Telling us a couple of years ago that in 2024 we would be reporting on retired footballer Joey Barton’s career change from League One football manager to social media ranter, after several high-profile posts about Jeremy Vine and cycling, we would probably be fairly surprised to say the least. And yet, here we are…

Barton — whose playing career with Manchester City, Newcastle, Queens Park Rangers, Marseille, Burnley and Rangers was overshadowed with convictions and jail time for assault — has reinvented himself in recent months, having been made redundant by Bristol Rovers in October, ranting on social media about female pundits getting TV roles and Jeremy Vine and cyclists, among other things.

In fact, such is the spotlight around Barton at the minute, sports minister Stuart Andrew this week commented on his remarks about women working in football in TV roles, describing the outbursts as “dangerous” and “not acceptable”. Cycling has also been on Barton’s radar.

Yesterday, the retired footballer whose international career famously lasted 15 minutes, took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to “ask for a friend […] how we would go about” getting “a petition to charge ‘Pedalphiles’ Road tax, need to have insurance and an MOT…..to ride in London”.

Some tried to point out the idea had been rejected recently by the government, lawyer Nick Freeman’s similar 2021 petition scraping across the 10,000-signature threshold for an official reply, only for the government to state it has “no plans” for such proposals as cyclist identification numbers, licences and penalty points.

And while the social media activity has been dismissed by many as the rantings of an outspoken former footballer out of work and seeking the spotlight, they have concerningly attracted a large audience, Barton’s following growing to nearly three million and the most recent cycling-related post being viewed more than 350,000 times since yesterday lunchtime.

Some at least tried meeting the road tax ranting with some facts. 

“Road tax doesn’t exist,” one reply said. “But I’m guessing you’re asking for a fair charge to each road user for the proportionate damage they do to the road that needs maintaining?”

The same user, responding to someone saying road tax was “rebranded as an emissions tax”, said: “Correct, an environmental levy with sliding scale cost against CO2 produced. Band A vehicles pay £0. Bicycles would be in that banding. So if you insist on ‘road taxing’ them, no cyclist would pay anything, but all motorists in higher bands would pay more for the extra admin.”

Another reply said: “Shouldn’t you start by charging motorists road tax first? Road tax hasn’t existed since 1937. And if you were to charge cyclists in the same way as vehicles (based on engine size and emissions) then the fee would amount to £0 anyway.”

Above is another reply, so far unacknowledged by Barton whose social media crusade has moved on to the Post Office scandal, trans athletes,  Israel and Gaza, the monarchy, performance-enhancing drugs in sport, Sports Personality of the Year, and female pundits in football.