A driver who suffered a road rage meltdown and threatened to kill a cyclist for not using a bike lane has been fined under a public order offence, according to the man who posted footage of the incident.
The meltdown happened on March 14 on Priory Road, which leads to Richmond Park, a popular destination for cyclists. With numerous people on bikes travelling in both directions, bike-mounted camera footage shows the driver overtake the rider at close proximity, before pulling in and engaging in an expletive-laden swearing match lasting three minutes, including an interlude to yell at other passing cyclists. The incident ends with the driver threatening to kill the cyclist, before he finally drives away.
The rider’s helmet camera shows a black Land Rover Discovery overtake at close proximity after a mini roundabout. When the driver pulls between him and the rider in front things escalate quickly, when the driver can be heard yelling furiously through the open window “there’s a fucking cycle lane”.
The driver swears almost continually through the encounter, as does the cyclist, all the while repeating there is a pavement cycle lane on one side of the road.
He goes to get back into his car after about a minute of yelling before cyclists coming in the other direction inspire him to cross the road, stand on the cycle lane and yell at them about the cycle lane. A second cyclist, not wearing Lycra, tries to calm the situation, with little success.
The man goes to drive away before getting out again for a second, more heated round, at which point he yells he will eat the rider for breakfast, kill him, and smash his teeth in, adding the only reason he doesn’t is because of witnesses.
The rider says he kept the video private “until it was all cleared up”, only making it public yesterday. The footage, released less than 24 hours ago, has had more than 900 views so far.
The rider, who posted the video as cycletourer8, said in the video’s comments: “Having ridden on the bike lane, I would only use it if really fatigued. It’s very bumpy and often has kids walking in it during the week.”
Jorgy1967Tiger commented on the video: “The “bike” lane looks really inviting with all the side roads, pedestrians and light and sign posts.”
Sippiestraw comments: “‘I’ll fucking eat you for breakfast.’ ‘Well, what do you eat for breakfast now?’ Now that’s an instant classic.”
Richmond Park is increasingly popular with cyclists throughout the week. Last year a man was fined for deliberately driving into a cyclist in Richmond Park, and given five points for driving away.
Road.cc has contacted the cyclist for comment.
88 thoughts on “Video: Road rage meltdown driver who threatened to kill cyclist fined for public order offence”
I am beyond impressed at both
I am beyond impressed at both cyclists’ calm manner of dealing with that confrontation. I would have punched him in the face 15 seconds in, but I think that’s a New Yorker thing.
+1 for that British aplomb. =D>
There’s a f**king field next
There’s a f**king field next to the f**king road you dull f**king 4×4 f**king driver, get your f**king 4×4 off the f**king road you dull c**t! You shouldn’t be on the f**king road with a 4×4 you f**king c**t!
I always find it interesting that drivers are happy to pass so close, or even touch cyclists, that they might damage their precious cars. Yet the second they percieve that the cyclist touches their car, they go ballistic.
This guy needs help. Seriously, that is such an overreaction that he needs some sort of phsycological help.
That guy need his SUV
That guy need his SUV replaced with a bicycle to give him a sense of perspective. He has a serious problem.
Well it would have been a
Well it would have been a glesga kiss from me
“did you thump my car?”
he
“did you thump my car?”
he was nearly inside/under it, champ!
Well that escalated quickly!
Well that escalated quickly! Should have got a driving ban, he’s a danger to other road users
what’s truly ironic is that
what’s truly ironic is that there’s a bicycle rack on the roof of that SUV…
Uncouth of the cyclist to
Uncouth of the cyclist to lose it like that but doesn’t detract that the driver is clearly wrong and instigated the situation.
Also I have no sympathy for anyone who drives huge SUVs in London. In fact, they should pay an extra couple of thousands a year in cunt tax.
What an utter dickhead!
What an utter dickhead! :))
The driver was very clearly
The driver was very clearly in the wrong.
The cyclist knew he was taping the incident so once the guy stopped and was very clearly losing the plot why stoop to his level? The cyclist seemed to lose it every bit as quickly as the driver.
‘I could eat you for breakfast’
‘Why don’t you drop me then?’
Again why respond to that threat? It’s only encouraging a physical confrontation.
