“Daily threat to me is two-wheeled”: Pedestrians being “terrorised” by “arrogantly dangerous cyclist idiots”, says Lib Dem peer – after claiming “there is no culture war against cycling” + more on the live blog
“Daily threat to me is two-wheeled”: Pedestrians being “terrorised” by “arrogantly dangerous cyclist idiots”, says Lib Dem peer – after claiming “there is no culture war against cycling” in response to viral floating bus stop clip
A Liberal Democrat peer says there is “outrage and anger” that pedestrians are being “terrorised” by “arrogantly dangerous cyclist idiots” on a daily basis – but insists there is “no culture war against cycling”, as social media users accused the former MEP of using Reform-style language against people on bikes.
Sarah Ludford (that’s Baroness Ludford to you) made the comments as part of a debate on X over a clip showing cyclists riding through a floating bus stop in London.
The video was initially posted on the social media platform over a year ago, but was reshared last week by the National Federation of the Blind of the UK, going viral in the process and racking up over 13 million views.
.@cityoflondon these floating are not safe or accessible for blind people… pic.twitter.com/GueglZkF25
— NFBUK (@NFBUK) August 18, 2026
Responding to the video, the pro-active travel page Bob from Accounts wrote: “You will never guess what Floating Bus Stops are called in Europe: Bus Stops. They work fine everywhere else; the real danger is cars. Here in the UK, we have a culture-war bias against people who cycle.”
Baroness Ludford, however, wasn’t having any of that.
“There is no ‘culture war’ against cycling,” she wrote.
“There is outrage and anger that pedestrians are being terrorised on pavements and road crossings, with disabled people trapped at home too frightened to go out, by arrogantly dangerous cyclist idiots. Where’s the social justice in that?”
Ludford, a former Islington councillor, was made a life peer in 1997, before being elected as a Liberal Democrat MEP for London in 1999. During her time in Brussels, she criticised the European Commission’s decision to shelve a proposal on HGV blind spot cameras, after a cyclist was killed by a lorry driver in the capital.
However, her current stance on cycling has attracted criticism from cyclists on social media, who accused her of stealing Reform’s pro-motoring clothes.
“If you were Reform, I’d get your tone and language,” West Yorkshire Cycling said. “If MPs don’t want to be abused, then perhaps you shouldn’t lump all cyclists in with the ‘arrogantly dangerous cycling idiots’.
“If you want people to stop at these crossings, why not spend your time asking for the Highway Code to be updated? The Highway Code claims zebra crossings have flashing beacons.”
In response to West Yorkshire Cycling’s complaints, Ludford said: “I am not an MP. I did not do that. For others knocking me who have failed to read my other replies: I have commented on my experience as a non-driving pedestrian; thoroughly aware of the huge danger of cars and lorries, but the daily threat to me is two-wheeled.”
“You used language your party would be appalled by if a Tory or Reform had used those same words,” the cyclist replied.
After another X user accused her of “stoking a culture war against cyclists”, linking anti-cycling rhetoric to the fatal assault in Leicester this week, Ludford said: “Your slurs are tedious, untrue, and completely unjustified.
“My work on cyclist safety as an MEP is easily findable by googling… Maybe stop the defensiveness and accept that some criticism of modern cyclists’ behaviour is valid.”
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Shocking behaviour by so many people on bikes in that vid. Unshocking behaviour by someone in power lumping all cyclists together.
Fair take on the Erola Jons controversy from Orla Chennaoui: "It’s too easy to blame the woman. It’s what we always do. But if the Vuelta is going to bring an influencer who has built a huge following with her brand of flirty interactions, is it her fault if that’s what she brings to the job? Or is it bad branding which is someone else’s call entirely? Just be careful about ripping a young woman to shreds. She doesn’t deserve that."
I'm a french resident. Please could you tell me where to find the silky smooth bike paths and the considerate drivers. And those signs which you saw (chausée déformée) have probably been there for years.
@Bungle_52 If he broke the NZ equivalent of GDPR rules that would be a very different matter, but the report here implies that he was originally investigated for the CCTV matter but sacked for the comment. You'll notice above that nowhere have I condoned or excused the "joke", I simply said that I don't think it's sufficient grounds for someone to be sacked. How many of us can say that we've never said something like, for example, on being overtaken on a blind brow, "Shame there wasn't a truck coming, that might have taught the bugger some sense" or similar? Would that warrant dismissal from your job if someone heard you say that at work?
@Rendel Harris wrote That may be the case but if management are "out to get you" you would be well advised to watch your step and stay well within the rules. In my opinion there is no excuse for this person's comment to impressionable youngsters. To condone this is akin to supporting the likes of Messrs Clarkson, Liddle and Parris. "Well it was only a joke." The other point made in the article is that he showed the cctv footage without obtaining authorisation and if GDPR in NZ is anything like here you need to be very careful in this respect.
@Xenophon2 I agree. I tried a different route from Garstang to Leeds on Saturday to avoid the Death Highways from Barnoldswick to Skipton. I had to turn off Hazard warnings on the 1040 because people have ruined the hazard facility by warning about every pothole, instead of only the bad ones. UK roads are full of them, and the red Hazard was turning up constantly. Similarly, radar is useless in the UK because nutter drivers are everywhere and the alarm will be going off all the time. I'm convinced this is a good radar and it's what I'd get if I had any use for it. I'm pretty sure it would have warned me about this Stagecoach bus on The Lancashire Terminator Express, and lots of the other vehicles as well- then what? ttps://upride.cc/incident/px12dnv_stagecoach41_closepass/
It's just the same on cucumber growers websites. Only last week, a Tuesday I think it was, there was an article on growing courgettes. I don't grow courgettes. I was livid and thought I was going to spontaneously combust. Luckily my wife knows the signs - steam rising from my boots, speaking in tongues- and was on hand to throw a bucket of water over me. She always seems to have a bucket of water handy. And as for red tomato growers websites? Don't get me started.
What size of golf balls though?
Given that humour, as defined by no less than Charlie Chaplin, is someone else's misfortune. it is clear that anyone who makes a joke should be fired. Which reminds me of the terrible joke about what the ring master said when the human cannonball died "It'll be difficult to find another man of his calibre." Fire me now to save time.
@Mr Blackbird Yes, I've been on the rugby field when a sudden storm of about 3mm stones erupted, like being shot by a thousand air rifles at once and as you say, the temperature plummet was incredible. Memorable also for the sight of props who hadn't broken above a jog in two decades and who thought you were a wuss if you went off for a mere broken arm suddenly doing creditable Linford Christie impressions in the rush for shelter!
1 thought on ““Daily threat to me is two-wheeled”: Pedestrians being “terrorised” by “arrogantly dangerous cyclist idiots”, says Lib Dem peer – after claiming “there is no culture war against cycling” + more on the live blog”
Shocking behaviour by so many people on bikes in that vid.
Unshocking behaviour by someone in power lumping all cyclists together.