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Video: London cabbie cuts in front of cyclist - then launches four-letter rant at him

Incident happened on Monday morning at Piccadilly Circus

A London cyclist has filmed the moment a taxi clipped another rider as the cab driver tried to squeeze past another rider at Piccadilly Circus.

The footage, which contains some very strong language,  was shot on Monday morning by Ross Holdsworth, and begins with him riding up Lower Regent Street towards the busy junction.

At the traffic lights by the Statue of Eros, the rider in front moves off, with the cab driver darting up the inside and making contact with the handlebars of the bike.

The right-hand lane of three that the taxi was occupying at the traffic lights is clearly marked ahead of the junction as being for Shaftesbury Avenue and Trafalgar Square – the exit from the junction the driver is headed towards.

While the road layout means he has to swing across to the left to join the traffic queueing there, that doesn’t excuse trying to squeeze in front of the cyclist, nor the taxi driver’s behaviour afterwards as he gets out of his vehicle and launches a rant at the rider.

“I didn’t drive into no-one, I’m coming up here,” says the cabbie. “You hit me f*cking cab. Pull over there, we’ll call the police.”

But Ross, the cyclist filming says, “It’s alright, I’ve got a camera, mate,” to which the taxi driver shouts in reply, “I’ve got a camera in here. I ain’t cut in front of nobody.”

Challenged that "You drove into him," he responds, "I didn't drive into anyone."

But Ross told road.cc "He absolutely clipped his bars," adding that he believes the manoeuvre was “obviously deliberate” and described it as “scare tactics designed to keep riders off the road.”

The footage comes at a time when West Midlands Police’s campaign to target drivers who have passed cyclists too closely by prosecuting them based on third party video evidence has been receiving national attention, with calls from cycle campaigners around the country for their local forces to follow suit.

As of Friday, West Midlands Police have so far prosecuted 78 motorists under the initiative. North Wales Police is undertaking a similar campaign, as are officers in the London Borough of Camden.

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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54 comments

Avatar
ashliejay | 8 years ago
3 likes

well it's only a couple of years until taxi drivers are made redundant, and hopefully that'd reduce the amount of these incidents.

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gazpacho | 8 years ago
3 likes

That cyclist had it coming to him... wearing too much Rapha.

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Rapha Nadal replied to gazpacho | 8 years ago
3 likes

gazpacho wrote:

That cyclist had it coming to him... wearing too much Rapha.

I thought that only made you a target for other cyclists?!

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imajez | 8 years ago
10 likes

Rather ironic advertising on cab.

.

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brooksby replied to imajez | 8 years ago
0 likes

imajez wrote:

Rather ironic advertising on cab.

.

That's nothing: I can barely read this story on my phone because of all the Uber adverts...

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twist305 | 8 years ago
17 likes

Had the same happen to me lady cut across me on Holloway Road, clipped me from behind, had to bunny hop across to stop from getting wiped out further.

Pulled her up on this at next lights and got a torrent of abuse 'she was late' 'road tax' etc, had a fair few witnesses, reported her to police as her attitude was applauding.

Year and a half later get court summons (very surprised, didn’t think it would go any further), go to court, witnesses get called, she get 6 month ban 3 points and i get some compensation for bike damage, and this was all without a camera.

Guy should just report cabbie, if cabbie has camera it will be self-incriminating. The law does prevail even if it does take ages.

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Grahamd replied to twist305 | 8 years ago
0 likes

twist305 wrote:

Had the same happen to me lady cut across me on Holloway Road, clipped me from behind, had to bunny hop across to stop from getting wiped out further.

Pulled her up on this at next lights and got a torrent of abuse 'she was late' 'road tax' etc, had a fair few witnesses, reported her to police as her attitude was applauding.

Year and a half later get court summons (very surprised, didn’t think it would go any further), go to court, witnesses get called, she get 6 month ban 3 points and i get some compensation for bike damage, and this was all without a camera.

Guy should just report cabbie, if cabbie has camera it will be self-incriminating. The law does prevail even if it does take ages.

Glaciers move faster!

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Mungecrundle | 8 years ago
0 likes

I'm confused. I didn't see any cycle lanes along that road so what possible explanation can there be for all the slow moving traffic?

Oh yes, taxi driver = muppet. Now with a well deserved dent in his car and an embarrasing video of his behaviour on the internet. Not really sure what personal or professional benefit he has achieved here.

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WillRod | 8 years ago
8 likes

I wonder if shouting, swearing and getting right in someone's face is enough to lose your taxi license? If he had a normal job and started swearing at people like that on camera he would be sacked. 

I still think there are too many taxis and cabs in London. Reduce car use, reduce taxis and put more money into public transport and leave private transport for the elderly and the disabled.