That, to me, is a textbook example of how not to respond to those incidents. There’s plenty of witnesses and the whole thing is on tape. I would have kept my mouth shut, let him have his rant then report it to the police.
he doesnt half look like ex
he doesnt half look like ex footballer Neil Ruddock, if he’d lost a few pounds
Love how he insults what the
Love how he insults what the cyclist is wearing…lovely skin tight leather jacket!
Salt of the earth that
Salt of the earth that bloke…..
Hard working, hard pressed
Hard working, hard pressed family driver… Driving licences should be subject to psychological profiling
Roof rack mounted cycle carrier a nice ironic touch. Wonder how he’d react if some dick head driver threatened and then kicked off at him or one of his family when they were cycling.
A threat to kill on Twitter
A threat to kill on Twitter and made to anybody other than a cyclist would have ended in this guy spending a couple of months in prison.
Surely screaming “I’m going to kill you” in somebody’s face is worse.
What makes this different ?
small men in big cars – a
small men in big cars – a problem all over, for other drivers as well as bikers and pedestrians :S
It’s interesting that he was
It’s interesting that he was prosecuted for a public order offence and not his bad driving.
4ChordsNoNet wrote:It’s
That was exactly my thought.
And what about causing an obstruction?
As well as the points made
As well as the points made about giving way at side-roads, I’ve found drivers sometimes completely block it while using it as a handy parking-space (even though its on the pavement).
And was there no penalty for the initial downright-threatening overtake?
Why is menacing someone with a car treated so lightly compared with, say, swinging a baseball bat towards them?
That shared used
That shared used cycle/footpath on Priory Lane is more hassle than it’s worth.
We had a similar incident a couple of years ago with a white van which cut us up, pulled in and the passenger jumped out screaming and yelling abuse about using the cycle path. Fortunately we could slam the brakes on and stop before getting to him and there were 3 of us.
Had numerous run-ins down there. The cycle lane isn’t fit for purpose (well, it’s OK for kids) but not using it really imflames drivers.
This is the problem with shit infrastructure. Build crap and cyclists won’t use it but drivers get arsey cos you’re not using it. It’s actually more dangerous than building nothing at all.
If they removed that cycle path completely and had pavement/road you’d have no problems.
If they build a proper decent segregated track that doesn’t give way to every side road and driveway, it’d be fine and cyclists would use it.
I cycle up that road every
I cycle up that road every week and never use that dreadful bike lane it’s hopeless. Well done to the cyclist for staying so calm with all those threats going on in his face. Will defo look out for that reg number and driver, maybe mention his youtube performance to him.
Well first off the person in
Well first off the person in the KA was driving dangerously and overtaking a cyclist on a mini roundabout. Then the Range Rover driver is following the Ka driver when it was obviously going to cause problems for the cyclist he was overtaking.
Both the Ka Driver and the Range Rover driver had no real care for the safety of the cyclists they were over taking. No wonder so many cyclists get killed in London and other towns and cities.
I think the Range Rover Driver should be done for dangerous driving as well as a public disorder offence.
As for the cyclist shouting at the driver obviously we don’t like to see that but the cyclist was in danger of losing his life so it is understandable he is bound to shout at the driver if the a gets too close to the point of being run off the road.
So like many comments here I would agree the cyclist that has to be congratulated for not getting into a fight with the driver of the Ranger Rover when he decided to step out of his car to have a go.
Hats off to the other cyclist who tried to intervene and calm things down.
Scary to think that this Range Rover driver is still allowed to drive around with all that bottled up anger within him. What happened here to this cyclist will only happen again to another road user that crosses the path of this Range Rover driver.
A driving ban and many meetings with a psychiatrist to sort out this driver’s metal health problems should be called for just in case he really does attempt to kill someone because of his uncontrollable anger issues.
Oh the irony that a Range
Oh the irony that a Range Rover driver thinks a bike is taking up too much room.
4×4 in urban environments should be banned – more emissions, more risk of serious injury if they drive into someone, more space taken up on the road and in parking spaces.
For context Priory lane (and
For context Priory lane (and Clarance lane) are used as a rat run by cars from the west heading to the A3. This means the avoid the poor junction with Roehampton lane. The traffic using Priory lane to get to the park or somewhere on Priory lane is very light. The cycle path on the side is rubbish and vanishes half way along.
