Jeremy Vine sparks bike row after blowing up ‘crazy’ van driver

Jeremy Vine has sparked another row on Twitter after he shared video of a van driver running him over while on a bike ride in London.

The broadcaster, a well-known cycling advocate, shared the 31-second clip Wednesday morning in which he yelled “no” at the van driver as the vehicle turned in front of him.

The TV journalist branded the motorist a “lunatic” unconscious – but was himself blasted online for not wearing a safety vest while driving in the dark.

The 57-year-old tweeted to his 789,900 followers on Wednesday morning, writing: “The madman from this morning. No indicator, no awareness, no idea. Hammersmith to the east.”

The video has been viewed almost 20,000 times since it was released and shows Mr Vine riding through a cycle lane in Hammersmith, central London.

The van is filmed cruising in front of Jeremy Vine riding on a cycle lane in Hammersmith, London

Then a van is filmed crossing the roadway. Mr Vine accused the driver of not using a turn signal when it came towards him.

But another shot as the BBC journalist drives past the vehicle shows the van’s indicators flashing – although the light was not clear in footage captured by the front camera.

Mr Vine’s comments sparked a backlash from social media users, some of whom rushed to defend the driver and criticized the broadcaster for not wearing a safety vest in the dark, while others backed the father-of-two’s comments.

One Twitter user slammed him, saying: “Dark clothes? Really?! Where is reflective clothing a must when biking in the dark? Yes you have a light, but there are hundreds of lights behind you so you seem kind of invisible to a driver. I’m sorry, you’re wrong…’

Another said: “You are dressed in black! Your little flashlight competes with all the other lights and visual clutter. You have to adapt to the environment and put on at least a safety vest.”

“Sorry Jeremy, the van says you should wear high visibility or reflective clothing. I know you are 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’s amazing,” with another tweeting: “All these muppets defending the driver [because] JV was not wearing a safety vest.

“They all apologize to the driver for his dangerous driving. When it’s dark, wet and there are a lot of distractions, the driver MUST be more vigilant.”

A rear view shows Mr Vine using a light on his bike while cycling around Hammersmith in the dark

The van approaches the intersection in front of the BBC journalist who shared footage of the encounter on Wednesday morning

The 57-year-old father of two can be seen yelling at the vehicle as it crosses in front of him

The van is then pictured driving past Mr Vine – with footage captured on the rear camera showing the advert was working

The video sparked a row on Twitter, with many users criticizing Mr Vine for not wearing a high-visibility jacket when cycling in the dark

According to the Highway Code, motorists are allowed to cross the solid white line of a bike lane when turning left or entering private property.

However, motorists must give way to cyclists using the lane so that they do not have to stop or take evasive action.

Other users criticized Mr Vine, claiming he shouldn’t make a video explaining why he’s cycling or traveling in dark clothing.

“Your clothes are so dark, little surprise, no one can see you, they just have to point to let others know, not when there is no one around – they literally can’t see you,” one said.

Another wrote: “The van driver should have been more vigilant but dressing like you were going to a mugging didn’t help either.”

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

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

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

In footage of a car before the accident, Walker can be seen on his bike when the rear wheel caught the front wing of a car.

When the car crashed into Walker, the father of three was thrown onto the tarmac, narrowly avoiding getting under his wheels.

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

MailOnline discovered there was a bike lane that would have diverted it through a subway below to avoid the heavy traffic.

Instead, he cycled straight ahead and over the roundabout that runs from the city’s south-west suburbs into the center of Sheffield.

The Channel 5 presenter, who was on his way to the train station, had only been cycling 15 minutes when the accident happened.

Police and paramedics were called to the scene at the corner of Moore Street and Hanover Way at 8.36am 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