Over my 36 years of semi-professional bike running a blog I’ve amassed tens if not dozens of loyal followers from all walks of life, from sports activities heroes:
To scoundrels:
Then there’s Jeremy Vine:
Frankly, I’m extra fearful about Jeremy than any of my different followers. I attempt not to have a look at Twitter, however once in a while I do, and with out fail the very first thing I see is Jeremy Vine driving proper into some simply avoidable state of affairs after which spinning it as some form of grave social injustice–it’s like “Jackass” for bike advocates. Most not too long ago, he posted this encounter, which generated like a bazillion views, however since Twitter doesn’t appear to wish to let me embed it right here’s a model from YouTube as a substitute:
Principally, he’s driving alongside when he sees a truck driver turning into a motorcycle lane. Right here’s the place he’s when he begins shouting, “no, NO, NO!!!“
It’s unclear whether or not the driving force is confused, or silly, or heedless, or maybe some mixture of all three. Regardless, as a substitute of assessing the state of affairs continuing with warning within the presence of what seems to be a harmful (or not less than clueless) driver, Vine continues driving instantly at him, and he’s about right here when he begins to deploy what appears like an airhorn:
In New York once you honk at anyone they ignore you, or maybe provide the finger. However apparently in London they really appropriate their errant conduct, as a result of the driving force then stops, at which level Vine cunningly locations himself behind the truck simply as the driving force begins to reverse course:
Hey, the signal does say “oncoming cycles.” It doesn’t say something about cycles instantly behind.
As the driving force begins to again over his bicycle, Vine’s self-preservation instincts lastly override his intense self-righteousness, and he strikes himself out of the addled driver’s path:
No, I’m kidding, he truly stands his floor and begins pounding on the truck:
Begin to end, your complete encounter is like watching a person get run over by a steamroller:
Lastly the driving force stops, and one other Brompton rider arrives on the scene, as a result of, you understand, it’s London and so they all experience Bromptons:
I used to be unable to scan the QR code on the truck, however I wouldn’t be stunned if it was additionally carrying a load of Bromptons.
Happily, Vine’s Brompton is unhurt, and one would possibly cynically conclude that having gotten what he wished (extra sufferer footage for his Twitter) he components on good phrases with the driving force:
The top:
Scenes like this one play fairly nicely on social media, as a result of everybody will get to be outraged at one thing. “Drivers are horrible!” “Cyclists are entitled!” “Part 87151949885574412-B of the site visitors code explicitly states {that a} fop on a Brompton on a virtually empty London road shall have the proper of approach always!” And so forth. You’ve received to choose one aspect or the opposite, and you’ll’t cede an inch; the very nature of social media discourse requires you to face your floor like Jeremy Vine behind that truck and die along with your metaphorical Brompton of Righteousness somewhat than acknowledge that somebody with an opposing view might very nicely have a sound level.
Nevertheless, we’re all cyclists right here, so we will dispense with the formalities. Definitely every considered one of us can have a special evaluation of this video, however I prefer to assume that if considered one of us occurs to assume it makes Jeremy Vine seem like an entire fool *[raises hand sheepishly]*, we will nonetheless take it as learn that the driving force was mistaken and that on the whole motordom exacts a steep toll on our cities–together with after all the steepest toll of all of them, that being loss of life. I additionally assume we will every acknowledge that it’s concurrently doable the imagine that everybody ought to be at liberty and welcome to experience a bicycle and that cities have a accountability to make it protected for them to take action, whereas additionally believing that somebody who can’t appear to experience two toes in any course with out having one more battle or near-miss would possibly wish to take into account folding up their Brompton completely and simply taking the fucking subway.
I believe that the majority of us have seen a driver doing one thing mistaken that posed a possible hazard to us but stored driving proper into it anyway; I’ve definitely carried out it greater than I’d prefer to admit. We do it to show a degree: the highway is ours. You should yield to me. Definitely the style wherein we do it on a motorcycle is much extra benign than, say, the driving force who topics you to an in depth cross. Nonetheless, it comes from the identical obstinate, thick-headed impulse. If Jeremy Vine weren’t driving round with a digital camera on his head he wouldn’t have so many Twitter followers, however I’m prepared to guess he additionally wouldn’t have practically as many irritating interactions, and he’d in all probability get pleasure from driving his bike much more. Alas, for individuals like that, having fun with the experience doesn’t appear to be the purpose. And that’s lacking it utterly.