It’s the rat runners that will overtake badly like the two in this video. Even in a car if you stick to the speed limit car will overtake you (or keep trying to). It’s a road with much more motor vehicle traffic on it than it can handle.
Why wouldn’t you use the bike
Why wouldn’t you use the bike lane, what exactly is the problem?
=))
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.457532,-0.25332,3a,75y,354.08h,52.47t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sTLAu5TP1wQNUOWZ1xXP1Pg!2e0
bikebot wrote:Why wouldn’t
The thing to remember though it is NOT a bike lane. It is a shared path.
It’s a general problem. Bike
It’s a general problem. Bike lanes are still a secondary consideration and hence:
the trajectory is whatever fits without inconveniencing motorised vehicles,
the surface finish is often very poor and uncomfortable, even dangerous to ride on,
the lanes become repositories for gravel, waste and other bits and pieces deposited by passing traffic, and
they are always the location of choice for poles bearing road signs, and temporary road work signs.
thereverent wrote:For context
Yep, and in a past job I was one of those rat running it most days with the rest of them! Being a long, completely straight roads it’s always had a problem with speeding and rather than do anything to calm the traffic, if anything it looks like they’re facilitating it.
should have nicked his keys
should have nicked his keys when he was out of the car.
fast as fupp wrote:should
Brilliant!
Who knew Catwoman was so
Who knew Catwoman was so ANGRY?
I reckon there would be a
I reckon there would be a canny haul of bondage gear in the back of that motor. Probably pissed off because his dominatrix whipped his ass too hard again. I can just see him trying that rant in a gimp mask. Hahahah
Hilarious. Usual problem:
Hilarious. Usual problem: small man buys big car and still can’t get the respect he is due.
Had a packet of sweets thrown at me by a motorist last week furious that I was tailgating him on my bike as the car in front of him was too timid to overtake another cyclist on a twisty country lane.
I think they were Lucozade Energy Orange… Wish I’d caught them as it was a headwind all the way back… 8|
MercuryOne wrote:Had a packet
And you deserved it. Why are you tailgating the driver in front? We all complain rightly about stupid and dangerous overtakes, when someone is being cautious why try and wind them up?
Sheesh!
The cyclist should stay calm
The cyclist should stay calm and not encourage the driver either.
Sure the driver was being a prat, but don’t encourage him as you’ll look part of the problem.
Film and report the driver.
Obviously what the driver
Obviously what the driver does it wrong but, more importantly for me, as a cyclist myself I am ashamed of how the cyclist in this video overreacts and goads the driver. We are in a difficult enough position as it is, surrounded by motorised metal boxes that could kill us with a split second mistake, without lowering ourselves to this level, with embarrassing swearing matches and macho aggression. To the cyclist who was involved in this: please take time to think about how you respond to people in situations like these. I know it’s difficult when your adrenaline gets going in these situations (I can hear it in your voice!), but you cannot react like you did. Unfortunately people will judge me based on your actions, just like they do when other cyclists ride through red lights and we all take the blame. There is a great community spirit within cycling and I’d hate to have that disrupted by actions like these.
mrtambourineman
Oh, where to start. I honestly think the cyclist was restrained, given that he’d just been threatened with a ton of metal. Followed by any number of violent threats, culminating in a threat to kill. If you just shrug these thing off people like this think it’s acceptable behaviour. The driver was totally in the wrong from beginning to end, and if the cyclist has help him along the way to show just how much of a psychopath he is more power to him.
And further to that, just because I ride a bike it doesn’t make me responsible for the actions of other cyclists. I love to be able to hold all motorists responsible for the actions of the HGV driver that killed the little girl on the pavement outside of Bath just after Christmas, but because I’m not totally metal I don’t. If a motorists thinks your responsible for the actions of other cyclists, call them out on how metal they are, don’t start playing there game.
Housecathst
The very first thing the cyclist says is “shut the f**k up…you f***ing a***hole…get the f**k away from me, you c**t”. I personally don’t see this as restrained but we can beg to differ. This was, in my opinion, the perfect response to escalate the situation. It’s 50-50 in terms of abuse/aggression at this early stage. I’m not sure the cyclist is aware that he is helping the man on to demonstrate his psychopathy. Rather, I think he sounds scared and has also seen red.
