Oh hi! That was me you hit and FYI, you didn't knock me off, I'm too hard to be hurt by a pissy micra or whatever it was you were driving."
Meanwhile, that #bloodycyclists hashtag has been reclaimed by cyclists today at the suggestion of Danny Williams of the Cyclists and the City blog, with a sample of tweets using it including:
lennyshallcross @lennyshallcross
I am a #bloodycyclists just trying to get about London. Would be nice not to risk my life every morning just trying to get to work.
Sean Perry @niceguysean
I'm one of those #bloodycyclists, broken my back and femur in accidents with cars. Still cycling. Why? Because I still can. Share the road.
Jo Bray @MissJoBray
@citycyclists I'm one of those #bloodycyclists and I dearly would like to be able to go home to my family in one piece!
Ian Hargreaves @madcycling_boy
No other hate crime gets bragged about on twitter the same way. When will the law sort this out? #bloodycyclists
Another thing Sunday’s episode has done, with our initial coverage picked up by local and national media, is prompt an examination of the relationship between cyclists and “road tax” – which hasn’t existed since the 1930s, as Carlton Reid’s I Pay Road Tax website outlines.
Despite the efforts of Reid and others to correct the widely held but mistaken assumption that it is drivers who pay for roads, and cyclists don’t – most adult cyclists are of course motorists and will therefore pay Vehicle Excise Duty, even if they choose to use two wheels for some journeys – it’s clear that some parts of the media get it more than others.
In the former camp, as you’d expect, is the Guardian Bike Blog. Today, Dawn Foster used Way’s tweet as the introduction to a reflection on what it said about the sense of entitlement and primacy over other road users some motorists believe they have because of that misconception that they are paying for the roads.
“I've been told to "pay road tax" more times than I can remember, though sadly explaining the intricacies of road taxation… takes longer than the few seconds you get on the road,” wrote Fraser.
“And when this entitlement dehumanises cyclists to the extent someone is happy to excuse hitting a cyclist by explaining they don't believe they should be on the road at all, it becomes more than an annoyance – it's an active danger.”
BBC Radio Norfolk used the story as the starting point for a phone-in discussion trailed as “Should cyclists pay tax to use the roads?”
Reid – a guest on the programme, so at least that misleading title should have been quickly corrected – pointed out on Twitter, it’s not unusual for such shows to throw down a controversial viewpoint as a means of stimulating debate.
In this case, however, it’s not just controversial – it’s incorrect, of course, but the fact that an institution many still see as a trusted source of news can perpetuate the myth may go a long way towards explaining why the misunderstanding surrounding “road tax” remains so entrenched; if the BBC says it’s so, it must be right?
Of course, the BBC is a big organisation and BBC Radio Norfolk just one of its outposts; elsewhere it does get it spot-on, such as in a sidebar to its interview with Toby Hockley, where BBC News Norfolk correctly explains the situation:
The so-called 'Road Tax'
The comment on Twitter suggested Toby Hockley, as a cyclist, does not pay "road tax".
A road tax does not exist in the UK but the term is commonly and incorrectly used to refer to the Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), or "car tax" paid on most motorised vehicles as a tax on emissions.
Roads are funded by all UK taxpayers under general and local taxes.
Source:Gov.uk
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.
Latest Comments
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When a cyclist leans on a time car, e.g. when receiving service in a race, it is in fact exactly the same as if a car leans on a cyclist.
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Me too - at anything, really.
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If there is already an existing structure that would make a suitable bike shelter with some minor modifications, then I can understand wanting to...
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On average it's between 1 and 5 close passes on 15 daily kms.
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https://www.sciencealert.com/study-links-preference-for-loud-cars-to-some-unsurprising-personality-traits...
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"every other urban hipster is wearing one of these just for the style points"...
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Pretty sure the Carradice Odyssey didn't exist when I got my Wizard Works Shazam - they had the traditional cotton duck bags or the Super-C. Wizard...
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Charged with careless driving.
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what about super round wheels? can they be kept exclusive?
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Here's an argument for firearms. If he hadn't had a shotgun he would probably have tried with the car unneccesarily mahoosive truck a second time,...
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Their early work was a little too new wave for my tastes, but when Sports came out in '83,I think they really came into their own, commercially and artistically.
The whole album has a clear, crisp sound, and a new sheen of consummate professionalism that really gives the songs a big boost.
