CyclingMikey's latest video shows a London taxi driver telling him he will "end up needing the dentist" after he challenged the professional driver's mobile phone use behind the wheel.

The cab driver was reported to the Metropolitan Police by the road safety campaigner and YouTuber, real name Mike van Erp, but avoided police prosecution due to staff dealing with an IT system change, Mikey saying they had been left understaffed and the report ran out of time.

Filmed in Hyde Park in July of last year, the footage shows the taxi driver moving forward while holding a mobile device in his hand for several metres before Mikey asks: "What's that you're holding in your left hand?"

"Mate, I'm doing two miles an hour, I'm not in a very good mood, I suggest you just jog on," the man replied. "I'm really not very happy. You can film me all you like, mate, but you're going to end up needing the dentist, now piss off."

In response to being told the footage will be going to the police, the taxi driver replied: "You can do what you like."

Sharing the video on YouTube to his 94,000 subscribers, Mikey said the driver is "supposedly professional" but "you don't seem like London's Finest to me with your phone use and rude and unprofessional threatening behaviour. I suggest you pull your socks up."

And while he reported that the Metropolitan Police had begun prosecuting, they apparently ran out of time, Mikey suggesting that "the Allegations Team at Marlowe House were coping with an IT system change and were understaffed and overworked".

After sharing the video on social media, TfL's Taxi & Private Hire department replied thanking the cyclist for the report, adding that it has been "passed on for investigation".

"He did at least get to feel the pain of the initial prosecution process, and probably would have been worried about the consequences and possible loss of his green badge for the entire six months," Mikey said.

CyclingMikey has reported thousands of law-breaking drivers over the years, with 800 successful prosecutions in the last five years and 383 reports last year.

He attracted attention for particularly high-profile cases, such as catching Guy Ritchie and Chris Eubank, the film director being banned from driving for six months as a result, while the retired boxer was given three penalty points and told to pay £280 in fines, court costs and fees.

In January, speaking to road.cc, Mikey said "people need to see justice being done" and any abuse he receives is simply because some motorists "feel they have the right to drive how they want".

"In the beginning of my camera work, almost 17 years ago, I took a lot of strain at the abuse thrown my way," he said. "I'd answer each comment seriously. Nowadays, there has been such a torrent of abuse and lies about me that I just let most of it wash off me.

"In the UK cyclists are considered by society to be 'cockroaches of the road', unworthy scum who freeload on the public highway and are terrible lawbreakers. For such a person to challenge a driver for lawbreaking is a massive affront to the social order, and people don't like this.

"Many of those throwing abuse also feel that they have the right to drive how they want, and that nobody can tell them what to do. They see the prosecutions, and they are afraid of the consequences, and they are angry that someone dares to do this to them."

https://road.cc/content/news/taxi-driver-warns-cyclingmikey-after-challenging-phone-use-301405

This sounds like the inverse of the confrontation that Mike van twErp had
in London with a pedestrian that failed to obey van twErp’s rules. “Touch
me and I’ll put you on the ground, matey” he said to the man in both the
confrontations that van twErp had with the man.

One gets the impression that cycling’s self-appointed shield and buckler
can dish it out, but can’t take it, and so ‘hides behind the skirts’ of the
Met Police.

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> CyclingMikey's latest video shows a London taxi driver telling him he
> will "end up needing the dentist" after he challenged the professional
> driver's mobile phone use behind the wheel.
>
> The cab driver was reported to the Metropolitan Police by the road safety
> campaigner and YouTuber, real name Mike van Erp, but avoided police
> prosecution due to staff dealing with an IT system change, Mikey saying
> they had been left understaffed and the report ran out of time.
>
> Filmed in Hyde Park in July of last year, the footage shows the taxi
> driver moving forward while holding a mobile device in his hand for
> several metres before Mikey asks: "What's that you're holding in your left hand?"
>
> "Mate, I'm doing two miles an hour, I'm not in a very good mood, I
> suggest you just jog on," the man replied. "I'm really not very happy.
> You can film me all you like, mate, but you're going to end up needing
> the dentist, now piss off."
>
> In response to being told the footage will be going to the police, the
> taxi driver replied: "You can do what you like."
>
> Sharing the video on YouTube to his 94,000 subscribers, Mikey said the
> driver is "supposedly professional" but "you don't seem like London's
> Finest to me with your phone use and rude and unprofessional threatening
> behaviour. I suggest you pull your socks up."
>
> And while he reported that the Metropolitan Police had begun prosecuting,
> they apparently ran out of time, Mikey suggesting that "the Allegations
> Team at Marlowe House were coping with an IT system change and were
> understaffed and overworked".
>
> After sharing the video on social media, TfL's Taxi & Private Hire
> department replied thanking the cyclist for the report, adding that it
> has been "passed on for investigation".
>
> "He did at least get to feel the pain of the initial prosecution process,
> and probably would have been worried about the consequences and possible
> loss of his green badge for the entire six months," Mikey said.
>
> CyclingMikey has reported thousands of law-breaking drivers over the
> years, with 800 successful prosecutions in the last five years and 383 reports last year.
>
> He attracted attention for particularly high-profile cases, such as
> catching Guy Ritchie and Chris Eubank, the film director being banned
> from driving for six months as a result, while the retired boxer was
> given three penalty points and told to pay £280 in fines, court costs and fees.
>
> In January, speaking to road.cc, Mikey said "people need to see justice
> being done" and any abuse he receives is simply because some motorists
> "feel they have the right to drive how they want".
>
> "In the beginning of my camera work, almost 17 years ago, I took a lot of
> strain at the abuse thrown my way," he said. "I'd answer each comment
> seriously. Nowadays, there has been such a torrent of abuse and lies
> about me that I just let most of it wash off me.
>
> "In the UK cyclists are considered by society to be 'cockroaches of the
> road', unworthy scum who freeload on the public highway and are terrible
> lawbreakers. For such a person to challenge a driver for lawbreaking is a
> massive affront to the social order, and people don't like this.
>
> "Many of those throwing abuse also feel that they have the right to drive
> how they want, and that nobody can tell them what to do. They see the
> prosecutions, and they are afraid of the consequences, and they are angry
> that someone dares to do this to them."
>
> https://road.cc/content/news/taxi-driver-warns-cyclingmikey-after-challenging-phone-use-301405
>

