A CAR passenger who filmed himself swearing at a cyclist refusing to use a bike lane said today he had “no regrets” about his behaviour.
Jerel Lloyd sparked a huge online debate after yelling at the cyclist: “Use the f****** bike lane!”
The 24-year-old was enraged that £42m had been spent on cycle lanes in Enfield, London, and yet cyclists continue to use the road.
Many viewers of the clip supported Jerel’s point of view and backed his aggressive methods for getting his message across.
Others accused him of “harrassing” the cyclist in the video, who completely ignored Jerel.
Jerel said today: “I know some people disagree with the way I handled the situation but it’s been a build up of aggravation.
“If you look at the comments… you’ll see a lot of people agree with me. I feel the usage of my colourful language is warranted. I have no regrets.”
Turning to the cycle lanes, he added; “It’s ridiculous – it’s nothing but an inconvenience. They’ve taken away parking spots that were in usage every single day.
“Roads have become more narrow and the junctions now have two give way lines, one for cyclists and the other for oncoming vehicles.”
“It’s even more annoying that so many cyclists ignore it and continue to ride on the road. I believe it’s actually breached the safety of road users.”
The footage emerged on a social media page called ‘Spotted Enfield’ on Monday with the caption: “£42 million well spent, indeed. Enfield Council, Cycle Enfield, Critical Mass London.”
The video has a caption on it saying: “So they spent millions on a bike lane, made our roads more narrow, took away parking spots for t** like this to still ride on the f**** road.”
The clip shows Jerel pointing a camera at a cyclist who is riding on the road next to a cycle lane.
Jerel shouts at the cyclist; “Oi! Use the f****** bike lane!”
The cyclist takes no notice of Jerel who continues shouting: “They spent millions on a bike lane, f****** use it you mug!”
The clip triggered a large debate on the incident and the cycle lane development.
Trina Shea said: “Might not be compulsory, but cyclists wanted to be safe so bike lanes at no cost to the cyclists was put in, yet some don’t use them. I think they should be fined for not using them!”
Whereas Dan Doherty disagreed saying: “It’s not compulsory to use them. Do you think Olympic cyclists would use them when training? They’re built to encourage all ages to try cycling, not for existing road cyclists…. Have some empathy and stop harassing strangers.”
An Enfield Council spokeswoman today said: “It is not within any local authorities powers to enforce the use of cycle lanes.
“Advice in the Highway Code states ‘use of these facilities is not compulsory and will depend on your experience and skills.’
“The cycle lanes are for all but are particularly well suited to people who need to make short journeys within the borough and between our town centres, and those who are less confident about sharing the road with other vehicles.”
