Footage has emerged of cyclists being abused on a busy road in Richmond, leading to campaigners urging the council to take urgent action.
A driver was filmed verbally abusing cyclists for not using a cycle lane on Priory Lane, in the same week a coffee shop owner was recorded doing the same thing.
London Cycling Campaign’s Infrastructure campaigns manager Simon Monk told the Evening Standard: “There are very clear reasons why people cycling aren’t using it.
"There are a lot of side roads which drivers can go down at high speeds and the track just disappears at the lights so unless you live in one of the side roads and you’re travelling from the football ground it doesn’t take you anywhere.
“We see this situation over and over again. A few drivers are very self-entitled and think it’s ok to hold a mobile in their hand and abuse a cyclist while driving.”
Riders are not obliged to use cycle lanes.
A Wandsworth Council spokesman said a consultation was underway, looking at ways to improve safety on Priory Lane
He said: “This would include widening the carriageway and installing additional safety features to reduce vehicle speeds.
“It will be important for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists to give us their views.”
After an unpromising start, having to be bribed by her parents to learn to ride without stabilisers, Sarah became rather keener on cycling in her university years, and was eventually persuaded to upgrade to proper road cycling by the prospect of a shiny red Italian bike, which she promptly destroyed by trapping a pair of knickers in the rear derailleur. Sarah writes about about cycling every weekend on road.cc.