BBC: "Cyclists get off your high horse" + Video

When Cambridge cyclist Paul Jones submitted a video to the BBC of a local trip he'd made where a car ran into him from behind, he probably imagined that they'd be as horrified as he was.

Instead, the BBC 'Look East' programme last night followed the film with a list of unsypathetic viewers opinions that bordered on the psychotic.

According to the 'Look East' presenter, "We've had quite a bit of comment, quite a bit of it frankly anti-cyclist..."

And then continued with a list of viewers opinions not one of which mentioned that driving into an innocent cyclist might be dangerous, illegal or just plain wrong.

Said one, "If they want to use the road and have dedicated cycle paths why don't cyclists pay road tax?"

And another, "Why do cyclists think they have a given right to complain about cars, cars that pay for the facilities they use?"

The final comment, "Cyclists get off your high horse"

The I Pay Road Tax website run by journalist and campaigner Carlton Reid was this morning spitting feathers, "Now, those who text, email and call in to regional TV news programmes are self-selected and in no way represent a genuine cross-section of society but if the BBC reporter and programme editors don’t seem to know that roads are paid for by all, not just motorists, exactly how widespread is this ignorance?"

We think that Carlton's campaign to disabuse the public of the widely held view that their Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) disc actually pays for the roads is commendable and we're right behind him.

But the far bigger issue is that people including BBC producers and presenters cannot see that driving into cyclists is wrong, however the roads are paid for.