Jeremy Vine triggers cycling row after blasting ‘maniac’ van driver

Jeremy Vine has triggered another Twitter row after sharing a video of a van driver cutting across him during a bike ride in London. 

The broadcaster, a well-known cycling advocate, shared the 31-second clip on Wednesday morning showing him screaming ‘no’ at the van driver as the vehicle turned in front of him.  

The TV journalist branded the motorist a ‘maniac’ with ‘no awareness’ – but has himself been blasted online for not wearing a hi-vis jacket while riding in the dark.  

Tweeting to his 789,900 followers on Wednesday morning, the 57-year-old wrote: ‘This morning’s maniac. No indicator, no awareness, no clue. Hammersmith heading east.’

The video has racked almost 20,000 views since being posted and shows Mr Vine riding through a cycle lane in Hammersmith, central London.

The van is filmed as it crossed in front of Jeremy Vine, who was riding in a cycle lane in Hammersmith, London 

Then, a van is filmed cutting across the lane. Mr Vine accuses the driver of not using an indicator as it comes towards him.

But another shot as the BBC journalist passes the vehicle shows the van’s indicator is flashing – although the light was not clear in the footage filmed from the front-facing camera.  

Mr Vine’s remarks prompted backlash from social media users, some of whom rushed to the driver’s defence, criticising the broadcaster for not wearing a hi-vis jacket in the dark, while others supported the father-of-two’s comments.

One Twitter user slammed him, saying: ‘Dark clothing? Really?! Where’s the reflective clothing surely a must when biking in the dark? Yes, you have a light but behind you there are hundreds of lights so you kinda look invisible to a driver. Sorry, you’re in the wrong…’

Another said: ‘You are dressed in black! Your small flashlight is competing with all the other lights and visual clutter. You need to adapt to the environment and put a high vis jacket on at an absolute minimum.’

‘Sorry Jeremy, the van is indicating and you should be wearing hi vis or reflective clothing. I appreciate you’re vulnerable on your bike but you are responsible for your own safety,’ added a third.

But others came to Mr Vine’s defence, with one saying: ‘Honestly Jeremy it beggars belief,’ with another tweeting: ‘All these muppets defending the driver [because] JV wasn’t wearing hi-viz. 

‘You’re all excusing the driver for driving dangerously. If it’s dark and wet and lots of distractions, the driver MUST be more observant.’

A reverse view shows Mr Vine is using a light on his bike as he rides through Hammersmith in the dark

The van can be seen approaching the junction ahead of the BBC journalist, who shared footage of the encounter on Wednesday morning 

The 57-year-old father-of-two can be seen howling ‘no’ at the vehicle as it crosses in front of him

The van is then pictured passing Mr Vine – with footage captured on the reverse camera showing its indicator was working 

The video triggered a row on Twitter, with many users blasting Mr Vine for not wearing a hi-vis jacket while cycling in the dark 

Drivers are permitted to cross the solid white line of a cycle lane when turning left or accessing private property, according to the Highway Code.

However, motorists are required to give way to cyclists using the lane so they do not need to stop or swerve.

Other users criticised Mr Vine, claiming he shouldn’t be taking video why cycling or travelling in all dark clothing attire.

‘Your clothing is so dark little surprise, no one can see you, he only has to indicate to make others aware, not if no one is around – he literally can’t see you,’ one said.

Another wrote: ‘The van driver should have been more observant, but you dressing as though you’re off to a heist didn’t help either.’

The video comes days after ex-BBC presenter Dan Walker was knocked off his bike on a notorious roundabout in Sheffield city centre.

The former BBC presenter took selfies of his bloodied face from the inside of an ambulance as he shared details of the frightening incident

Mr Walker, 45, was hit by a car while trying to cycle in Moore Street during morning rush hour on Monday, leaving him unconscious, bloodied and bruised.

In footage from a car in front of the accident, Walker can be seen on his bicycle when the rear wheel caught a car’s front wing.

As the car crashed into Walker, the father of three was sent sprawling onto the tarmac and narrowly avoided going under its wheels.

The Strictly Come Dancing star lay unconscious on the road for 20 minutes and woke up to paramedics and police standing over him.

MailOnline has discovered there is a cycling path that would have diverted him through a subway underneath, avoiding heavy traffic.

Instead, he cycled straight on and over the roundabout, which leads into central Sheffield from the south-western suburbs of the city.

The Channel 5 presenter, who was on his way to the train station, had been cycling for only 15 minutes when the crash took place.

Police and paramedics were called to the scene, on the junction of Moore Street and Hanover Way, at 8.36am on Monday. Walker has no memory of the crash and thanked his helmet for saving his life.

Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk