The head of London's largest taxi driver organisation, the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA), says cycling campaigners who responded to the LTDA's opposition to new London cycleways are "almost the sort of Isis of London" and "loonies".
Comparing cyclists to the jihadist organisation responsible for ethnic cleansing, war crimes, and beheading and burning alive its victims, LTDA general secretary Steve McNamara told LBC radio: "These people, the zealots of the cycling world, are unbelievable. We have had cyber attacks on our websites. They are all over us like a cheap suit on Twitter and social media. We have had physical threats of violence. You name it, we have had it. It’s absolutely unreal.
“The loonies out there in the cycling world, they’re almost the sort of Isis of London. Their views and their politics – if you are not with them, and we are with the majority of it, then nothing is too bad for you. These people are unreal."
McNamara was talking to LBC about the new central London cycleways, dubbed the east-west and north-south cycle superhighways, which were approved by the board of Transport for London yesterday. The LTDA has threatened to call for a judicial review of the cycleways, because it doesn't like the routing of the east-west scheme along the north bank of the Thames.
In 2013, the LTDA used footage from a carefully-chosen junction to allege that 50 per cent of cyclists jump red lights, a finding completely at odds with more rigorous academic studies that have found the rate of red-light jumping of drivers and cyclists is about the same.
It's not hard to find examples of intimidation and attacks by taxi drivers against cyclists.
When news of McNamara's latest rant hit Twitter, road.cc product reviewer, Mike Stead supplied this story:
And if you want video evidence of the danger taxis frequently present to cyclists on the streets of London, here's helmet cammer CycleGaz' compilation of incidents:
McNamara later appeared to back down from his comments to LBC, before more or less repeating the allegation that cyclists were like ISIS.
He told Evening Standard journalist Ross Lydall: “Perhaps I would accept that was a bit strong. It was a live interview. I have had death threats. They say, ‘I hope people you know die screaming of cancer’. I’m convinced that if 99 per cent of cyclists knew some of the stuff we had received after expresing legitimate concerns, they would be horrified.
“I’m not going to be intimidated. I don’t take them seriously. We have not reported anything to the police because I don’t think there is anything in them. I think it’s just a few loonies, but they really have got a sort of religious zeal.
“Perhaps that was a bit strong [to compare them to Isis] but I can’t think of a single other movement in the world at the moment that behaves in such a vitriolic and aggressive manner.”
hmm, not sure about this particular wheel, but usually the freehub body can be fully removed with a large allen key....
The OP does admit to what they did wrong, which is to use Paypal 'Friends & Family' (which doesn't provide buyer protection) to pay someone who...
Umm, two people riding a bike and not breaking any laws or someone driving one handed whilst using a mobile phone to film with the other. I know...
Do I not like that... thanks, it's been changed!
I'm sure your dying words will be about lancs police failure to take action !...
Revert to reinforced concrete bollards with black plastic covers then let idiot drivers plough into them. They love parking on narrow streets to...
Will be interesting to see how this plays out now that Highways England has publicly stated that there are now "significant dangers" to holding...
Don't be ridiculous! Obviously you carry her house to your bath using a cargo bike.
looks like you need some sort of mini surfboard to protect yourself https://twitter.com/AmericanFietser/status/1544458680917180422
How the AF did they manage to get their car up there???