Police in south west London are investigating an incident in which a motorist is alleged to have deliberately tried to knock cyclists off their bikes, causing two to fall off, with occupants of the BMW he was driving then becoming involved in an altercation with riders.
The incident happened at around 4.30pm yesterday near Richmond Park in Priory Lane, Roehampton.
Martin Conway, who was riding away from Richmond Park yesterday, told the London Evening Standard that the driver swerved into his path on purpose and repeated the manoeuvre on other riders as he passed them.
“I heard a car come close behind me, a black car swerved into my path and I wobbled but I didn’t lose my balance,” said the 41-year-old, who works as a personal trainer.
“The car tried again with the cyclist in front, again, he wobbled, steadied himself and didn’t fall."
“At that point the driver then mounted the pavement. Two cyclists came off their bikes and another swerved into a fence."
When the car stopped at a traffic light, the driver then became verbally abusive, according to Mr Conway.
“The driver told me he was going to f*ck me up,” he explained. “After being threatened I called 999. At this point the driver got out of the car.
“He then pushed me to the ground and threw my phone on the floor, stamping on it until he smashed it.”
He said that he felt “lucky” nothing more serious had happened and that “this road rage incident could have turned much more nasty.
“I’m a regular cyclist and you see this kind of thing on YouTube a lot but it’s left me completely shaken and whenever a car comes up behind me now I get nervous,” he added.
The motorist is said to have grabbed the neck of another cyclist, 19-year-old Tom Keech, who was taking photographs on his smartphone.
“He saw me with my phone so I ran but then I got pushed up against a phone box,” said Mr Keech, who added that the incident left him “in a state of shock.”
He managed to hold on to his phone and the motorist then drove off with his passengers.
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police told the Standard: “We attended the scene where it is alleged that two males who had been in a vehicle became involved in a dispute with a male cyclist.
“A phone belonging to the cyclist was thrown to the ground and smashed.
“Officers from Wandsworth are investigating, at this stage there have been no arrests.”
Priory Lane was the scene last year of an episode captured on a helmet camera and posted to YouTube in which coffee shop owner Jason Wells, who was driving a 4x4 launched a foul-mouthed tirade at a bike rider after clipping him with his vehicle's wing mirror.
The 'no legal requirement' bit is inconsequential when it comes to contributory negligence; as bicycle specific helmets are readily available and...
Van Erp is more than an activist though; I have no issue with him filming, reporting and posting online, but he also engages in vigilante behaviour...
Clearly the randos tweeting have no clue cycling is a team sport.
Spin an aluminum wheel with your finger. Now spin a carbon wheel with your finger. The difference in inertia 'weight' your finger must overcome...
They look lovely, Get jamie to find out the advised weight limit please,
I own the Grand tour jacket and love it. Might get this for spring/summer. Thanks for the heads up road.cc
We should have a sweep on which PBU Tenpin is.
It's counter-intuitive, but I've found taking the lane to be safer when riding into the sun, especially on a 'fast' road. You can get hidden in the...
No idea. He just seems to be a rich, selfish, violent twat.
Fair point, but do the motoring reports ever have sections exclusively commented on by cyclists and pedestrians? No? So it's only when it's for...