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news
Aggressive driver in Kensington (source Jeremy Vine on Facebook).PNGClarkson accuses Jeremy Vine of "selfish" cycling, while driver who kicked him says she was "provoked"
Former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson has accused BBC broadcaster Jeremy Vine of “selfish” cycling after the latter posted a video this week showing a driver kicking and swearing at him. Meanwhile the motorist involved has accused Vine of riding dangerously, claiming that he “provoked” her.
The incident happened by Kensington Town Hall on Friday 26 August as Vine rode home from work, with the radio and TV presenter posting it to Facebook last Monday and confirming it had been passed to the Metropolitan Police.
> Video: Driver tailgates BBC's Jeremy Vine then kicks out at him
Vine had been riding in the centre of the one-way street, which had parked cars either side, when a motorist came close to his rear wheel.
Subsequently he stopped to remonstrate with the motorist, who then got out of her car and started abusing him verbally, also kicking out at him.
Like many cyclists, Vine had chosen his road position to prevent any motorists behind from attempting what would have been a dangerous overtaking manoeuvre as well as to stay out of the ‘door zone’ – indeed, the video shows that when the driver got out of her car, her door hit a parked vehicle.
Clarkson saw things differently, however. In his column in The Sun, he said of Vine: “He can be seen cycling down the middle of the road, deliberately blocking the cars in his wake, and when one gets too close he stops — still in the middle of the road — so he can record the woman driver’s foul-mouthed tirade.
“The message is clear. He’s been verbally assaulted while on a noble quest to save the polar bear.”
He continued: “But hang on a minute, Vine. How did you know that the woman in the car behind wasn’t rushing to see her injured child in hospital? How did you know there wasn’t a pregnant girl on the back seat who was about to give birth?
“Can you imagine how frustrating it would be to be stuck behind a sanctimonious cyclist when you really are in a genuine, tearing hurry?
“Of course, it is not illegal to cycle slowly down the middle of a narrow street. But it is selfish and annoying for everyone else.”
Vine, who this month becomes the main presenter of BBC’s Crimewatch, was not too troubled by Clarkson’s comments, telling the London Evening Standard: "I love Clarkson and I laughed all the way through his brilliant column.
"Obviously I didn't hold the lady up - after her violent reaction I let her pass, and, sure enough, caught up with her at the next lights.
"I live in hope that one day road users can all co-exist without this sort of thing."
According to The Sun, the driver involved – a 22-year-old student from Brixton named Shayna, who did not give her surname – blamed Vine for the incident.
“He made me look impatient but he was riding on the pavement and came out on to the road in front of me, with no hand signals,” she insisted.
“The road had parking on either side. He was dangerous. He pulled out in front of me, making me have to make an emergency stop. Then he had the arrogance and cheek to block me in the middle of the road, that’s what set me off.”
Vine’s video shows the motorist’s car turning onto the street where the altercation took place, initially 20 yards or so behind him.
However, the driver added: “Cyclists feel that they can just come into the middle of the road. It’s not right. And to top it off he followed me after.
“He made out that I attacked him, and I’m an angry woman. I was provoked but I’ve been portrayed as a psycho.”
She told The Sun that she had not yet heard from the police, but Vine’s representative told the Independent the footage had been passed to the police, saying: “If this lady thinks she has a right to kick, verbally abuse and threaten other road users, then she is even more dangerous than I thought.
“The police have all the evidence and we should wait for them to decide what offences were committed.”
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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59 comments
to sum up, she was a crazy twat. A cyclist hating crazy twat stirred it up. Vine was upset..
to sum up see next lol
That's easy. If the vehicle behind you has flashing blue lights and a loud emergency siren, then the correct thing to do is to get out of it's way as soon as practical.
I think that holds true for every road user. My personal attitude has always been: do they have a siren and/or flashing lights? Yes/No. If yes, move out of the way. If no, carry on cycling as normal but check if the driver looks like Jeremy Clarkson. If yes, laugh and point and carry on cycling as normal. If no, carry on cycling as normal.