--
Spike

On 23/05/2023 12:07 pm, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> ChavCyclingMickeyTake's latest video shows a London taxi driver telling him he will "end up needing the dentist" after he challenged the professional driver's mobile phone use behind the wheel.
>
> The cab driver was reported to the Metropolitan Police by the road safety campaigner and YouTuber, real name Mike van Erp, but avoided police prosecution due to staff dealing with an IT system change, Mikey saying they had been left understaffed and the report ran out of time.

Oh dear.

How sad.

Never mind.

> Filmed in Hyde Park in July of last year, the footage shows the taxi driver moving forward while holding a mobile device in his hand for several metres before Mikey asks: "What's that you're holding in your left hand?"
> "Mate, I'm doing two miles an hour, I'm not in a very good mood, I suggest you just jog on," the man replied. "I'm really not very happy. You can film me all you like, mate, but you're going to end up needing the dentist, now piss off."
> In response to being told the footage will be going to the police, the taxi driver replied: "You can do what you like."
> Sharing the video on YouTube to his 94,000 subscribers, ChavCyclingMickeyTake said the driver is "supposedly professional" but "you don't seem like London's Finest to me with your phone use and rude and unprofessional threatening behaviour. I suggest you pull your socks up."
> And while he reported that the Metropolitan Police had begun prosecuting, they apparently ran out of time, ChavCyclingMickeyTake suggesting that "the Allegations Team at Marlowe House were coping with an IT system change and were understaffed and overworked".
> After sharing the video on social media, TfL's Taxi & Private Hire department replied thanking the chav for the report, adding that it has been "passed on for investigation".
> "He did at least get to feel the pain of the initial prosecution process, and probably would have been worried about the consequences and possible loss of his green badge for the entire six months," ChavCyclingMickeyTake said.

Making people anxious for their family's livelihood for no good reason
is what ChavCyclingMickeyTake gets off on, apparently.

Mind you, he very possibly doesn't have much else in his life to get off on.

> ChavCyclingMickeyTake has reported thousands of law-breaking drivers over the years, with 800 successful prosecutions in the last five years and 383 reports last year.
> He attracted attention for particularly high-profile cases, such as catching Guy Ritchie and Chris Eubank, the film director being banned from driving for six months as a result, while the retired boxer was given three penalty points and told to pay £280 in fines, court costs and fees.
> In January, speaking to road.cc, ChavMikey said "people need to see justice being done" and any abuse he receives is simply because some motorists "feel they have the right to drive how they want".
> "In the beginning of my camera work, almost 17 years ago, I took a lot of strain at the abuse thrown my way," he said. "I'd answer each comment seriously. Nowadays, there has been such a torrent of abuse and lies about me that I just let most of it wash off me.
> "In the UK chav-cyclists like me are considered by society to be 'cockroaches of the road',>

Probably not far out.

> unworthy scum who freeload on the public highway and are terrible lawbreakers.

You said it, lad!

> For such a person to challenge a driver for lawbreaking is a massive affront to the social order, and people don't like this.
> "Many of those throwing abuse also feel that they have the right to drive how they want, and that nobody can tell them what to do. They see the prosecutions, and they are afraid of the consequences, and they are angry that someone dares to do this to them."
>
> https://road.cc/content/news/taxi-driver-warns-cyclingmikey-after-challenging-phone-use-301405

pockstone | 728 posts | 2 hours ago
7 likes

There's a time limit for threatening behaviour now? Good to know.

Edit: Professional driver may only have been doing 2 mph but so unaware of his surroundings that he doesn't notice he is being filmed by the notorious scourge of London cabbies and phone drivers. What else was he blissfully unaware of?

On Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at 2:33:18 PM UTC+1, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
> pockstone | 728 posts | 2 hours ago
> 7 likes
>
> There's a time limit for threatening behaviour now? Good to know.
>
> Edit: Professional driver may only have been doing 2 mph but so unaware of his surroundings that he doesn't notice he is being filmed by the notorious scourge of London cabbies and phone drivers. What else was he blissfully unaware of?

I'd guess that he attempts to rise above it and sees the aggression as akin to a toddler's tantrum. Remember, he's motivated by the death of his father, so he likely can't take drivers seriously when they start frothing about their need to drive and use a phone at the same time.

On Tuesday, 23 May 2023 at 14:33:18 UTC+1, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
> pockstone | 728 posts | 2 hours ago
> 7 likes
>
> There's a time limit for threatening behaviour now?

6 months for a summary offence.

Mike Collins <cmike8828@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Tuesday, 23 May 2023 at 14:33:18 UTC+1, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

>> There's a time limit for threatening behaviour now?

> 6 months for a summary offence.

Cyclists have much to learn about the law.

--
Spike

On Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at 2:42:21 PM UTC+1, Mike Collins wrote:
> On Tuesday, 23 May 2023 at 14:33:18 UTC+1, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
> > pockstone | 728 posts | 2 hours ago
> > 7 likes
> >
> > There's a time limit for threatening behaviour now?
> 6 months for a summary offence.

Well within the time limits for our cycling hero.
Thanks.