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Video: "Anarchy" as massive group bike ride heads through Central London
Onlookers have described seeing “swarms” of cyclists riding through Central London in the wake of the latest #BikeStormz group ride. The annual event, organised by BikeLife.tv was said to have resulted in traffic being brought to a halt on Victoria Embankment and Westminster Bridge with one witness describing the scenes as “anarchy.”
The London Evening Standard reports that while the riders were followed by police for at least some of the ride, witnesses said some of those involved were trying to be intimidating, while the manager of a Costcutter on Tooley Street claimed that a group of youths stole soft drinks from the shop while the demonstration was in progress.
A Met Police spokeswoman said they were not aware of any arrests being made as a result of the demonstration.
Douglas Dunn, who was walking to London Bridge when he saw the riders, said:
"They were travelling recklessly, speeding through red traffic lights and holding up the traffic on each side. It was quite unnerving due to the sheer number of cyclists – we think in the hundreds.
"After the bulk of cyclists had passed through, we saw around four large police vans following them, and other police cars on the periphery."
Eva Charrington, a cyclist who saw the event, told the Southwark News that she felt it gave cyclists a bad name.
“People were cycling along in swarms and one came up behind me and told me to get out of the way. They started going the wrong way up main roads. It’s ridiculous really. The police had to be called for everyone’s safety. It was anarchy.
“I called the police later on to say what I saw. I think it gives cyclists a bad name. Later on two thousand came bombing through Bermondsey. I know they were just little kids having fun but after these incidents I think cyclists have to be licensed.
“Something has to be done. I actually think the parents don’t know what they are up to. They were all quite young. I am sure their parents would like to know what they’re up to. I think it’s just a case of them being young and not knowing.”
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
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42 comments
[[[[[[ Mind-numbingly boring vid......but even worse is the utterly irrelevant raptrak "music" accompaniment. Who's tone-deaf choice was that? The extremely wonderful Grandmaster Flash surely has a lot to answer for.
How will a cycle licence stop trucks from crushing folk? I personally think you need your head testing if you want to ride the streets of London on a bike. I wouldn't even drive a car through that sh1th0le, just use the tube. Mind the gap.
Have you tried it? I've done it every day for the past six years and it's almost always perfectly pleasant. Drivers are used to cyclists (and so tend to expect/see them, and the sometimes unusual things they do), there are loads of quiet backstreets to avoid/shortcut the busier spots, the new segregated superhighways are good, as is the climate. It's generally a quick, cheap and enjoyable way to navigate and discover a sprawling but endlessly fascinating city.
Some over enthusiastic cycling for sure, maybe a little wantonly antisocial cycling on the pavement by a very small minority. But what struck me most from that video was simply how many people were moving down the road at a reasonable speed and having fun whilst doing so.
Police response seems proportionate to the public threat.
Dear Road CC,
Video contains RACIST language.
Why give it the airtime?
Oh no it wouldn't, I've seen it
.
I counted about 150 on the wrong side of the road and at least one on the pavement..fwiw.
You actually spent time counting kids who may have cycled on the wrong side of the road.
Words cannot describe.
I though I was doing you a favour seeing as you clearly can't count past four..maybe you lost a finger ?
Trust me, way better to get numbers wrong than get found out counting kids on 1 of a billion internet uploads
Like one girl, two cups?
One girl, two cups would have been bearable
People in the cycle lanes/road going the right way: well done
People going against traffic and on the pavement: twats
So to summarise:
Much like life in general.
That is all.
I am surprised at the reactions to this. It is not that different to a mass of people walking on the road for some event… only that they are cycling!
I wonder how much of a jam they would have caused if they had all turned up driving cars??
Some anti social behaviour on the fringes, but hardly the apocalypse.
"Onlookers have described seeing “swarms” of cyclists riding through Central London......."
But they don't see the swarms of motor vehicles, causing congestion, pollution and danger every day?
Looks like fun.
How much is a can of Fanta at bulk price anyway. 30p?
Apart from pinching soft drinks, riding on the wrong side of the road and no doubt jumping red lights. I don't see anything wrong with this. It's just alot of people using the roads at the same time and they happen to be riding bicycles. There was a time when there were no cars on the roads and then people started driving and took over the roads.
Really? That's all that's wrong with this?
At least four wheeling dickheads almost collide with the van coming the other way, which has had to move over to avoid them in the first place. Almost all of the twats who swap to the wrong side of the road actually stay there, not to mention two or three who actually cut across the pavement where people are waiting to cross.
Forgetting of course, that there's a perfectly good segregated cycle path right there for everyone.
Just because none of them were killed or injured makes it alright, either. It's just dumb luck that they weren't. If the wanted to ride like morons they should've signed up for the Ride London Freecycle - there were plenty of them last year.
This does nothing for the image of cyclists, it's not fun or cyclists causing minor inconvenience. There are twats on bikes and twats in cars but at least for the most part, the cars know which side of the road to use, FFS.
Just to recap what you said:
There was no collision.
Four guys briefly rode on the wrong side of the road.
No-one was so much as scratched or hurt in any way.
Some people are twats.
Yep. I can see what the fuss is about.
Just because there was no collision doesn't make it alright.
There are clearly way more than four guys STAYING on the wrong side of the road in both lanes.
Again, doesn't make it alright.
A vast majority of those in this clip are twats.
No, you can't see what the fuss is all about.
No-one is saying it's alright, technically. I'm just saying:
Zero. F**ks. Given.
About this non event.
If you're not bothered about this non event, why are you replying to comments?
Just saying...
Non event isn't interesting. Reaction to it is entertainment though.
What exactly are you saying, that you can't make basic distinctions?
Sorry - Didn't realise Troll.
The point I'm making is that there is nothing wrong with a lot of people riding bicycles at the same time on the same roads. Every day motorists do the same thing. That wasn't always the case. Motorcars were rare until the 1960/70s then they took over.
One or Two motorists might do the same thing on occasion. Motorists in general do not suddenly decide to take up every single lane available to them to travel in a single direction like this bunch of idiots. Trying to make a case for this saying 'motorists do it, so we will' only makes cyclists stoop to their level of stupid.
Everyone has the right to use the road and abide by the rules governing their use; just because 'cars took over' doesn't give cyclists the right to do whatever the hell they like, unless they're trying to buy a shortcut to the grave.
Eva Charrington is ridiculous. This isn't her first spin on the "making cyclists look bad" carousel, and she's previously advocated lecenses for all cyclists.
"Bike Storm"? More like "Chav Storm". But not that big a deal - no-one hurt and all over briefly. And less of a problem than the end of term trouble in Hyde and Burgess parks.
Tomorrow's virtual chip wrapper.
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