He's been compared to Elvis Costello, but I think Huey has a far much more bitter, cynical sense of humour.
In '87, Huey released Fore, their most accomplished album. I think their undisputed masterpiece is "Hip to be Square", a song so catchy, most people probably don't listen to the lyrics. But they should, because it's not just about the pleasures of conformity, and the importance of trends, it's also a personal statement about the band itself.
Do you like Huey Lewis and the news?
@Lane71 yes the BBC irritates me sometimes too, but not to the point where I have to wipe froth and spittle off my keyboard. Anyway we like to keep things moderately civilized around here so it'd be appreciated if you toned it down a bit in future plus it'll save you on loads on screen wipes.
Wow.... Road.cc posters have nothing on Daily Mail readers when it comes to pouring vitriol on Ms Way! The paper and its readers have gone up in my estimation
Toby Hockley bears her no ill will - he just wants an apology, as he said earlier this evening on our Facebook page - I'll take my cue from him.
She appears to be a rather stupid young woman, dangerously stupid, but even if Toby doesn't want to take things further my guess is that she's going to find it hard to argue her way out of a charge of failure to stop at the scene of an accident. Even if there are consequences because of that if she's got half a brain, at some point in the future she's going to realise she was lucky - she may think she's in the shit now, but it's nothing compared to what would have happened had she seriously injured or killed Toby on Sunday.
Also what's the point of criticising people for displaying an irrational hatred of cyclists and then responding with more hatred? It just turns us in to a mirror image of them.
Nice one tony, right with you there. The more we all get worked up, we lose our cool and simply contribute to more aggression on the roads. We can be better than that and rather than use our anger energy with aggression - use our brains more intelligently? How about roadcc set up a petition via tha govt e-petition website? (http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/). I am sure the necessary 10,000 mark would be reached fairly quickly.
Perhaps Toby Hockley thinks he's being the bigger man by only asking for an apology, but he'd be doing a disservice to other cyclists and road users by not fully pursuing this matter to it's logical legal conclusion.
Well, anything he pursues personally would be a civil claim for damages. Whether he wants to do that is really his call. The thing that really affects the wider public (i.e. where the real penalties lie, like a driving ban for example) would be a criminal case. Mr Hockley doesn't decide whether that goes ahead - that's for the Police and the CPS to work out.
I am inclined to agree with this. I was hit by a towed caravan because the idiot pulled in too quickly after overtaking into on coming traffic (and he wasn't slowed down by me, in fact, from the tone of his approaching engine I could tell he never slowed down at all). I ended up being bounced down the side of his caravan whilst trying to prevent going off the side of the road or under his wheels (4 weeks later and the injuries have still not completely healed). He didn't look back, notice or care that he was a fraction of luck and my skill away from putting me hospital, and of course none of the motorists behind reacted or were concerned for my safety either. Given that he didn't stop and I was too busy trying to save my life, its no surprise that I didn't get his details so couldn't report it. Shame he didn't tweet it... The point is that more incidents or near misses must occur than are actually reported, so on the few occasions that there is sufficient information to report the incident to the police and allow them to follow it up, we have perhaps a duty to ourselves and other riders to do so - perhaps then the the law has the opportunity to act as the deterrent it should be and tomorrow's ride may just be a little safer...
I think I get more than my money's worth out of the licence fee from podcasted radio programmes and the BBC website alone, plus HIGNFY, Question Time, MOTD and BBC 4's music docs.
Not that that's what this is about, but just thought I'd bring a little balance
On the issue at hand, I sometimes worry a bit about how these Twitter storms get out of hand and descend into irrationality and abuse. Which is not to say that this thing in particular didn't make me very cross, and it does highlight the weird attitude that some young drivers have wherein fellow human beings who happen to be using a different means of locomotion become targets for hatred slander and violence purely because of said transportation choice.
Anyone else have a sense of outrage that no charges have been pressed as yet?
If that's to be the case, why not just say its OK to run cyclists over and laugh about it?
Mercury one - focusing on few parts of a massive whole to say that's what the whole represents is misguided.
