The Metropolitan Police have been urged to take aggressive behaviour towards vulnerable road users more seriously, following a road rage incident which saw a motorist blast their horn at a cyclist, who was travelling with their child on the back of the bike, before the car’s passenger angrily chastised them for riding “in the middle of the bloody road” and told them to “get out of the way and move your f***ing bike”.

The incident – which evoked shades of irate driver-in-chief Ronnie Pickering – took place at around 5pm on Monday evening on Peterborough Road, Harrow, as cyclist Vikash rode the two-mile journey home after collecting his son from nursery.

“We had just gone through the junction with a nice big TfL bus behind us,” Vikash told road.cc about the moments before the confrontation.

“We took primary position, because I’ve been close passed on the junction, and just after the junction.

“When I’m with my son, I am super risk adverse. I had no problem moving to the left when there was ample space for drivers to safely overtake.”

However, as Vikash and his son exited the junction, facing a row of drivers waiting at the traffic lights in the opposite lane, they were almost immediately greeted by the sound of a car horn blaring from behind.

Driver blasts horn at cyclist and child as passenger tells him he “shouldn’t be in the middle of the bloody road”
Driver blasts horn at cyclist and child as passenger tells him he “shouldn’t be in the middle of the bloody road” (Image Credit: Vikash/VNS)

“Literally within one second of the pedestrian island – where there is not enough space to overtake – we got hooted at from behind,” the cyclist says.

“There was a lady driving a BMW. There was a driver on the opposite side of the road who also noted that the driver was in the wrong, and they immediately stated, ‘what a dick’.”

According to the Highway Code, car horns must only be sounded to warn other drivers of your presence or if another road user poses a danger, and should never be used aggressively.

> The Highway Code for cyclists — all the rules you need to know for riding on the road explained

Vikash continued: “I stopped in frustration. The driver wanted my attention, and they got it.”

In footage of the incident, captured on the cyclist’s helmet camera, Vikash can be seen stopping on the road, before asking the driver: “Why are you hooting at us? You’ve got my attention, what do you want? Why have you done that?”

As the driver approached, the car’s passenger then proceeded to wind down his window to respond to the cyclist.

“Because we’re going to the hospital, because I’m bleeding to death,” the passenger said.

“I believe this was a complete lie, because Northwick Park Hospital is less than a mile in the opposite direction,” Vikash told road.cc.

In the clip, Vikash responds to the passenger’s claim by telling him: “The hospital’s that way, this is not the way to the hospital – why do you have to treat us like this?”

“You shouldn’t be in the middle of the bloody road!” the increasingly angry passenger hit back.

“Where do you want us to be?” Vikash asked. “There’s a junction, there’s no safe place for you to overtake.”

The Highway Code states that cyclists can ride “in the centre of your lane” – known as primary position – to make themselves as visible as possible when cycling in slower-moving traffic or at the approach to junctions or road narrowings where it would be unsafe for drivers to overtake.

When the Highway Code was updated in 2022, this particular advice was widely misrepresented by elements of the mainstream press, with the MailOnline even incorrectly claiming that the new guidance was advising cyclists “to pedal in the middle of the road” when, in fact, adopting primary position has been encouraged by cycling instructors for decades.

> Passenger gets out of car to confront cyclist for riding in primary position

Finally, as the BMW driver navigated their way past, her passenger aimed a few parting shots at the cyclist, telling him: “Get out of the f***ing way, you dumb s**t. Now! Move. F*** sake, honestly. Move your f***ing bike! Go on, t**t.”

“When the passenger then got far more aggressive, I stopped replying to him,” Vikash says. “I’m personally in disbelief that someone can treat us like this when there’s a kid on the back of the bike.

“They subjected us to a loud horn (100-100 dB) and aggressive language in front of a minor who seems to parrot everything at home.

“There was no hooting at other drivers when they were stuck up ahead. It seems only cyclists are an inconvenience, not other drivers – they would never be an inconvenience, would they?”

Earlier this week, Vikash posted a shorter clip of the incident to X/Twitter, to “highlight the state of drivers on the roads, and to highlight how this is unacceptable behaviour from two adults towards vulnerable road users”.

Driver blasts horn at cyclist and child as passenger tells him he “shouldn’t be in the middle of the bloody road”
Driver blasts horn at cyclist and child as passenger tells him he “shouldn’t be in the middle of the bloody road” (Image Credit: Vikash/VNS)

The clip has since been viewed 20,000 times on the social media platform, with a number of cyclists condemning the car driver and their passenger in the comments.

“Next level appalling,” Alison Gardner said of the road rage incident. “Would be bad enough on its own but the passenger using that language in front of your son from the safety of the car is utterly reprehensible. Potentially a breach of the peace?”

“From the position you were in at the traffic island, I’d have been exactly the same,” added UK Cycle Chat. “It looks as you cleared the island you were moving left, as I would. How do people not know it’s the middle of the lane!”

“Swearing like that around a child too, what a pair. Completely justified to take the lane, shows they’d likely close pass if you hadn’t ridden in primary,” said another user.

Meanwhile, Bob from Accounts noted that the “driver was in a ‘hurry’, but still had time to have a chat and argue.”

“There’s a really peculiar mindset that drivers don’t offer the same patience for cyclists they do for other road users or situations,” noted Scott. “I believe these people are easily influenced by media and social conformity and lack critical thinking skills.”

> Motorist avoids charges despite swinging golf club at cyclist during shocking road rage attack

After he posted the clip on social media, the Metropolitan Police contacted Vikash to inform him that they have created a report for the incident and that the video has been “passed to the relevant team”.

Reflecting on his decision to post the video on X, the cyclist told road.cc: “I understand there is a risk to prejudicing the case, but at the same time I have a feeling that the only reason the Met are picking this up is because I have reported via a public place.

“I am quite sceptical that the Met will actually take action based on previous experience – I’ve had racial abuse from a passenger, and they didn’t find their details.

“I am quite sick of the message from the Met which I’ve heard before that there are ‘more urgent crimes that they need to attend to’, and that road traffic incidents are a low priority.

“Road crime seems to be treated as an optional piece, which in itself exacerbates the situation.”