And, I agree with you on your second point but unfortunately it’s the way that many people reason, using examples from recent memory and putting people into categories. I’m talking about public perception rather than responsibility. Like you say, you are responsible for what you do and I am responsible for what I do.
Essentially, if we’re going to take the moral high ground and condemn people like this motorist (as we should), saying that verbal abuse such as this is unacceptable, then we can’t verbally abuse people ourselves!
mrtambourineman wrote:It’s
You’ve got that totally wrong. Land Rover driver threatens cyclist with two tonnes of metal moving at speed while hurling abuse at cyclist. Cyclist, feeling very threatened hurls some abuse back. If we cancel out the spoken words on either side of that equation it would appear that the Psychopath is up by the act of putting the cyclist at direct risk of severe injury.
Yes, the cyclist has engaged the leather-clad ape in a nasty verbal exhange. Maybe he could have handled it better and been more restrained, he also could have conceivably been a lot less restrained given the situation, so from that perspective he was somewhat restrained. He was just dangerously overtaken twice in quick succession and the second one was a quite deliberate aggressive move that was very dangerous to him.
Getting out of the Land Rover is also way more aggressive than telling the driver to shut up.
mrtambourineman
I imagine it was the adrenalin talking. I know that when that sort of thing happens to me, I get louder and about a half octave higher. Something like that happens, and then Tight Leather Jacket Man is in your face and you can’t escape, I can completely understand the cyclist’s reaction. It’s not like he walked up to TLJM in a supermarket car park as he was getting into his SUV, was it?
As a second point, why do you feel ashamed by the actions of a complete stranger, someone you’re likely not to know and never to meet? The fact that he uses the same mode of transport as you is surely irrelevant.
I’m inclined to wonder why
I’m inclined to wonder why you’d a an earphone and mic so easily accessible on the outside of his BDSM jacket? Calling your dominatrix while driving?
OK, so here’s a little quiz.
OK, so here’s a little quiz. Take a look at this –
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.462706,-0.249938,3a,88.5y,190.06h,69.03t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s3a1wcxlggh4kSazpUJG8cg!2e0
It’s the roundabout in the video. Look at the position and direction of the give way marking, and where the lane stops and begins again.
Now if you were using the bike lane on the right, heading south, what is the correct legal way to cross the mini roundabout?
bikebot wrote:OK, so here’s a
Was that mini-roundabout put in relatively recently, long after the on-pavement cycle path? Edit – oh, streetview ‘timemachine’ says its been there for years. It just that it looks as if they put it in after the cycle path without really deciding how they relate to each other.
mrtambourineman
Drivers don’t treat cyclists (and pedestrians) badly because they once saw one jumping a red (or a pedestrian dropping litter), they do it because it benefits them to do so and because they can get away with it.
Plus, because some of them have psychological ‘issues’ they are acting out. Oh, and, to be fair, because other factors put pressure on them to do it (e.g. professional drivers under extreme time constraints, or stupid road design creating confusion).
In short – I don’t agree.
Edit – Your argument is a bit like saying that if only all black people behaved perfectly at all times and never reacted to racism, then white people would all promptly decide to stop being racist (and I know throughout history some black people have indeed had that view, but its not exactly been generally accepted, and certainly hasn’t been validated by events).
FluffyKittenofTindalos
The perception that “there’s one rule for cyclists and another rule for motorists” in relation to skipping red lights, the whole ‘road tax’ nonsense and so on does of course play a role in motorists’ perceptions and therefore their treatment of cyclists. I refer you to the wealth of psychology literature which links a person’s beliefs to his/her actions. Basic psychology. Your other possible explanations for an angry motorist’s behaviour are plausible (but don’t complete your argument in the sense that they would contradict what I have said; rather, we are both offering different and equally valid explanations).
