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news
Cycling Mikey ends up on car bonnet (credit - Robert Davis)CyclingMikey ends up on car bonnet during confrontation with angry motorist
During his 15 years of catching law-breaking and distracted drivers red-handed, Mike van Erp has had his fair share of run-ins with angry motorists. But when the bike-riding activist, better known by his online alias CyclingMikey, decided to step in front of a motorist driving down the wrong side of the road, perhaps even he didn’t expect the driver to continue on his way, sending Mike onto the car bonnet in the process.
Dr Robert Davis, chair of the Road Danger Reduction Forum, posted images on Twitter of the remarkable incident, which occurred earlier today on the Outer Circle of London’s Regent’s Park, at a turning coined by Mikey as Gandalf Corner, one of his most recognisable locations for clocking drivers forcing their way up the wrong side of the road to get past other road users.
> "Tired of road crime": CyclingMikey on episode 16 of the road.cc Podcast
With @MikeyCycling that's a mistake. He stands in front of the car, explaining politely to the driver that he is breaking the law. The driver continues to drive forward (twice) with @MikeyCycling going on to the bonnet.
(see photo)
2./ pic.twitter.com/Sj4SWnkTJ7— CHAIRRDRF (@CHAIRRDRF) March 1, 2022
Gandalf Corner is a nod to the scene in the Lord of the Rings film The Fellowship of the Ring in which the wizard, played by Sir Ian McKellen, tells a balrog, “You shall not pass!”
Davis tweeted that he had just spotted his fellow road safety campaigner at Gandalf Corner, but before the pair could greet each other, Mikey spotted yet another motorist taking his chances driving on the wrong side of the road.
Like the aforementioned wizard, Mikey then stood directly in front of the driver’s car, explaining to him that he was breaking the law. However, the motorist appeared to be having none of it and continued to briefly drive on, all the while carrying a camera-wearing cyclist on his bonnet.
“Another bonnet ride,” Mikey tweeted later. “Blighter pushing me around the corner with his car.”
Another bonnet ride. Blighter pushing me around the corner with his car. pic.twitter.com/Twc0nGHTbY
— CyclingMikey tired of road crime. 🇪🇺🇳🇱🇿🇼 (@MikeyCycling) March 1, 2022
Fortunately, the driver’s dangerous manoeuvre was quickly brought to a halt by the appearance of the British Transport Police’s Specialist Response Unit. According to Mike, the motorist at that point “sheepishly” reversed. The police then took Mikey, Robert and the driver’s details, which will be passed onto the Met.
I have a quick chat with @metpoliceuk officer (sorry didn't catch which command), and give my details in case an extra witness is required.
Photo: @MikeyCycling explains what's happened. Driver isn't willing to continue (he now has a police officer to drive into as well).
4./ pic.twitter.com/Jeuix6skdV— CHAIRRDRF (@CHAIRRDRF) March 1, 2022
Today’s incident wasn’t the first time that Mike has had a dangerous encounter with an angry motorist. In January, he claimed that he was assaulted and his bike damaged after filming a driver using his phone behind the wheel.
Mikey, whose his efforts to bring law-breaking drivers to justice are in part motivated by his experience as a teenager when his father was killed by a drunk driver, has said that in 2019 alone he caught 358 drivers – and two cyclists – breaking the law, with fines totalling tens of thousands of pounds after his submission of footage to the police.
He is well-known for posting footage on his YouTube channel of people he has witnessed committing road traffic offences, including a number of famous faces such as film maker Guy Ritchie, former boxer Chris Eubank, and ex-Chelsea footballer and current Everton manager Frank Lampard.
After obtaining a PhD, lecturing, and hosting a history podcast at Queen’s University Belfast, Ryan joined road.cc in December 2021 and since then has kept the site’s readers and listeners informed and enthralled (well at least occasionally) on news, the live blog, and the road.cc Podcast. After boarding a wrong bus at the world championships and ruining a good pair of jeans at the cyclocross, he now serves as road.cc’s senior news writer. Before his foray into cycling journalism, he wallowed in the equally pitiless world of academia, where he wrote a book about Victorian politics and droned on about cycling and bikes to classes of bored students (while taking every chance he could get to talk about cycling in print or on the radio). He can be found riding his bike very slowly around the narrow, scenic country lanes of Co. Down.