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gazpacho | 8 years ago
3 likes

Looks like our mate's got a new job as a taxi driver... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOLPH-LEaG4

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Technomagus | 8 years ago
31 likes

In March this year, partner and I were visiting London and took a black cab from near O2 to Whitehall. Coming through Aldwych, the cabbie completely and gratuitously cut up a cyclist who was doing the right thing, in the right place at the right time. At the lights towards the Strand, the cyclist came alongside and remonstrated with the cabbie - he was neither rude nor offensive, just reasonably aggrieved (ie he was being a lot more reasonable than I would have been in the same circumstances). The cabbie just let rip with a tirade of abuse, f-ing and blinding as they say. I joined in: "I saw all of that and the cyclist is right - you were completely out of order". His response? "Oh, you're not another of those fuckers, are you?". Me: "You mean, a cyclist, road user or human being?". He then lit off at me. I told him to pull over (we were about 50m from our destination anyway). He did so but wouldn't open the door. I gave him the choice of explaining everything to the police AND having the door kicked off his taxi from the inside, at which point he relented, opened up and we exited, without paying the fare. So consider that an instant £20 fine imposed on that particular git. We now use Uber.

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EddyBerckx | 8 years ago
1 like

Been reported to the police?

 

dont bother with TFL or any taxi orgs as they don't care about incidents that happen outside the cab (they'll only take complaints from paying customers)

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RDG | 8 years ago
7 likes

Wow. That's one very angry man, and 100% in the wrong. Bang to Flash/Flash to Bang on this one was rapid. Despite being able to name every street in London (respect), I'm less happy that he's driving on them. Nicely handled by the guy that was clipped and the footage provider. Maybe the cabbie should get out on a bike himself. It's good for stressssss relief.

Aside from last night when a bright, well-informed and highly knowledgeable lady politely informed me that because I don't pay road tax (), she had priority while forcing 4 of us onto a verge along a single track road with clearly marked, highly reflective Passing Places less than 20m & 40m behind her, and only on her side of the road.. I feel for you in London - I left there 20 years ago and don't often ride there now, and my experience is uncommon - the majority of drivers here (Leics) are actually very good. I guess commuting in London takes eyes in the back of your head, thick skin and sharp reactions?

If I could work out a way to help us live together in peace, bottle it and sell it, I wouldn't be doing my present jobs. Anyway, back to work....

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Dnnnnnn replied to RDG | 8 years ago
1 like

RDG wrote:

I feel for you in London

I guess commuting in London takes eyes in the back of your head, thick skin and sharp reactions?

I find it's generally fine, although some places/times/people are inevitably worse than others. Drivers are aware that cyclists are around too, which is often the problem in areas where we're less prevalent.

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Jackson | 8 years ago
8 likes

I swear 90% of London cabbies look exactly the same as this guy. I don't know how they do it.

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brooksby replied to Jackson | 8 years ago
8 likes

Jackson wrote:

I swear 90% of London cabbies look exactly the same as this guy. I don't know how they do it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sontaran

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bikebot replied to brooksby | 8 years ago
3 likes

brooksby wrote:

Jackson wrote:

I swear 90% of London cabbies look exactly the same as this guy. I don't know how they do it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sontaran

Doesn't that make us the Rutans?

The demo held outside TfL HQ the other week was scary. Even the royal family has a bigger gene pool.

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brooksby replied to bikebot | 8 years ago
0 likes

bikebot wrote:

brooksby wrote:

Jackson wrote:

I swear 90% of London cabbies look exactly the same as this guy. I don't know how they do it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sontaran

Doesn't that make us the Rutans?

Yep; it's all that ballooning hi viz, makes us look like evil space jellyfish.

On the plus side, I think we're allowed to electrocute Edwardians in lighthouses...

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thereverent replied to Jackson | 8 years ago
4 likes

Jackson wrote:

I swear 90% of London cabbies look exactly the same as this guy. I don't know how they do it.

The stress of having to drive round central London all day. Would turn anyone mad.

There was an interview with atTaxi driver in The Coach magazine (fitness magazine given away free in London). The taxi driver talked about how stressful he found it, and how he woudl have to pull over a few times a day to calm down. Didn't sound healthy.

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jmaccelari | 8 years ago
11 likes

Angry little people in big metal boxes. They should be banned from London roads...

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StraelGuy | 8 years ago
2 likes

One thought that often crosses my mind while cycling is that people only become minicab drivers because they're too stupid to be amoebas. I guess cab drivers aren't much better.

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STiG911 | 8 years ago
6 likes

I'd've stayed in front of him to block his path and waited for that police car to catch up...

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S13SFC | 8 years ago
6 likes

I wouldn't have been able to keep my cool. I've have decked the stumpy twat.

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dassie replied to S13SFC | 8 years ago
2 likes

S13SFC wrote:

I wouldn't have been able to keep my cool. I've have decked the stumpy twat.

That would have gone down well with the 'police car just behind'.  Always best not to lose it.

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