Your race comparison is rather extreme, eh! Society has moved on from characterising people solely by the colour of their skin and allowing, say, one black person’s behaviour colour (pardon the pun) the perception of black people on the whole. Unfortunately, however, society frames the motorist/cyclist ‘debate’ in these black and white terms (again, excuse the pun). It speaks of “cyclists”, rather than human beings who happen to be riding bikes. “Cyclists” die on our roads, rather than human beings, and it is “motorists”, not other human beings, who kill them. It neglects the fact that many cyclists also drive and many drivers also cycle. By defining people solely by the mode of transport they currently use, we are robbed of our autonomy, our ability to make independent decisions and our ability to act individually; society/the media’s coverage of the cyclist/motorist divide therefore paves the way for one person’s actions representing the community’s as a whole. I don’t like it, but it does. So, no, I don’t think my argument links quite so closely with the race idea you present (but your response certainly got me thinking about the issue-so thank you!)
mrtambourineman wrote:Your
Unfortunately, I think you’ll find that “some of society has moved on from …” etc 🙁
edit
edit
So what is this tosser’s name
So what is this tosser’s name – Dick Head by any chance?
Name and shame.
Irrespective of there being a
Irrespective of there being a cycle path or not available, you DO NOT drive dangerously close to another human being in order to prove so point that you have imagined.
I drive lots and I cycle a fair bit and I see, and let pass, many errors of other road user. It’s not hard.
Maybe a suggestion should be
Maybe a suggestion should be that the driver should have his license suspended until he has completed a driver awareness course that must be done on bicycle for a number of hours, also an complete an update to theory test on the highway code as he might not be aware cycling on a cycle path is an option not compulsory.
On a second note he should also speak to a therapist regarding those anger issues or take a recreational sport … maybe cycling or maybe not…
Edit
Edit
that screenshot of the nut
that screenshot of the nut job up the top is pure class. Well done road.cc because you don’t really need to watch the video after seeing that!
Without a shadow of a doubt I
Without a shadow of a doubt I would have punched that prick right in the mouth. Hard.
“Hello officer, I was in fear of my own life and acted in self defence.”
bobby_brains wrote:Without a
I’m with you, I have no idea how the cyclist stopped himself.
For those of you criticizing the cyclist for not being more restrained, do you suffer from a lack of adrenalin? I have absolutely no idea how he managed to not put him on his arse.
PaulBox wrote:bobby_brains
I’m with you, I have no idea how the cyclist stopped himself.
For those of you criticizing the cyclist for not being more restrained, do you suffer from a lack of adrenalin? I have absolutely no idea how he managed to not put him on his arse.— bobby_brains
Disappointing to see people advocating cruelty to animals.
Should have just ironed the
Should have just ironed the little prick out and kicked his wing mirrors off.
What an odious man!
With
What an odious man!
With regards to the cyclists behaviour impacting on driver attitudes to other cyclists, it was a one-to-one situation – a direct response to the driver. I think that particular driver’s attitude to cyclists is already well established.
Would have been nice to see dangerous driving on the charge sheet.
Both my wife and I were sworn
Both my wife and I were sworn at repeatedly after choosing not to weave off and on, in and out via a cyclepath in York recently. Perhaps because the road narrowed for 20 metres and traffic could not pass us for a brief period we were screamed at out of the passenger side window by driver and his female passenger and then the car behind them. We were approaching a large junction and turning right, the cycle path was part of the pedestrian footpath and not a marked area on the road and had no facility to help cyclists turn right other than to make them act like pedestrians. So we’re road users and we’re on the road and we can get around York faster than a car (usually) and we’ll continue to do so. What I didn’t do was respond back with verbal abuse myself simply because an angry man in 4×4 already thinks he can get away with whatever he likes and as I don’t have a helmet cam they’d be no evidence. It’s these relatively minor incidents that put people off, they happen all the time. The callousness of people wrapped in metal is often astounding.
I have been hit by a car when
I have been hit by a car when using the cycle lane on this road, he was turning into a driveway and just did not bother to look and notice I was straight in front of him.
I know other people who have also been hit using the cycle lane. ironically for quite thin lanes the road is safer normally.
I bet this idiot voted UKIP
I bet this idiot voted UKIP
I would have decked him,
I would have decked him, robbed his keys and posted them anonymously along with the video to the local constabulary.
Probably not the correct, mature response but it could provide an interesting outcome.
Is the driver enraged because
Is the driver enraged because he thinks the cyclist has touched his 4×4 at 0:26 / 0:27? I’m not sure. Would seem to have issues. And the cyclist is aggravated because he believes the 4×4 was too close, in my view the 4×4 was being driven too close which was dangerous.