Latest Comments
- the little onion 2 sec ago
I agree on the ineffectiveness of prison in many instances with regards recindivism. But a one year revocation of a driving license is an insult....
- chrisonabike 5 min 47 sec ago
But but increase in cases of high blood pressure (possibly after going online)?
- the little onion 31 min 47 sec ago
is that the Richard LIttlejohn who writes a column for the Daily Mail, often about migration issues, from his home in Florida?
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I can't comment on how easy it is to change the batteries on the Fly 12, but I have just changed one on the rearward Fly 6 CE (Gen 2). The only...
- OldRidgeback 2 hours 13 min ago
It doesn't seem to be the most efficient piece of design. But I don't see why the police should bother about it, given that it's highly unlikely to...
- chrisonabike 2 hours 38 min ago
Have addicts been reduced to baartering for drugs?
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It was only the Euros, after all - and some epic racing across the categories
- HoarseMann 2 hours 46 min ago
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crr97dl4740o Mother and child escaped unharmed; unclear who was driving.
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I understand what you're saying, but I think when you get north of £10k, for the average amateur road.cc reader who maybe in the market for a so...
- brooksby 6 hours 42 min ago
They (wheelywheely) haven't been seen for ages- did they get banned?
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25 comments
I don't care if the motorist is at fault.. I'd pay to see van twerp get a bonnet ride.
I thought British Transport Police were concerned with crime committed on trains and railway properties? Is this not more likely to be the traffic division of the Met?
I could of course be wrong (and yeah it's pedantry but hey, I have cake – flapjack actually.)
The original poster CHAIRRDRF did clarify later that it was BTP; although their primary concern is stations, trains etc they have the authority and indeed obligation to intervene in any public order situation they encounter, once it's resolved they'll then pass the details on to the appropriate force for further investigation/action.
Can't help feeling that if cyclists get cautioned for swearing when motorists get off for dangerous driving that caused it that Micky will get done for obstruction. Looking forwards to seeing Micky's headcam of the spume-fleckled driver.
Great timing by the police. Where else in the country would there likely be any police at all who happen to be driving by when a traffic offence is occurring?
Nowhere. Must only be in London, then.
Why don't they make him a special constable with very specific and limited powers?
Special Constables have the same powers as teh regular police service.
In fact, each individual citizen has specific and limited powers of arrest. The Police are the Public, and the Public are the Police - no 7 of the 9 Peelian principles.
Deliberately the wrong side of the road and deliberately running into a pedestrian, and then continuing, all because you insist the rules don't apply to you - there has to be a special punishment for that.
I know a PM who would surely approve
Would that be a certain PM who has himself stood up to a (possibly unhinged) man with a history of driving vehicles (normally tanks) the wrong way across borders and firmly said "Go back!", refusing to get out of the way until... er...
.
Seriously. Get a life.
.
.
A special punishment - yes: "a couple of weeks having to live with knowing the police might think about doing something". Or maybe an official letter sternly telling them not to do it again or else.
Wow! Good timing by the police, and let's hope the driver gets his just desserts; 12 month ban looks about right to me.
Thanks again Mike. I don't have many heros, but you're on the list.
It's just "deserts" or did you mean jelly and cream?
But in my head someone getting eg boiled sprouts for pudding rather than jelly and ice cream is a perfect example of a propernpunishment and therefore the incorrect spelling makes perfect sense!
Boiled sprouts with cream of cabbage, topped with chocolate sauce.
Yumm.
There's plenty of recipes around for sprout cake
*escalation of pedantry* Shurely "It's 'just deserts' or did you mean ..." - it being the concept of desert rather than the very dry places.
Alternatively eburtthebike was sarcastically suggesting rewarding the motorist - possibly with some sand cake?
Damn, hoist with my own petard. Well spotted.
In this case, I think spotted dick rather more appropriate; in the Gobi.
Good old English language - pronounce it one way, but spell it another
and there are words that are spelt the same but pronounced differently..
Hoist with your own pets de nonne? (The French can hold their own with any nation in bizarre food names). Although for this chap prison gruel might cool his passions quicker.
Just the concept of a French doughnut, I'm imagining sweet, light, fluffy, deep fried.
Ohhhh...
Mais oui, but there are plenty more, this being French cuisine. Did someone say beignet?