Thats exactly what the BBC is,a massive (sht)hole
Pedalling trite piss poor light entertainment reality TV shows and that misery cockney fest Eastenders day in day effing out
Shoving hundreds of thousands of pounds into the bank accounts of fcking chris moyles -Evans et al
no fucking way,not my money to those talentless dogs
Institutionalised kiddie fiddling and buggery for fucking decades rendering generations of kids mentally ill and thats without watching Jim ll fix it
yeah he'll fix it alright,his grubby shrivelled nob up a 12 year old
Arselicking whichever government is in power,disseminating lies and misinformation over a whole host of important issues
Time to dismantle that filthy organisation,execute the board,particulary the odious slimeball Patten,the Lord protectorate of fcking Hong Kong before thefuckin chinese handed his public school ass on a plate
Remember kids,if the TV license goons come to your door,chuck a steaming hot bucket of shit and piss over the bastards and tell them to fuck themselves
scumbags
Hmmmmm. I don't think I suggested the whole BBC was? If you look again I was referring specifically to the way the BBC presents news stories in competition with commercial stations. After 40 years of listening to the BBC's news service they are increasingly presenting ridiculous scenarios in debates in order to spice up phone-ins - and reporting the mind numbingly obvious as revelatory or perhaps debatable. Looking at the shambles they've made over factual news in the past 10 years: rolling over when threatened over stories they've got right (the dodgy dossier) or running around like headless chickens when they've got a story wrong (Savile) I have no problem with criticising them.
Lord Reith would have got the road tax story right and lit a rocket under Radio Norfolk for bad journalism. And judging by Jeremy Vine's sometimes deliberately simplistic way of stimulating debate it's little wonder he no longer felt qualified to host Newsnight. Thank God for that.
Like the cat by the way. Looks fluffy and cosy.
TBH, someone who takes a corner fast enough that they end up on the wrong side of the road (if Mr. Hockley's report is accurate) is a danger to *everyone* not just cyclists.
'My mum always refused to buy a TV license, instead she spent her money on a shotgun, the one time the TV licensing guy came round she pointed the shotgun at him and informed him that he was trespassing on private land and it would probably be best if he refrained from doing so. This was some 20 years ago and she has heard nothing since.'
What a delightful lady.
This is the same BBC that in the past 24 hours have announced as newsworthy that research suggests eating fresh vegetables is a better way to fight your cancer than eating chips (Jenny Murray) and that not having your baby in bed with you as you roll around in your sleep might reduce the risk of cot deaths. ( all stations).
When Wiggins got knocked of his bike Jeremy Vine was asking people to discuss whether as a pro cyclist he was riding too fast....
It's this rush to look for controversy that makes the BBC so inane now.
I would advise them to buy up the 'I Found A Bike Today' and stick it on instead of The Voice on a loop. It would do more for viewing figures and the postive public perception of cycling than the Olympics and Sustrans combined.
Do the "You don't pay road tax" spouters expect trams to get out of their way as well?
should we add #bloodypriusdrivers to the #bloodycyclists as they dont pay vehicle tax (so called road tax) either as a band A CO2 emitting vehicle?
(Pedantry alert). It's "Licence". "License" is a verb.
Genuinely hope she loses her job over this
Really? Why? As far as I can her job has nothing to do with this, of course she should accept the consequences of her actions but to suggest that she lose her job is a bit much IMO.
Or has social media and indeed commenting on websites such as this got to the stage now where it should impact directly on out lives should we say something wrong?
Oh and I wish the driver who hit me had owned up on Twitter, would make the insurance claim a lot easier!
+1
Ian Hargreaves' tweet is particularly pertinent.
Send a cease and desist letter to TV licensing in Bristol
Paying this filthy poll tax to the pile of excrement that is the BBC is an act of utter stupidity
I have never had a TV license and never will
I refuse to hand a penny over to those stinking morons
The cease and desist letter will prevent their goons from coming to your property to pilfer your cash
scumbags
My mum always refused to buy a TV license, instead she spent her money on a shotgun, the one time the TV licensing guy came round she pointed the shotgun at him and informed him that he was trespassing on private land and it would probably be best if he refrained from doing so. This was some 20 years ago and she has heard nothing since.
The BBC???
Only those with their head under a pillow singing La-La-La could think this after the last few years
Well, there's a lot of people doing that, then - average trust rating of 6.5 out of 10 in January (so post-Saville scandal breaking).
Don't shoot the messenger, eh
http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/broadcasters/viewer-trust-in-bbc-reco...
For news output I'd trust the BBC over anything Sky News says, what with them being part of that "incoruptable" organisation News Corp, because they never hack your mobile or anything would they!
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