Perhaps Mr Clarkson things our helmets/caps/miscellaneous headwear grant magical mind-reading abilities...?
Indeed, but just remember that the cyclist cannot by definition have the same need of urgency, or they would obviously magic a car out of nowhere in order to get there more quickly.
Not sure about that. My commute takes 40% less time by bike.
And when I was a teenager in London bike was the quickest mode of transport.
In my younger days my fave show was Top Gear, loved it. JC put and end to that, he has turned into an outspoken, ignorant, idiot and complete tosser.
There are some things I would not have done that Vine did but in terms of his cycling specifically Vine did nothing wrong. He said it himself, he inconvenienced the lady gobshite until the next set of lights and look how she reacted. Its madness.
I'm sure the gobshite out of her car and in company with her family is a nice and friendly lass but there's this change people go through when in control of a potentially lethal vehicle. Its their Road and woe be tired anyone who gets in the way. That's how people lose their lives.
Personally I hope the gobshite has the book thrown at her and I wish JC would just disappear. His neanderthalic rhetoric just doesn't have a place in today's society.
Surely the Rhetoricians came some time after the Neanderthals? Just sayn...
When does Clarkson's new show start?
Ths Autumn which is now. On Amazon. Wonder who he'll punch there
Pity the footage makes her Rashomon moment look like a giant lie
They should cut up her licence, as she didn't give due consideration to other road users. Namely Jeremy Vine.
she's a crazy bitch as is Clarkson.
They're just bother breeders.
Prejudicing the right to a fair trial.
Very unlikely to require a jury trial. Looks like a fairly straightforward Public Order offence heading straight to a brief magistrates hearing.
Update via ES this morning, she was arrested on Friday on "suspicion of common assault and a public order offence.", which was fairly predictable.
Bailed to appear later this month. Unfortunately for her she made the mistake of getting out of her car, which means it's now the something that your average magistrate will actually deal with.
Nope. No prejudice just because it's been on YouTube. That woman sitting racist abuse on a tram was all over the media and she was prosecuted. At the more serious end, Lee Rigby's killers were also on video on just about every news programme in the world, and that didn't stop them having a trial.
Yeah, if that were the case people would have a perfect method of avoiding ever facing trial for anything. Whether you were a terrorist or an idiot picking a fight in a pub, all you'd have to do is video it and put it up on the web and you'd have complete legal immunity.
Quite. I'm not sure where all this comes from and, of course, it seems to be perpetuated by the police in requesting such matters are not put on youtube until the outcome. There may be some good reasons for that but I wonder what the police think that they are.
Has no one realised that as Jeremy Vine has put this on You Tube, there is probably bugger all chance of this going further. If it ever goes anywhere near a court even the dimmest lawyer will have it thrown out.
Why?
It's almost like clarkson is doing a parody of himself, I guess he wasn't racist this time at least.
Imagine being married to that.
Clearly a psycho that needs excluding from the roads. Also blaming the victim and trying o make out that she is the victim of a crime here!
Oddly, I understand some middle aged women do.
As Jasper Carrot once said, "Fifty things to do if the four-minute nuclear attack alarm sounds. Sun crosswords."
I like Jeremy Clarkson but I'm not sure he believes even half of what he writes. He's not that stupid.
One thing he does very well: he knows how to press all the right buttons for maximum publicity.
"Jeremy Clarkson with his outrageous politically incorrect opinions, which he has to a deadline in the Sunday times... for money"
Do you know him personally? If he writes idiotic things, it's a good bet that either he's an idiot or he thinks you are.
My work colleague does that sucking in through teeth sound Clarkson does. That's irritating too.
So that's The Sun, the Independent and the Evening Standard (plus many more).
As Clarkson has already weighed in, I'm sure the next week will bring column inches from Angela Epstein, Julia Hartley Brewer, Janet Street Porter and Katie Hopkins. Even though it's an active Police case, all of them will of course have their comments open, so the Barry Shitpeas can offer their judgements as well below the line.
It almost doesn't matter what the Police do.
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