Angry cyclist slams bike onto £56k chauffeur driven limousine
BY CALUM FRASER
calum@slpmedia.co.uk
A furious cyclist slammed his bicycle against the bonnet of a Mercedes limousine after an altercation with the chauffeur.
Dashcam footage shows a bearded cyclist in Marshalsea Road, Southwark, jabbing his finger in the face of the driver after he had pulled over.
As the chauffeur returns to the £56,000 Mercedes V-Class MPV, the cyclist lifts up his bike and slams it down on the bonnet of the car.
The chauffeur, who declined to be named for fear of reprisals from cyclists, said: “It is crazy that cyclists can damage a vehicle in this way and then cycle away scot-free.
“This behaviour is completely unacceptable.
Cycle rage is an epidemic in London at the moment . “All taxis and limousines needs to fitted with vehicle cameras.”
The row started after the cyclist accused the Mercedes driver of impeding him as they crossed a busy intersection next to Borough Tube station during rush hour on September 27.
The cyclist allegedly shouted at the chauffeur and banged on the side of his limousine with his fist. At this point the driver pulled over.
He said he was worried that the cyclist might damage the Mercedes.
The footage has been released by dashcam providers SmartWitness, following calls for bicycles to be fitted with number plates so that illegal cyclists can be more easily identified.
Paul Singh, from SmartWitness, said: “We are seeing a huge increase in road rage incidents involving cyclists.
Taxi drivers and chauffeurs know they have to protect themselves with video footage to prove they are not at fault and to provide evidence of criminal damage.
“It is to be hoped that publicity surrounding this case will identify the cyclist.”
The Department for Transport is currently conducting a review into whether to update road safety laws which could include new penalties for dangerous cyclists.
A Met spokesman said the incident was still under investigation.
You may have noticed that many cyclists and motorcyclists wear cameras on their helmets for evidential purposes. I bet that for every apparent “cycle rage” incident like this — and remember we don’t know the actual circumstances — there are four or five examples of “road rage” by drivers against cyclists. As a daily commuting cyclist I can tell you that private hire vehicles, minicabs and taxis are the most intolerant of cyclists of all London’s drivers. On a bike, you don’t get a scratched wing or a dented bumper after a collision — it’s your body that takes the damage. Spare us the poor, helpless driver terrorised by cyclists routine.
Why did this cyclist lose his temper… no explanation is given in your report. The cyclist may have felt threatened by the driving of said vehicle and as the vulnerable party felt both frightened and angry at lack of consideration of driver. I found this a biased piece of reporting and suggest the reporter try cycling in London for a week or two and experience the constant lack of consideration and poor driving cyclists have to endure.
Theres two sides to every story.Does anyone know what provoked the cyclist