I used to ride on the ‘segregated cycle lane’ twice a day for a number of years. There was always an issue with vehicles turning into and out of The Priory hospital which is just a little further along. It has tall brick walls at its entrance. And when when British Tennis were developing their site further along Wandsworth Council allowed them to put hoardings (for a year) on the ‘narrow footway’ section and told cyclists to dismount. That’s how much Wandsworth Council considered cyclists here. The TWO-WAY off-carriageway cycle path, is barely 1.4 metres wide and only has a white line to separate cycles from pedestrians is an anachronism and not appropriate for the use of long-distance commuters and sports cyclists that predominate on this road, or, arguably, more than one cyclist at a time.
It’s a shame that someone
It’s a shame that someone like Jason Wells, who has built up a seemingly successful business would be so pathetically insecure. God help anyone who complains about the food in his cafes. If anyone wants to comfort him, he can be reached at @brewwells.
Rockplough wrote:It’s a shame
Damn, I’ve eaten in the Brew in Wimbledon Village. That won’t be happening again.
bikebot wrote:Rockplough
Damn, I’ve spent money in the Putney one too.
Genius..
Genius..
He seems alot calmer in his
He seems alot calmer in his video http://brew-cafe.com/our-story/
@BrewWells
@brew_cafe
@BrewWells
@brew_cafe
oh
oh dear.
http://companycheck.co.uk/director/917132083/MR-JASON-WILLIAM-WELLS
Do any of them have an alcohol licence?
Oooo he’s not gonna like it
Oooo he’s not gonna like it if it goes viral! Don’t put this on FB for gawds sake (or do depending on how you feel)…
Like here you
Like here you mean?
https://www.facebook.com/groups/stopkillingcyclists
https://www.facebook.com/Brew
https://www.facebook.com/BrewCafe
The still from the video is
The still from the video is utterly superb. What a total ‘Brew’ny Toon. Arf arf.
You could also email him to
You could also email him to let him know what you think of his driving/attitude: office@wellsgroup.co.uk
A coffee shop owner pisses
A coffee shop owner pisses off cyclists, anything worse ?
And lives locally in the
And lives locally in the (Royal) Borough – glossy mag blurb – note the LR Discovery visible through the half-open door in the picture half-way down on the right.
That car looks familiar.
That car looks familiar.
A few people have noted that
A few people have noted that the driver in the video is Jason Wells, owner of the Brew cafe chain, which has branches in Putney, Clapham, Wimbledon and Wandsworth. Mr Wells, you drove over the top of a mini roundabout and broke the law. You are a classic example of a bully and obviously just wanted a fight.
I hope you hang your head in shame because you drove your vehicle as a weapon. Some people would say that you are the weapon.
I hope Mr Wells releases a statement because he is now famous for being an idiot, a foul mouthed idiot who drove his car at a cyclist and deserves to be punished accordingly.
Regardless of the exchange of words, Mr Wells was the aggressor.
For posting the streetview
For posting the streetview link above, not cool.
Streetview link not cool.
Streetview link not cool. Facebook page fair game?… https://www.facebook.com/#!/BrewCafe
Malaconotus wrote:Streetview
Absolutely. Name, shame and campaign. Don’t facilitate nutters.
Story has made the Daily Heil
Story has made the Daily Heil now, better not gone on if stupid comments from idiots makes high blood pressure !!
ianrobo wrote:Story has made
I thought the guy who simply posted “You slaag” was quite funny.
Best rated comment is currently “I hate cyclists too”, which won’t be a surprise to anyone. The Daily Mail is the paper for people who hate.
His facebook page is filling
His facebook page is filling fast. Check out the new reviews for his business – made me laugh. :))
There are some truly mental
There are some truly mental people on that site…
“Cycle in my way & I’ll run you over, no questions asked! Wont seem so clever then will you”
The driver hit the cyclists
The driver hit the cyclists with his wing mirror and then accused the cyclist of ‘thumping his car’.
Clearly a loony tune, should not be driving.
Must ride must ride wrote:The
When ?
A Moderator should take down
A Moderator should take down the post with the guys house details for Gods sake!!!