The actress was almost knocked down by a speeding cyclist in Central London
Patricia Hodge has launched a scathing attack on cyclists after a near-collision with an ‘unforgivably rude’ bike rider.
The Miranda actress said cyclists think they are at the centre of the world and it’s having a negative effect on society.
The 77-year-old actress added that she feels she should speak out when she sees cyclists riding their bikes at high speeds but is often met with verbal abuse.
The actress said that police seldom stop cyclists from running red lights or going without lights on their bikes.
Hodge said: ‘I can’t tell you how many continue to ride their bikes at speed, with mothers having to swiftly move their buggies out of the way.
‘I always make sure, though, to point out that the only reason they’re angry is because they know I’m right she told Candis magazine.
Hodge lives near Hammersmith Bridge in west London and described one incident with an ‘unforgivably rude but also dangerous’ cyclist.
The actress, who recently starred opposite Nigel Havers in Noel Coward’s Private Lives, described how she was crossing Portland Place in central London and almost collided with a cyclist as she crossed the road.
Despite the light being green for pedestrians, the cyclist continued anyway.
When the actress challenged him, she said the biker ‘flicked’ her a rude hand gesture.
‘I just pointed at the green light for pedestrians and he called me the worst word in the English language.’ she said.
The actress added that as she has gotten older, she feels obligated to speak out against injustice and that she feels good manners have declined despite her efforts to point them out.
There’s no need for bad manners, and cyclists should be required to wear fluorescent jackets displaying an identity number, similar to a car registration plate.
These cyclists have no care in the world when riding their bicycles in the bicycle lane. When the lights go red to stop for cars, they should have to stop as well, but instead, they just sail on through with speed, and whoever is crossing the road often has to jump out of the way; otherwise, they’d just get mowed down by the cyclist.
A small number plate on their bicycles would be a good system, and it could be attached to the back and front of the wheel inside some kind of frame—slick and sensible. Of course, many cyclists care about others, but many don’t.
These cyclists are arrogant, smug, and very rude, and having number plates on bicycles would help catch those breaking the law. Food deliveries have increased over the years, and many cyclists flaunt the rules of the road to make those delivery times.
It’s crazy to think that these bikes are allowed on the road but have no way of being traced in the event of an offence or a crash.
North Korea is the only country in the world that requires cyclists to have number plates on their bikes. If it works for them, then why can’t it work for the UK?
Not to mention that bicycle users don’t pay any tax to use the roads, unlike drivers, but then again, they don’t have an engine. It’s a manual conveyance, like the Flinstones!
Bicycles should also have insurance in case they hit a pedestrian, because if they did hit a pedestrian, who would pay out?
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 